Catalan Charm

For the UK bank holiday weekend Syd and I decided (pre-planned of course) to go to sunny Catalonia Spain to escape the rainy UK summer. I found a place called Sitges (pronounced 'seaches') that is only 45 minutes outside of Barcelona, and it ended up being the perfect holiday! We had beautiful sand, sun and sea at Sitges, coupled with city visits to Barcelona to create a perfect balance of city and surf. With this great location we went into Barcelona twice and still had plenty of time to sit by the pool and hang on the beach. And, to top it off, it provided the cheapest airport transfer ever - at €2.50 each!

Barcelona (as expected) was really cool, with funky buildings, and amazing shopping until 10 at night. It is popularised by many sights, especially the covent garden-like promenade called Las Ramblas, where there were tourist shops, cafes and buskers everywhere.
Still to this day, my favourite church is the Sagrada Familia designed by Gaudi until his death in 1926. It is anticipated to be completed in 2026 on the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death, but the chance of this actually occurring on time is slim. I remembered this church vividly in my mind from seeing it back in 2002, and now 6 years later, it was even better because we got to go inside and see the developments (still under construction after 120 years) and the nature-based elements that went into Gaudi's creations. I love how each side of the facade looks completely different from the next and I could have stood there for the whole day to explore each unique sculpture and window with my eyes. The one below was my fave!

Sitges was actually not what we expected at all. We expected a sleepy beach town and instead got a town of festivals! It wants to be known as such, and boy, it was! We just so happened ot be there during the 'major festival' in honour of Saint Bartholomew. Below is the main church in town where all of the festival parades started/ended. Made a nice backdrop for fireworks too!
We got back from a long day at Barcelona at midnight on Saturday to see the town in full swing with a fireworks parade. They even had a Churro place that we enjoyed for a night snack.
The parade started with a giant king and queen (poorly displayed below).
There were also dancers with sticks (like the sword dancing in York), and even a REAL maypole dance. We then saw some flaming creatures walk through the crowd, and Syd and I were right near the front not realising we were in the line of sparks! Its really hard to describe, but picture a large wooden dragon with a couple people inside with fireworks attached to its head and tail, and while the fireworks went off the dragon spun in a circle sending sparks in all directions! Its the first time I have been at a parade where the audience runs from the spectacle! We were so busy running away from the thing that I didn't get a pic, but here's a parade of people walking down a narrow street in the town.
This dragon was then followed by men wearing yellow flame retardant suits who basically lit fireworks off of tall stakes above their own heads! What was even freakier is that people from the crowd were dancing in the sparks. It was complete madness...and something we have never seen elsewhere in any of our travels. It will not be soon forgotten let me tell you.

Check out the guy in the left of the picture below - that's what a lot of us looked like trying to avoid the sparks!

There were also concerts back-to-back all night and another parade a 6am to end the fun. We only made it to 3am but were able to catch it all again the next two nights (with different concerts of course).

Syd and I enjoyed a moonlight walk along the sand back to our hotel and decided to rent bikes for the next two days to get around easier. During the weekend we also saw a car/truck that is UK sized for Brother:

We loved Barcelona but were so impressed with Sitges that we highly recommend it to anyone!
Overall, it was a fab beach and city break that makes it hard to go back to work tomorrow!

The Enchantment of the Edinburgh Tattoo

We woke up to a big Scottish meaty breakfast and I loved seeing my dad's eyes light up at the sight of black pudding sausage - he took two! My mom tried a bite to see if it still tasted like she remembered...yup, dried blood...and still not impressed. ;o) I don't mind it.
We then went into Edinburgh (thats the castle above!) for the day and happened to have the great fortune of being there during the beginning of both the Military Tattoo and the month long Fringe Festival. This means that there were thousands of people in the city and markets everywhere! We met up with Lilian and Emily here, so that was pretty exciting too.
Syd and I broke off from the group initially to do some shopping and try on kilts – and purchased a matching set! They are purple and we call it our 'millett' tartan (though the actual tartan is the heritage of Scotland). We were excited to take a piece of heritage home, and Syd is part Scottish now (by marrying into my fam!).
We then met up with the group for a beer in a pub on the royal mile. Everyone was in really good spirits and were loving the spirit of the city.
We took a walk on the royal mile and enjoyed the sights, sounds and music and watched a number of buskers and other entertainers before going for a fabulous Italian meal.
My dad and my cousin even had a chance to get a photo for posterity with Bonnie Prince Charlie himself!

The highlight of the day was the Edinburgh Military Tattoo for the 10:30 show so that we could see the lights and fireworks show in complete darkness (to full effect). This is such an event in Edinburgh, that we had to purchase our tickets for the August 2008 show in December 2007 ! The word 'tattoo' comes from the closing-time cry in the inns in the Low Countries during the 17th and 18th centuries and means 'Doe den tap toe' (Turn off the taps!)

It was held in the square beside the castle, with the castle making a unique and ideal backdrop for the show. Settling into our high seats amid 8000 other people (tourists) of all different countries, the fresh clear air exhilarating, the sky about the Castle deepening first to heather-colours of lilac and purple before darkness slipped down and the floodlit castle drew all eyes to the centre square. A hush falls and darkness deepens, the great oak gates of the Castle sweep open and the swell of the pipes and drums cracks through the night sky. As the massed pipe and drum bands march out in their hundreds across the drawbridge, flanked by effigies of William Wallace and Robert The Bruce, emotions run high: this matchless spectacle unfailingly enthrals, symbolising the Scotland that everyone holds dear in their heart.
Many countries were represented their bands and dancing here. Canada (Nova Scotia) even had a highland dancing troupe that did a beautiful dance with the Scottish troupe. They effectively used the castle as a backdrop to create visual effects (though pardon the blurry night shot!).
It was just amazing. The international guest performers brought a unique dimension, but it was the pipes and drums, which served as the emotional core, the heart of the Tattoo, which Scots love fiercely and visitors quickly take to their own hearts. They most memorable pipe rendition was that of the Last of the Mohicans main soundtrack song, and it sent chills up our skin it was so powerful! When Lilian, Syd and I checked our arms afterwards, we all had goosebumps.


Finally, all eyes were drawn to the Castle ramparts, where a single spotlight cued the Lone Piper to play his haunting lament, the high notes echoing across the still night sky and across the dark city. As the flames of the Castle torchlights and the piper's warming brazier flickered and slowly died, an immense amount of fireworks lit up the sky while more fire rained down the side of the castle walls (like flames).
The night ended with the entire audience joining hands and singing 'Auld Lang Syne'. Will ye no come back again? says the haunting old song, and our answer undoubtedly is, 'Oh yes, and soon we shall!'

Stirling Castle, and the One, the Only, the Wheel

We stayed in old Stirling on Thursday night at what felt like an old firehall inside–with a church façade outside. ;o)
On Friday we went to Stirling Castle during the tumultuous rain. Above is a statue of Robert the Bruce guarding the castle (set within the fog). Its location rivals even Edinburgh Castle's for sheer magnificence as it sits on its high volcanic rock, visible for many miles in every direction. During a long and bloody history Stirling Castle has been attacked or besieged at least 16 times. Three battles have been fought in its immediate vicinity, two of which were turning points in Scottish history: and a fourth equally important battle (Bannockburn- with William Wallace/Braveheart and Robert the Bruce) took place just a few miles to the north. A number of Scottish Kings and Queens have been baptised, or crowned, or died within or near Stirling Castle. At least one King was murdered nearby: while another committed murder within its walls.
The castle itself inside reminded me a lot of Edinburgh castle, but not as impressive. ;o) The kitchen was definitely the highlight (I love when they reenact the kitchens!).
The Great Hall was also really cool and it had beautiful tapestries in it, cathedral ceilings and thrones - where we found our rightful places. The hall was redone in the 'kings gold' colour, which if you can imagine the whole castle like that back in the 1600's it would have looked very expensive indeed! Except now it looks weird in contrast to the rest of the castle which was not restored...
We followed up our 3 hour tour with a picnic at the Wallace monument at a private lookout point. The sun came out just for the occasion and was a welcome reprieve from 2 days of rain (and soggy shoes).

We then set out towards Dunfermline (the home of Dad's family), but on the way we made one final stop at the Falkirk Wheel, which is named after the nearby town of Falkirk and is a rotating boat lift onnecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The difference in the levels of the two canals at the wheel is 24 metres (79 ft), roughly equivalent to the height of an eight storey building. On 24th of May 2002, Queen Elizabeth II opened the Falkirk Wheel as part of her Golden Jubilee celebrations. The wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, and is regarded as an engineering landmark for Scotland. It is a v. interesting lift lock based on a hydraulic system. It replaced the need for 11 separate locks (those locks are now defunct). I saw it like a massive ferris wheel for boats that sit in big bathtubs! You can watch it in action here.
Syd got a kick out of the sign at the entrance to the Wheel:
Here is me at the top canal (union I think).

We then had a really nice reunion with the cousins (Evelyn and David) that evening in Dunfermline with a great dinner, and then drinks all night with the whole family.
The boys latched onto Syd and the 3 of them linked up their Nintendos to play against each other - geeks! ;o)

More Whisky and Prehistory

When I first went to Edinburgh last year, I tried and brought back a whiskey called Edradour. It was so good that we sought to visit the Edradour distillery, which is the smallest distillery in Scotland because it has the smallest wash still (of 400,000 gallons - legal limit). They also only produce 90,000L in a year, which is as much as other distilleries do in a week! They still use a hand-distilling process and haven't resorted to using big machinery or offsite facilities as other distilleries, so that made it pretty special indeed. Not to mention how cute it was!
This was a great little distillery to go through as the free (yes free!) tour and tasting was led by a guide in a kilt, and also included a promotional video at the start describing the distillery’s history and distilling process. They also HAD a liquour license and we tried a couple unique cask strength whiskeys (and a cream whiskey too!) yum!
That afternoon we had a nice pub lunch in the Moulin inn in Pitlochry near Edradour. It was an authentic little pub with its own ales. I was too liquoured out from the scotch tastings so only Syd tried their braveheart ale (a bestseller) and it was really tasty. It was a shame that I had never seen it anywhere else since.We then thought it might be nice to walk off our stodgy lunch and took a hike among the pass of Killiecrankie, which is a gorge where the some government soldiers were camped out during 1689 to try and block the rebels. However, they instead were ambushed by the Jacobites (rebels) in the pass and the red coats were sent running. Unfortunately for the Jacobites they lost their leader at the time and the rebellion fizzled out for a while until Bonnie Prince Charlie came on the scene in 1725. The gorge (or pass) was absolutely stunning with an old arched rail bridge and a smaller area of rapids and the banks of stones being 18 ft across in one section where its rumoured that a red coat leaped across an opening in the gorge (below - called the soldiers leap) when fleeing from the Jacobites. Syd checked it out at the edge and thinks it may be possible if one had a running start at it (which presumably the soldier did).

We made a point to visit another castle this day, called Menizes Castle – home of the Menizes (pronounced Ming-iss) clan for generations since the 16th century. Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed here in 1746 on his way up to the Battle of Culloden and there was a room where he stayed that was since renamed 'Charlie's room'. This castle was really interesting as it wasn’t all completely furnished and felt medieval with all of its old cold stone, and cathedral wood ceilings. The top floor dining room had open cathedral type ceilings and we were all amazed at is beauty. The castle is a z-shape, which is typical of the time but rare for remaining castles of this age.

At the end of the day we squeezed in one last event that I read in the guidebook and was itching to see - a prehistoric reenactment of history on the Loch Tay at the Scottish Crannog Centre. The strange structure you see below is called a Scottish Crannog and reminded us of the Iroquoian longhouses of North America, but cooler! A Crannog is a type of ancient loch-dwelling found throughout Scotland and Ireland dating from 5,000 years ago. Many
Crannogs were built out in the water as defensive homesteads and represented symbols of power and wealth.
By being a pyramid-type timber and thatch structure set on stilts in the water they made the best use of the loch trade routes, saved arable land for farming instead of building on the land, and for defensive measures they just lifted the drawbridge at the end of their structure. Pretty smart! The National Underwater Archaeological Society has done archaeological dives in the lochs around Scotland for 27 years, and have found over 100 crannogs at the bottom of the lochs. This crannog that they discovered and reconstructed is called the Oakbank Crannog and was so well preserved from 2500 years ago! The tour guide was so knowledgeable and passionate that we could have stayed and listened to his stories all night. This ended up being one of my highlights of the roadtrip and I'm so glad we made the stop!

Through hills and fields of heather

On Wednesday we drove through the Northwest Highlands towards Inverness and stopped on our way at the Black Isle Brewery whose logo is 'Save the Planet, Drink Organic'. This was a quaint micro-brewery that makes 6 types of beer and even a blended scotch. They gave us a free brewery tour and tasting - which is a definite bonus given that everything (even parking) costs money here! Its products are all organic, some beers (like the wheat beer) have an extra fermentation (live) in the bottles. They do hand bottling there so they can really only produce 9000 bottles a week (1500/day). We all liked a different type, so we bought 4 to have for lunch – Syd with Blonde, me with Wheat, Mom with a dark scotch ale, and Dad with an IPA.
We only drove through the old town section of Inverness to pick up some food for lunch at a massive Morrisons. The main destination today was the moors of Culloden. This is where the main battle was fought that ended the rebellion of the Scottish Jacobites against a unionised British parliament/government army.

The Battle of Culloden in 1746 was short (1 hr) and brutal, led by the young pretender of the Scottish throne ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ before he fled to France and not to be seen again. The ‘red coat’ government army won by a landslide and obliterated 1500 fatigued Scots who had tried to ambush overnight but never made it to the location of the army in time for the plan to be successful. It's amazing that the Scots revere Prince Charlie considering this defeat was so dire...my grandfather liked him but called him 'soft like puddin'.
The visitor centre for this battlefield was very modern, and very extensive. There were animated videos and exhibits, including a movie where you stand in the middle of room with 4 screens on all sides and they recreate the battle for you. It was quite neat. We then walked around the battlefield itself but it was far less impressive once we had all of the overwhelming of the senses in the exhibits. There was a thatch cottage that made for a great pic though.
Our guide book told us about some prehistoric funeral cairns and standing stones only ½ mile from the battlefield so we went there as well. There were 3 cairns made out of various naturally coloured stones formed into domed structures that were surrounded by concentric circles. It was built around the same time as Stone Henge so was quite impressive. Both doorways of the cairns faced the same direction so that the dead spirits could see the sunset during the solstice. It still fascinates me how they had such mathematical brains back then!
Our next hostel in Braemar was in the heart of the UKs largest national park – Cairngorms – Driving here was also interesting as Syd was behind the wheel taking some of the sharp corners and bumps and my dad said that he drives the car like a racecar and can be quite nerve-wracking. I just thought it was fun! Though, its easier for me to say since I was in the back seat. We saw a few castles tucked in the park, like this one.
And other cool scenes like this one.
The view in the park was hills on both sides that were covered with bright purple fields of heather. It was just beautiful. We tried to get a picture of it, but I’m not sure it does it justice.

A Hike, A Castle, Haggis and Pubs - Scotland at its Best

The next day's drive one a one lane road was a feat of sheep dodging! The road led up to some rock formations called the Quiraing. It's so funny when you beep at the sheep because they get startled and do a leap into the field!

After 3 lucky days of sun, the rain finally came that morning, and it seems fitting that it happened on the isle of skye where the weather is supposed to be most unpredictable. Unfortunately that's also when we decided to do a hike on the hills (aka cliff face!). At least we got a cute pic of my dad and I in our Scotland windbreakers.
The hike to the Quiraing was true Scotland. We had rain and wind whipping at our faces, sheer rock faces and hills where we walked upon a small trail (laden with sheep droppings!). There was a 45 degree incline that Syd and I climbed, up to a pinnacle rock called 'the needle', but boy was it a workout! That's me waaaay up there.
When we came back down we saw mountains of mist in the distance and tried to capture it on photograph. We also did the sheep shit shirk (avoiding the droppings) and the shit shoe shuffle (to clean off what we couldn't avoid!). I have quoinned these two dances to dance at our next celidh!

Driving around Skye was fun (ok, I was a passenger the whole time- but I preferred it that way)! The roads were not only windy, but up and down. As we were driving to the distillery and I had an empty stomach, the hills and turns made my stomach tickle – who needs roller coasters when you have dad driving? ;o)

We hit our next distillery on Syd's insistence - Talisker. A new fact that we learned here is that its a large whisky operation with 60% of their whiskey they sell for use in blends around Scotland. They also use rainwater that comes down from the mountains and mixes with minerals and when they have dry spells (very rare, mind you) they don’t produce whiskey that week! That must make a big dent in their 50,000L weekly quota! This scotch was a bit more peaty and not to my taste, but we did get to try a number of different types as this place actually had a liquour license and could sell drams (where other smaller distilleries could not - as we later found out).

After we crossed the bridge back to the mainland, we went to Eilean Donan Castle – known as the most romantic castle in Scotland. Originally a Viking fort before being owned by Scottish lairds, but was then bombarded by frigates in the 16th century and it remained in ruins until 1912 when a rich family bought it and restored it to its original glory. They moved into it in 1932, but only used it as a summer home for a number of years until it was donated to the Scottish National Trust in 1978. When we walked through this castle it very much felt like we were walking through someone’s home as it had a comfy feel about the place. The views from the castle, which was set on a wee island off of the shore of a loch, were amazing, and really did give it a romantic feel.
That afternoon we drove north through the highlands to a town on the northwest coast called Ullapool. It is a fishing village with a lot of charm and a chance for a social scene any night of the week. It felt less touristy than a lot of the other places we had been so it was a welcome change. Our hostel was right on the shore street, and the dining room for our lovely breakfast (as well as our room) overlooked the sea! We ate at a pub called the Seaforth where we all got to have local fresh fish, and Syd ordered local haggis, gravy and mash. It came in authentic sheep stomach sac and we just had to take a pic of it. Syd really enjoyed it, once he removed the sac of course!
Since it was our first night in a hostel within walking distance of civilisation, Syd and I made a point to do a mini pub crawl and try half pints of Scottish draughts at each pub. There were 5 pubs and each one had their own charm, and a fair share of different types of locals. Our favourite pub was actually next to our hostel, called the Ferry Boat Inn, and was filled with locals around our age bracket, and a jukebox playing a host of fun music.
We chatted to a couple guys that have lived in the area for years before moving on to our next and final pub, the ‘wee bar’ within the Argyll inn where we sat by the candlelit window and enjoyed a dram of scotch. The only annoyance of the whole experience was our run-in with ‘midges’ which are the smallest bugs imaginable but with stinging bites!