Scottish semi-surprise

How exactly does a trip to Scotland end up as a surprise? Pull up a seat, I'll tell you. What happens is one night you go out to a bar where you used to go all the time with your Scottish friend. You send said friend a text saying, "Guess where I am?" which later turns into a phone call, which the next morning turns into a flight booked for the following weekend. Oh, nostalgia. You never treat me right.

I found a relatively cheap fare for a flight to the UK with only a week's notice and jumped on the opportunity to go hang out with Leigh and the rest of my favorite Scots. When I went also happened to be Leigh's birthday weekend, so that justified my spontaneity a bit. I am nervous now...booking a last-minute flight was quite the rush and I fear that it may happen again...

When I arrived on Friday, we had a calm night, just sitting around and catching up until we were both too tired to talk... like fourteen year-old girls. After only a few hours with us, Leigh's sister was saying that all we do is giggle, and, well, it's true. We woke up to a big Scottish breakfast on Saturday and then wandered around Glasgow center a bit, did a little shopping, and had a drink at a bar near George Square. Leigh's mom made her delicious chili for dinner as we got ready to go out that night for the birthday party. We reserved a booth in a bar and basically took over an entire corner of the room dancing and talking all among ourselves. The best part of the night was when these two people came in trying to promote their Sambuca with Kanye West glasses and stick-on mustaches. I hate Sambuca and anything with anise, but I was happy to help myself to their swag and make myself look ridiculous for the rest of the night. Oh! I lied. The actual best part of the night was when we left the bar and found a Gregg's open at 1am and I ate the warmest, freshest sausage roll on Earth.

On Sunday, Leigh's mom drove us out to Tayport to meet up with her brother, who then took us to see St. Andrews and gave us a fun fact tour. We saw the beach where the opening scene from Chariots of Fire was filmed, the face of Patrick Hamilton on the façade of St. Salvator's, and played zombies coming out of some open tombs in the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral. We eventually returned to Tayport to stop in some tiny village pubs: at the very tiny and very cute Cobbie's I tried a McEwan's Scottish ale (not bad) and later at Bell Rock Tavern I had a very delicious Belhaven St Andrews ale. We stopped by Leigh's uncle's house before we found our way back to Glasgow for the night, where Leigh and I treated ourselves to a deliciously greasy fried half pizza and curry chips. I love Scotland. But, all good things must come to an end... I came back to Madrid that Monday.

Click here to see all of my photos from this trip! (all of the really good photos were taken by Leigh's uncle, Al Connelly... I'm not that talented!)

My next journey won't be a surprise... I'm off to London to see my mom! Sure, we'll get some sightseeing in here and there but I'm mostly super excited to hang out with mom and our friend Sharon. Look for photos coming soon...

PS:

One more thing... Dad - next time I'm here, you'd better be coming with me!!

A Scottish Screamfest

For Semana Santa (15-22 April), I went with my roommate Leigh to visit Scotland. We stayed at her house just outside Glasgow and took a few day trips to other cities and spent some time in the Glasgow center.

While it wasn't like other tips I've taken (backpacking and sight-seeing like crazy), I had a really great time and got to see a lot. In fact, the trip really reminded me of vacations to visit my family in Chicago--we see some things, but we also spend time with friends and family and have nice dinners, see movies, etc. Eating local food is something I enjoy while traveling, but this trip took it to a new level. Leigh's mom made us all kinds of typical Scottish fare, and while we were out I tried haggis and it wasn't bad at all! I just can't think about what was in it.

In Spain, there's a huge rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona. In Scotland, a similar rivalry exists between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Leigh, of course, prefers Glasgow. As a tourist and outsider, I arrived with a clean slate and without any idea of what to expect from either city. So, my verdict: it's difficult to choose. Edinburgh was absolutely beautiful, with all the ancient architecture and the massive castle towering above the rest of the city. Glasgow was more comfortable, like a city you could live in. As a tourist, I preferred Edinburgh... but I wouldn't be upset if I found myself in Glasgow again, meeting friends for drinks or taking a walk down Buchanan street.

While in Scotland, we took a day trip to Loch Lomond where we found ourselves eating in a restaurant called The Kilted Skirlie. I ate steak pie, which is not what it sounds like, but rather some pieces of really delightful beef in a wine sauce with potatoes and veggies to enjoy. After a brief walk around the shores, we had some ice cream and eventually went back to Leigh's.

Our last day trip of the week was out to a town on the shore called Ayr. It was really warm and sunny that day, so we were able to kick off our shoes and take a short walk in the very cold water. While we were there, Leigh and I tried shouting to our friend Julie who was in Ireland at the time, but she said she didn't hear us. What a pity!

In the UK, chippies are a really popular thing. What's a chippy? "Chippy" is short for Chip Shop, or a place that sells fish and chips, among other fried heart attacks delights. Since I don't like fish, Leigh told me the best chippy meal in Scotland is a half pizza supper, or half a basic cheese pizza, fried, and accompanied with chips and an ice-cold Irn-Bru. Irn-Bru is a Scottish soft drink that, to me, tastes like liquid (American) Smarties. I don't like it, but for the sake of experience I had one with my lunch and it all worked out.

The rest of the story is best told in photos... click here to see all my Semana Santa pictures!

PS - The "Screamfest" in the title refers to the Scream movies... we watched all four while we were there. Hah!