Trekking with the Tucci's

This past weekend we travelled into Whisky Country and the Highlands with Erika and Pat Tucci who are visiting us all the way from Washington State. Our initial plan was for it to be a whisky tasting weekend, but plans changed the second day when we were thwarted by snow! Our first day began bright and early with a distillery tour at Glen Moray (we learned it’s pronounced “murry” like “curry”). Since we had been there several times before, we had the pleasure of receiving a distillery tour hosted by the Manager. The tour was phenomenal. The four of us learned even more intricacies of whisky making and were able to enjoy several wee drams, including some reserve bottles! Erika even had the honor of helping the manager open two bottles for our tasting which totaled over 300GBP or $450! Definitely the most expensive whisky any of us had ever sampled. After spending 3 hours there, we moved on to Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Macallan for a few more wee drams. That evening we stayed at one of our favorite B&B’s - The Craighurst. To cap a fantastic evening of whisky tasting and to truly become Scottish, we ended the night by trying some traditional Haggis Bites. Needless to say, we have now had haggis once and will probably never have it again….

The original plan for Saturday was to head to two more distilleries a bit further in the Highlands. However it was snowing when we woke up! About 2 hours into our drive, we found ourselves on a Highland road that was closed due to the snow (our car almost got stuck in the ice/snow when we were trying to turn around). Since we were unable to make it across the mountain to the next distillery we decided to take an extended day trip through Fort Augustus, around Loch Ness, Inverness and then back to Aberlour. The drive was absolutely beautiful with the snow through the highlands, but the weather was quite unpredictable. We had everything from sun, hail, snow, wind, below freezing temps, and then more sun, which was a bit much for Erik who forgot to bring a jacket on this trip!! Despite Marin finding out that car sickness isn’t something that you grow out of, the day was fantastic and picturesque. We covered over 300 miles and were even stopped by a Shepherd on one road to allow a flock of sheep to cross!

Saturday evening was spent at The Mash Tun. This B&B had a restaurant and Whisky Bar attached, so we were able to relax with a fantastic meal and a few more drams. On Sunday morning we woke up, had a traditional Scottish Breakfast (baked beans and all), and headed back to Aberdeen. We spent the afternoon watching some Gavin and Stacy then had dinner accompanied with some 2005 Witness Tree that the Tucci’s graciously brought to share.

Day Tripping Down South

On Saturday we decided to take a day trip down South. When we woke up, the day was bright and sunny (sunrise is currently 6:05a.m.). Since it was such a beautiful day, we set off on the coastal route towards Dundee and St. Andrews. We were looking forward to seeing the ocean on our drive…but then the typical Scottish weather set in. Intense thick fog made it impossible to see more than five feet in front of our car and lasted for about two hours until we hit St. Andrews.

Our first stop was the prestigious St. Andrews golf club, the birthplace of golf! We weren’t able to go into the clubhouse as it isn’t open to the public, but we were able to walk along the course for a bit. At first glance, the course doesn’t look like anything special or too challenging. However, when you see it up close, you notice the subtle rolls, dips and angles in the fairways and greens. The bunkers also resemble black holes! We would have loved to play a round…but that costs more than a few pence and you have to book far in advance, only to find out if you were selected by the lottery system the day before you want to play!

While in St. Andrews we also visited the Castle and Abbey. As you can see from the pictures of both the Castle and Abbey, there isn’t much left. But even from the ruins, you can imagine how impressive it was in the 11th and 12th Century. The pictures don’t show it well, but both they are located on the ocean, which was finally beautiful now that the fog disappeared. Before we left for our next stop, we had a fish and chips lunch in a local pub that was finally served in the traditional style – wrapped in newspaper. Aberdeen doesn’t allow this for sanitary reasons.

After our lovely lunch, we got back in the car and travelled to Loch Leven. This loch is home to Loch Leven Castle were Mary Queen of Scots was exiled for several years. The castle is located on an island in the middle of the loch.

Our last stop for the day was Stirling Castle and the Church of Holy Rude. This castle is set up at the top of the city, and seems to have its own little village. It really looks like a miniature Edinburgh Castle. The history is also somewhat similar, as it was used for a military garrison after being a functional castle. The Church was also the location for the coronation of King James IV.

After that, we had a quick drive home. Amazing how much you can see in a day!

Pancake Day!

Today is Pancake Day here in the UK so “tuck in” and enjoy a plate of pancakes however you fancy them: crepe or buttermilk style, although thinner is more traditional. Everyday is a good day for a pancake, however eating pancakes today has more meaning that you may have known…today is Shrove Tuesday.

Shrove Tuesday is always celebrated the day before Lent begins. Since tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, Shrove Tuesday is today - 24 February. As Wikipedia explains, “The word shrove is the past tense of the English Verb shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of Confession and doing penance. Thus, Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the shriving that English Christians were expected to do prior to receiving absolution immediately before lent begins.” As some of you may put together, today is also Fat Tuesday within the Mardi Gras celebrations.

So why pancakes? Shrove Tuesday originally began with eating pancakes because they included ingredients such as fat, butter, eggs and sugar, which were traditionally restricted during lent. A Scottish Shrovetide tradition, which appears to have gone by the wayside, was known as the “Festy Cock.” This is a ball of extra finely ground meal, wetted until it can be patted and rolled into a round shape, then roasted or baked in the hot ashes and burning seeds from a mill kiln. It was made to eat up the food items prior to fasting and substituted for cockerel. Festy indicates “Feast Day.”

Pancake Day, as most call it here, has been publicized throughout supermarkets and television programs. There are also organized events including a fundraiser, The UK Parliamentary Pancake Race, which has teams from the House of Commons, House of Lords and the Fourth Estate. The object of the race is to get to the finishing line first whilst flipping a pancake in a frying pan a pre-decided number of times. The skill lies not so much in the running of the race but in flipping and catching the pancake, which must still be intact at the finish line.

In the past, it was considered a “half day” from work and businesses would stop at 11:00a.m. with the signaling of the Church bells. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case.

So today, enjoy your pancakes with whatever toppings you prefer. The most common toppings here are sugar and lemon or jelly. If you ask for syrup on your pancakes they may assume you are from Canada…since that is where maple syrup comes from!! Although not as traditional, we prefer a small spread of Nutella on ours.

Enjoy your pancakes!

Marin and Erik