Scotland
Holiday week in Scotland with Simon!
Days at a Glance
| Date | Day at a Glance |
|---|---|
| 23-26Dec24 | Edinburgh, museums, Christmas market |
| 27-29Dec4 | Exploring the Highlands, based in Oban |
High-Low-Hero-Chow/Ciao*
| Ben | Maggie | Simon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | "tempo on these Scottish runners-they're so fast! Also had 2 great runs" | Arthur's Seat (highest point in Edinburgh!) | All of 28Dec: "hike was majestic, and being completely soaked only added to the experience" |
| Low | "hearing the waiter say 'that's the trace nut' when pointing at a cashew at the Indian restaurant" | My sheepshead scores (negative both times!) | Hostel (Simon stayed in after we left) |
| Hero | "Simon for hiking in Glencoe through the cold and wet in shorts + sneakers and not uttering a peep" | Ben - for driving when the stick shift is on his left | "Free breakfast as part of the elite status at hotel, cheers Ben!" |
| Chow/Ciao | Ciao - "we'll always have Paris" | Haggis! | Oban seafood restaurant and Glen Moray whiskey |
*A game I learned from Ben, who uses it with friends as a fun way to reflect on an experience
Journal
Ben and I decided not to go home for the holidays, given we were flying to the states in mid-January for a family Bat Mitzvah, but we still wanted to do something to celebrate. We already used up our vacation days (see previous blog posts, you'd think I never worked), but the holidays created some natural days off. To take advantage, we planned a hybrid vacation, with some "remote work" days, knowing few people would be in the office. On a phone call with Simon, we found that direct flights to Edinburgh were cheap and well-timed, so we took the plunge. December is not the greatest time to visit Scotland, but it met our criteria of being a country we had never visited with a Christmas market.
Monday 23Dec24
We had one of the last flights of the night, so the airport was practically empty. The security was so bored that they flagged most of our baggage. Instead of confiscating anything, they used it as an opportunity to make small talk, including informing us we looked too young to be married.
The flight to Edinburgh was short, but still long enough for a Dutch brown bread KLM sandwich. We bussed into Edinburgh city center, and Ben joked that he better understood how J.K. Rowling accurately captured the feeling with the "Night Bus" - a double decker bus that drives too fast for its size and fits in places it shouldn't.
We went directly to one of the few open restaurants serving food, a mediocre fish and chips place called Cafe Piccante. Simon had been in Edinburgh for a while, including checking us in at the hotel (He called Ben once at the front desk for the reservation details, and we could hear Simon flirting with the receptionist). He met us at the cafe as we were eating, and escorted us back to our hotel. Ben booked us a nice hotel with his Marriott points that he accrues from his work travel. The location was great, but it was a traditional queen size bed composed of two twin beds. When we got into our room, we were greeted with Simon's ingenuity: he had separated the twin beds by removing his mattress and shoving it between the beds, claiming the box spring with the mattress topper was the perfect amount of hardness for his sensitive back.
Tuesday 24Dec24
We started the morning with complimentary hotel breakfast, and man was it good! Haggis, beans, tomato, delicious. They even had bagels and cream cheese: we snuck away a few extra for lunch.
After doing a meager amount of work, Simon and I headed out. We meandered our way through the Christmas market, enjoying the festive atmosphere, before heading into the National Gallery of Scotland. The museum was free and nicely laid out; Simon and I enjoyed the classics on the first and second floor before heading to the ground floor for the Scottish art. The beautiful landscapes of historic Edinburgh were presented next to large windows overlooking the present day Edinburgh and Christmas market; it was really lovely.
We stopped at a grocery store to make sure we had enough supplies to make it through Christmas, knowing most places would be closed. Back at the hotel, Ben was finishing up his work (after taking an extra long lunch break for a run). He and I headed out to the National Scottish Museum; Simon hung back as he'd already been to the museum, and agreed to meet us when it closes at 17.00. Ben and I enjoyed the views of the Christmas market in the setting sun, at a prompt 15.45, before enjoying the last hour of the museum opening. This free museum was huge, and we only had an hour, so we focused on the Scottish history portion. The most interesting tidbit: the highland city we would stay at, Oban, served as the location of a transatlantic telephone line between the US and the USSR during the Cold War.
After the museum, the 3 of us went looking for a pub a bit further from the touristy area. We ended up at The Blackbird, a trendy pub with a pared down Christmas menu: holiday sandwiches. We ordered fancy cocktails; I drank mine much too quickly and then got my ass handed to me in Sheepshead, a card game that we only ever play with Simon, meaning he has to remind us of the rules every time we play. The drinks, food, and atmosphere were lovely.
We headed back to the hotel to finish up our card game and use our complimentary drink tokens. We had the waiter make recommendations for Scottish whiskey. When Simon asked for an ice cube, the waiter vociferously voiced that ice would dilute the whiskey too much, instead suggesting just a drop of room temperature water was enough to open up the whiskey. Simon was smart enough to heed his advice. I enjoyed my whiskey, with a large part of the enjoyment coming from how official I felt swirling my whiskey in its little cup.
Wednesday 25Dec24
Merry Christmas! We slept in, knowing we did not have much planned for the day, and had a leisurely complimentary breakfast. We planned a day that would not need anything to be open. We started with a hike around Carlton hill; a park right outside our hotel with an eclectic mix of monuments and sculptures.
From Carlton hill we headed towards the Edinburgh castle, the start of our Rick Steves' Royal Mile self-guided walking tour. It's always fun to learn about a city's history, and the Royal Mile has it all: castle, church, palace, parliament, what more could a girl want? We popped in and out of little alleyways, and noticed a few fun details along the way. We learned about Deacon Brodie from the 1700s, a respected Scottish city councilor and locksmith by day, and a secret thief at night, using the keys he created to break in; the tour even included the location of his gallows. We learned that Scotland burned more witches per capita than any other country, and the tour pointed out a few pieces of evidence of that history along the way. Rick did a great job at painting the picture of the old city, including how dirty and smelly it must have been in the 1700s, even earning itself the nickname of "Auld Reekie." It was fun to to meander through the Royal Mile, along with the other tourists who were not celebrating a traditional Christmas day.
The tour ended at the Parliament building, which is at the base of extinct volcano, Arthur's Seat. We hiked up, a surprisingly serious hike with some elevation gain for the middle of the city, and enjoyed the views. At the true tip, the wind was so strong it was uncomfortable and walking was difficult, so we did not linger for too long.
We headed back to the hotel where we ate some sandwiches I'd snuck away from the hotel breakfast. I went out for a short jog to enjoy the last gasp of sun, and was charmed by the Dean's Village neighborhood. The hills in this city really create some fantastic views.
After a shower at the hotel, I called my parents to celebrate Christmas and do a virtual gift exchange. Mom really spoiled me with some nice kitchenware for when we move back!
Dinner was at Madras Metro Cafe, a BYOB Indian restaurant. Simon and I had purchased some wine at the grocery store yesterday, and while it said BYOB on the window, it still felt naughty to bring in our own wine and ask for glasses and a wine opener...The waiter did not bat an eye and charged us only £1 each for use of the glasses. We ordered off the Christmas menu and explained to our waiter that we had a nut allergy, but I had a feeling he was not registering what I was saying. When our food came, I noticed my rice had peanuts, and I sent it back, asking for different rice. Then, it somewhat clicked for the waiter, and he came back and took the sauces away from Ben's biryani. A minute later, Ben noticed visible nuts in the biryani. We flagged the waiter, pointed this out, and he confusedly said "yeah, that's the trace nut." Tough look. After much confusion and multiple plates being brought back, we ended up with some delicious Indian food and some concerned looking waiters. Definitely my least traditional Christmas dinner ever!
Thursday 26Dec24
We started the morning with a farewell to the hotel breakfast. It really was a lifesaver this trip, we would eat such a large breakfast that we weren't hungry until the late afternoon, where we'd have a small lunch from the smuggled out bagels and sandwiches. There was technically only two people on the hotel reservation, so each morning one of us would have to sneak in the back way and hope the staff did not notice...always added to the morning excitement!
Ben picked up the rental car a bit before noon and we drove the Loch Lomond National Park. The loch was huge and has beautiful mountains along the sides; we did a hike from the base of the loch. It provided beautiful views of the loch and surrounding mountains along the way, but at the very peak, we were so submerged in fog we did not have as picturesque of a view as I would have hoped. Instead, Ben pretended to be Dr. Frankenstein and have his moody ethereal moment.
We drove another 2 hours to Oban, listening to "Gentle Bagpipe Mix" on Spotify. Ben did a great job adjusting to driving a stick shift where the stick was on his left side. We arrived to our AirBNB at Oban, a coastal resort town with the self-title "Seafood Capital of Scotland."
Our AirBNB host recommended Markie Dan's as the local pub, so we headed there for dinner. We played cards while we started with Aspall cider and Guinness. At first, their drink menu showed everything but whiskey, and we had to ask the waiter if they served any. He immediately brought us a separate hard-cover book dedicated only to whiskeys, where each one had a description, mouth-feel rating, and place of origin, including 3 local Oban whiskey options. I enjoyed the Oban whiskey the same amount as every whiskey (yeah, this is fun in Scotland! No need to continue drinking at home!). While our dinner food was not as elevated as the menu may have described it (my "haddock thermidor" was a bowl of Velveeta cheese), the pub food was warming and fatty and comforting. Over the whiskey and cards we shared one of more intimate conversations of the trip, once Simon asked us about our history as a couple. It was a really lovely night. We got the cue it was time to leave when we suddenly looked around and the average age of the pub had fallen from middle aged to ~19.
Friday 27Dec24
Happy Birthday Ben! While we were technically working today, nobody worked too hard. I baked Ben a cake (not in my plan, but Ben picked out his own cake mix and canned frosting himself at the grocery store and I couldn't say no!). I pride myself on being resourceful, and so I will now brag about how I made this cake, knowing only my future self will care (sorry dear readers!) No large bowl or mixing utensil, so I used a blender that didn't really work. No cake pan or parchment paper, so I used a large pot and a pat of butter I had previously pilfered from the hotel, and I had to reuse the pot for the second half of the batter! I was also smart enough to pack from home some candles and a lighter, so Ben really did end up with a proper birthday cake.
Simon and I sang to the birthday boy, and then he unwrapped the gift I also packed from home: The Crew! A "cooperative euchre" card game recommended by our friend, Kyla. We played it for a bit while we ate our cake, pretty fun!
Ben and I also had time to go on runs during the work day. It was a lovely run: partially along the coast, and then into the country a bit, with the end point being a castle. It did not quite rain, but it misted the entire time, so I was basically soaked when I got home.
For dinner, I picked a nicer seafood restaurant along the water. We shared all 3 dishes that we ordered, fried monkfish, sea bass, and a seafood platter. Everything was delicious and the ambience was lovely; definitely one of the best meals of the trip. While the fellas used the bathroom, I sneakily told the manager it was Ben's birthday. After we finished, he surprised Ben by having the whole restaurant sing to him while delivering a slice of lemon cheesecake.
Feeling warm and fuzzy from dinner, we walked around Oban a bit. We watched as they loaded a comic amount of cars onto a ferry headed for the Isle of Mull, and we checked out the main street of downtown. While not big, Oban is charming, and I can imagine how bustling it is in the summer time.
While Ben was not able to celebrate with many friends or family, I hope he still enjoyed his unique birthday!
Saturday 28Dec24
With our last full day of vacation, we wanted to maximize our sunlight with some hiking in Glencoe. We had considered taking a ferry to the Isle of Mull, but it would be a lot of driving and transport time to get to the Isle, and after experiencing the single lane highways on the drive to Oban, we decided focusing on hiking was a better use of our limited sunlight.
Just an hour drive away, we headed to Glencoe national park, enjoying the view of the coast, islands, and castles along the way. The Glencoe visitor center had a turf house reconstruction, information about the park, and some highland coos we saw as we drove out. Along the drive to our hike spot, we pulled off the road to visit the filming location of "Hagrid's Hut" in Harry Potter 3. While the hut is no longer there, it was fun to remember the scenery and know the movie filming had taken place there.
Our hike was a bit past the 3 sisters, starting just off the A82 and then hiking along a small river into the heart of the nature reserve. We later learned this location was used for filming movies like Skyfall and Braveheart, and now we know why. It really felt magical. Every few steps we needed to cross a stream, some with large stepping stones, some that required some creativity and team-building to cross. We slowly gained elevation, apparent as we went from under a layer of fog to inside a low cloud, never raining, but absolutely soaking us by the end of the hike. There was no obvious summit or end point to the hike, but winding our way between these great mountains along the river was really special.
When we made it back to the car, we were all soaked. Ben and I luckily had rain pants and boots, thanks to biking in a rainy country, but Simon was just in tennis shoes and shorts. He was a real trooper, never complaining or letting the wet ruin the mood. While we maybe had some plans to keep exploring the area after the hike, we were so soaked to the bone after, that we drove straight back to the AirBNB and used every inch of radiator space to dry off shoes, gloves, hats, and rain jackets that were soaked through.
Hoping to warm up after the hike, Ben hopped in the shower, and Simon and I threw in some steak and haggis pies we'd purchased at the grocery store. As soon as we turned the oven on, it shorted the box controlling the shower, stopping Ben's shower mid-soaping. The AirBNB host was unfortunately little help, explaining it would not be possible to get a plumber on a Saturday night. Luckily the tub faucet still worked alright, but with a dirty tub bottom, I did my best to splash water in dirty areas and call it a day.
As clean as we could be, and tired from the hike, we all wanted a relaxing evening. We walked to the local fish and chips place for takeaway, and this place did it right. Large fry station, few laminate tables filled with locals, and they served us the special: huge portion of fried haddock, and delicious fries topped with salt and vinegar with a side of mushy peas. Chef's kiss.
We brought it back to our place to eat with a movie. After some discussion, Simon agreed to partake in our Oscar-winner movie list agenda, so we watched Casablanca, available on one of the movie streaming services through the AirBNB. We were all surprised at how much we liked it, and it was helpful to have Simon there to explain some of the historical specifics about Vichy France.
Sunday 29Dec24
We got on the road in time to drive the 3 hours back to Edinburgh to drop the car off before 11.30. It was a lovely drive, with beautiful views of the coast, lochs, and highlands.
After dropping off the car, and then our luggage at Simon's hostel, we headed to a cafe for some cappuccinos and sheepshead. After 3 days of instant coffee at the AirBNB, a proper coffee felt like a special treat, and we sat there for a while playing cards. We moved on to a pub for some for lunch and our last bit of Scottish food. Ben and I shared some "haggis, neeps, and tatties," translated to American is "haggis, flavorless mush that claims to have once been a vegetable, and mashed potatoes." We played a bit more sheepshead as we ate, Ben eventually claiming victory (a big deal: the first time either of us has beat Simon!).
We walked back to the hostel to grab our bags, saying goodbye to Edinburgh as we went. It really is a charming city, and was a lovely place to spend our Christmas holiday. It was sad to say goodbye to Simon; I hope that we see him again soon. Ben and I both remarked how easy this vacation felt with Simon. Traveling with family and friends is always fun, but comes with awkwardness in trying to balance different trip styles. But this trip with Simon felt really easy and natural; he's a great friend to travel with.
For the Record
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Arrival | KLM, EDI, 23.30 |
| Departure | KLM, EDI, 18.30 |
| Edinburgh Accommodation | Courtyard Marriott, 3 Baxter's Pl, EH1 3AF |
| Highland Accommodation | AirBNB, 4B Castle Rd, Oban PA34 5AN |
| Christmas Eve Dinner | The Blackbird, 37-39 Leven Street, EH3 9LH |
| Christmas Dinner | Madras Metro Cafe, 14 Brougham St, EH3 9JH |
| Ben's Birthday Dinner | EE-USK, North pier, Oban, PA34 5QD |
| Loch Lomond Hike | Conic Hill |
| Glencoe Hike | Glen Etive via Lairig Gartain |
| Oban run route | Oban to Dunstaffnage Castle |
| Maisy | With Hanna and Ray and their two corgis |
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