Scotland Report

[Spock]

Wonderful trip that I feel like writing about in several posts.

First of all, TGIRL-I did not get to storm any castles-BUT, I fell in love with the old books in the shelves in one and I asked a tour guide if anybody ever looked at the books. He said that only people trained to handle them are allowed. I tried to tell him that I was trained-but he wasn't buying it.

However, at the same castle there was a storm of local first graders celebrating the end of school. While I am not sure of the correct name for a group of first graders-I think "Storm" is especially appropriate in this case. They were all dressed as knights and princesses and such and the teacher was also dressed in period costume. We talked to her and she said they had been studying siege warfare. How awesome is that!!!

I didn't think of it until last night when we got home-but I realized that I missed an opportunity.

Here I had a storm of trained first graders at hand to create a distraction while I went for the books in the library. OMG-they would have had the time of their lives.

[Spock]

The most Spock thing that happened on the trip started on the ferry to the Island of Islay -AKA Whisky Island-AKA Heaven on Earth.

I was walking around the the ferry and I saw a 60-ish guy with a 30 Yo guy (presumably his son) and a 5 YO boy playing with all farm toys.

I just had to turn around and ask if he farmed. It turns out that he farmed on Islay with his son and family.

We visited for awhile about farming (as farmers do) and I learned that his farm is known as "Ballinaby" from some standing stones on the farm and he had some relationship with the Kilchoman Distillery-they get the leftover grain after malting and such to feed the cattle. He had sheep and cattle.

Kilchoman was the 2nd distillery that we visited the next morning and I was asking the very attractive 35-ish female tour guide and tasting coordinator some questions and she asked if I was a farmer and said she could always tell from our questions.

Aside #1-Our 16 passenger tour bus developed a theory that the tour guides/tasing coordinators were always attractive females. This held true until the last when we got an even better one. Sunday morning we had a very hungover 20-ish tasting coordinator.

Aside #2-Kilchoman is trying to do as much as possible on their own farm-ie raise their own barley and such.

Anyway, we get back in the bus to leave Kilchoman and the tour guide says to me "You are famous, man."-I am like "WTF?" Turns out the farmer's daughter works at the distillery and she had been told about the farmer from Minnesota from her dad-so she was looking for me-as somehow the connection was made through the tour guide and our bus driver that I there. So that was fun.

I had never tried Kilchoman but I have seen several expressions of Kilchoman here in the states but at the Edinburgh Duty Free-I saw one that did not look familiar-Kilchoman "Ballinaby" with the same name as the guy's farm-so I bought that on the way home.

[Spock]

We visited 7 distilleries in 2 days on Islay. It was way more fun visiting these with a random group of 16 people than it would have been with just the 2 of us. We got to drink whisky and talk about whisky and eat good food together.

We had:

1) 3 guys and the wife of one-celebrating their 40th birthdays. These guys knew a lot about whisky and got into a good whisky vault on the island.

2) A late 40's Swedish couple-He like whisky-she didn't. Mrs Spock also doesn't like Scotch and her seemed to hit it off and they are Facebook friends.

3) A goup of 5 from New Brunswick. A 50-ish couple who both liked whisky and their 25 high-functioning autistic son and the grandparents to help if their were issues-ie one day they stayed around town as it was getting a bit much for him. Although, when we said goodbye-he shook my hand and was tickled that we had the same first name.

4) A retired Australian couple who were along just randomly-not especially interested in whisky. They transferred to another tour with us for the second half of the trip.

5) A 65-ish Austrian by himself who likes Scotch-his wife stayed home.

The Massachusetts couple did hit one of my pet peeves. They travel a lot and I couldn't believe that they wouldn't eat at a very highly recommended seafood shack because they only took cash. I get that they wanted to use their card in their travels but isn't one of the joys of traveling to find odd things like a great seefood shack that only takes cash. Don't you even have that much cash along?

FTR-I used mostly cash-but as I was spending more money than I planned we had to start using the card more about the middle of the trip-but I always made sure that I had enough cash for odd incidentals like that which is why the card started coming out more.

[Bob Juch]

One of my wife's 7th great-grandmothers, Anna Mary Sutherland(1705-1738), was born on the Island of Islay. Her father was William Gordon(1683-1720), 17th Earl of Sutherland and Baron Strathnaver. She married Alexander Hugh Montgomery(1705-1768), who brought her to America and founded a large branch of the Montgomery family (my wife is Linda Montgomery). She's also my 12th cousin, 7 times removed.

I have yet to learn how she happened to be born there, and for that matter, why she was in Albany, NY when she died; her husband died in North Carolina. I'm sure there's a fascinating story there.

[Spock]

Our first-half driver-Peter-added a quick stop at Bruichladdie Distillery as several of us have high regard for their various whiskys.

That is where I bought a bottle of Port Charlotte 18-Year. I consider Port Charlotte 10-Year one of my favorites so I while I had never heard of the 18-year-that was my choice for a bottle to bring home. I was only going to bring one bottle home until I saw the Kilchoman at the airport.

The most interesting whisky I tried a 21-year old Bruichladdie from my birth year (1966).

Apparently, there is a bar on Islay that is probably the best whisky bar in Scotland and, hence, the world.

I asked the guy if he had anything from 1966. Well, he thought awhile and looked through his catalog and climbed up with a key and opened a cabinet in the corner. Sure enough, he found one for me. Oddly enough, I was the first one to get a dram from the bottle as it had never been opened.

It is probably the only time that I will pay over $100 for a dram of whisky (93 pounds) but it was really good and I am not just saying that to justify the expense.

I asked the question to the bus about what will happen if nobody else takes a dram from the bottle for, say, 5 years. Will the whisky deteriorate now that it has been opened and the consensus was that it should not be affected. Did I mention that it was really good.

Internet research since returning home indicates that I made a good choice in bringing the Port Charlotte 18 home as it is hard to get here.

[Spock]

I saw a genuine Scottish faerie in the highlands. I was walking in the woods toward an overlook and Mrs. Spock was not with me at the time.

She was pretending to be a tour guide (as faeries do) and she was dressed in green (as faeries also do) and had the red hair of the Scots. She was a buxom, bosomy woman with a rather exposed cleavage. I mentioned seeing the faerie to Trevor (our 2nd-half driver) and that she was pretending to be a tour guide.

His droll commment was priceless-"Yeah. pretending is right." He said most companies would have made her wear a shawl or something to cover things up.

Mrs. Spock saw her get into her vehicle with her customers so she became a joke between us. I have been asked several times about what kind of leggings or skirt or whatever she had on. My response is "I never got that far."

Faerie or not. You be the judge. I am leaning toward Yes. I saw her in the woods-Mrs S did not.

[mellytu74]

Love this. Thanks.

[Spock]

Love this. Thanks.

You are welcome.

On to the food.

Biggest surprise (and disappointment) was the paucity of lamb on the menus that we saw. You would think that with the millions of sheep that we saw there would be a little more lamb on the docket. At a Sunday roast, I did try lamb with mint gravy which was OK.

Best meal I had was some lamb kebabs on the last day. I was told that lamb is more seasonal and the lambs haven't gone to slaughter yet-but still.

Re-Seafood.

I am not a big scallops guy-even when we have been in good seafood areas-but the scallops there were highly recommended by the bus driver and others on our bus and, yes, they were really good and I had them several times. So if anybody ever goes to Scotland, try the scallops.

Had "Cullen Skink"-a kind of seafood chowder several times-I love seafood chowder-not Manhattan though.

Good salmon, once.

Didn't relly care for the deep fried shrimp. Once they were good, second time-not so much

I wasn't a big fan of fish and chips the 2 times I tried them. I am not a fan of thick fries (chips)-but I can safely report that from what I saw-Fish and Chips are still eaten in great quantity in Scotland by both locals and tourists.

Re-Charcoal from Namibia

I was fortunate to mostly sit in the front of the bus (I get car sick otherwise) and enjoyed some visits with drivers not shared by everybody. I was telling Peter, the first half driver, about the factoid from our 2021 Namibia trip that supposedly charcoal was exported to the US and Europe. He was flabbergasted and I was never quite sure if I believed it or not.

But, sure enough, a couple of hours later, we were walking past a grocery store on Islay and I saw a bag that said "Fair Trade Charcoal." I did a quick double take and, sure enough, it said "Product of Namibia." So there you have it. I was actually gobsmacked myself and. Mrs S took a picture and later up the street we ran into Peter and showed him the picture.

[Bob Juch]

I can pretty much assure you that any shrimp in Scotland is not local; it's too cold there.

[Spock]

"Oh No!!. He Bought a Hat." "Li'l Spock's response on seeing a picture of me in a Harris Tweed hat.

I am normally not a hat guy, For example, I never wear the stereotypical farmer baseball style cap. Sometimes on a hot sunny day when I am working outside, I will wear my Africa bush hat.

But, I found a Harris Tweed hat in Scotland about halfway through the trip that I really liked and I wore it through the rest of the trip. Admittedly, I knew that I was probably going to be too self-conscious to wear it back home.

Interestingly, both boys have given me adamant orders that I am never to wear that hat around home.

We didn't think of it soon eneough, but at the last shop we stopped at we found a tweed jacket that matched the hat-but nothing in my size. So no go-maybe if we had looked earlier, I would have a hat, jacket, vest combo.

https://www.keilys.com/irish-caps-and-h ... Z7EALw_wcB

[Bob Juch]

Which style of hat?

https://www.google.com/search?q=Harris+ ... e&ie=UTF-8

[Spock]

Which style of hat?

https://www.google.com/search?q=Harris+ ... e&ie=UTF-8

Men's Harris Tweed Flat Cap.

Re-the Shrimp

I think they were actually langoustines-but I just called them shrimp because they were very similar.

[Spock]

The Books-Oh, the BOOKS

Mrs. Spock had intentions of limiting my book purchases on the trip but she gave that up about 2/3 of the way through the trip.

I think I bought 14 (at least) on the trip.

I only bought 4 on Day 1 at antiquarian book stores in Edinburgh.

If I had only known how things would turn out-I would have bought more at the regimental museums that were part of the Edinburgh Castle-plus 2 on the Boer War at a book shop that admittedly were not in very good shape and were a little expensive.

Other than that-just a nice selection from various stops on the islands and in the Highlands.

[Beebs52]

Didja meet any Cogburns?

[Spock]

Didja meet any Cogburns?

You are going to have to cut me some slack on that one. We were only gone 10 days-I didn't meet everybody in Scotland-LOL.

[Vandal]

Cogburns are easy to spot:

[Bob Juch]

Men's Harris Tweed Flat Cap.

Ah, the Scottish equivalent of the ball cap.

[Bob Juch]

I did some resaerch tonight:

William Gordon

Early Life and Political Beginnings

Born on October 2, 1708, at Dornoch Castle in the Scottish Highlands, William Gordon was the eldest son of William Gordon, Lord Strathnaver, and Catherine Morison. His father, a colonel of foot in both Scotland and the Dutch Republic, was a professional soldier and politician. In 1719, the family name was changed to Sutherland when his grandfather, John Gordon, 16th Earl of Sutherland, was officially recognized as the Chief of Clan Sutherland.

Following his father's death in 1720, William Gordon assumed the courtesy title of Lord Strathnaver. He embarked on a grand tour of France and Hanover from 1726 to 1727, a common practice among young aristocrats of the time to complete their education.

Political Career and Peerage

In 1727, at the age of 18, Gordon was elected as a Member of Parliament for Sutherland, a seat secured by his grandfather's influence. This was during a period when the eldest sons of Scottish peers were typically ineligible to sit in the House of Commons; however, Gordon's election proceeded without issue.

Upon succeeding his grandfather as the 17th Earl of Sutherland on June 27, 1733, Gordon made a political arrangement with Prime Minister Robert Walpole and the Duke of Argyll. In exchange for supporting the government's list of representative peers, he was granted a seat in the House of Lords in 1734. Additionally, he was appointed a Lord of Police in Scotland, with an annual salary of £ 800 and a £1,200 pension.

Military Engagements and Jacobite Risings

During the Jacobite rising of 1745, Gordon supported the British-Hanoverian government. He raised two independent companies to fight against the Jacobites. At one point, Jacobite forces stormed Dunrobin Castle, but Gordon narrowly escaped through a back door and joined the army of Prince William, Duke of Cumberland. His forces participated in the Battle of Littleferry, where they defeated the Jacobites, and he was present at the Battle of Culloden, the final confrontation of the rising.

Personal Life and Legacy

In 1734, Gordon married Lady Elizabeth Wemyss, daughter of the 4th Earl of Wemyss. They had several children, including William Sutherland, who succeeded him as the 18th Earl of Sutherland. Gordon passed away on December 7, 1750, in Montauban, France, at the age of 42.

His legacy is marked by his steadfast loyalty to the British crown during a tumultuous period in Scottish history, as well as his significant contributions to the political and military affairs of his time.

[Spock]

Onward with the Geriatrics-Think people Beebs age and so-LOL-Ducking and Running for cover

We switched buses halfway through the trip after Islay for a sight-seeing trip in the Highlands and on the Isles of Skye and Mull. I have described the breakdown of the Whisky tour people and it was fun as most of us were still working.

The new bus-not so much. This group fit the more expected age bracket for a tour bus in that all of them were retired and at least 10-15 YO than us. 67 (or so) and up.

But, seriously, it wasn't that bad. Several of them were in better shape than we are and the "organ recitals" basically didn't start until the last day.

FTR-"Organ Recitals" are the major risk in being around random older people in that you might get caught up in a long monologue about their health issues and such. It was a lot more fun talking about whisky.

I was also a bad influence on some of them at a whisky distillery visit and ordering whisky at restaurants and such.

I was very proud of a recommendation I made to one guy at a restaurant to order a Glen Scotia. That was what I was having and while I had never had it before-I knew just enough about it to figure he might like it. He did and I know I did.

So, if anybody wants to try a scotch and you see Glen Scotia on the menu or at the bar-I recommend it. It was a nice mellow dram with no peat or smoke influences. I will buy a bottle if I ever see it in the store.

[Spock]

"And Here I Thought the Controversies Would be About Politics"

Comment by one of the Massachusets guys when I said that I am not a fan of cold seafood and I much prefer the Connecticut Lobster Roll (warm with butter) to the Maine version which is cold with mayo.

This generated heated discussion in the bus about which lobster roll is better.

Mrs Spock and I also had to laugh a little. One night we ate supper with the Massachusets people and, while they knew the "farmer " story I also told them about the Bahamian cop who made me the conch salad.

He said his wife is his version of me-IE they can be at a bar in the Turks and Caicos and she will start talking to somebody and they will get invited on their boat and stuff. Well, yeah-let's just say she was very attractive and of course she (they) will get invited places because of her talking to strangers in a bar.

[tlynn78]

Wonderful trip that I feel like writing about in several posts.

First of all, TGIRL-I did not get to storm any castles-BUT, I fell in love with the old books in the shelves in one and I asked a tour guide if anybody ever looked at the books. He said that only people trained to handle them are allowed. I tried to tell him that I was trained-but he wasn't buying it.

However, at the same castle there was a storm of local first graders celebrating the end of school. While I am not sure of the correct name for a group of first graders-I think "Storm" is especially appropriate in this case. They were all dressed as knights and princesses and such and the teacher was also dressed in period costume. We talked to her and she said they had been studying siege warfare. How awesome is that!!!

I didn't think of it until last night when we got home-but I realized that I missed an opportunity.

Here I had a storm of trained first graders at hand to create a distraction while I went for the books in the library. OMG-they would have had the time of their lives.

!!! C'mon, man. Missed opportunities like that don't happen every day ya know..

[Spock]

Well, lifejackets wouldn't have done any good anyway.

Peter-the first half driver, strongly suggested that we should take the (relatively) small boat 6 miles into the North Atlantic to the island of Staffa to see puffins. It was a pretty choppy day, especially coming back.

I am not sure how many were on the boat, but I noticed they made no effort to provide (or even point out) lifejacket type stuff.

Didn't matter anyway-that boat goes over-or you fall overboard you will die anyway-especially as choppy as it was.

Even though I get carsick, I can usually handle boats pretty good-as long as I am outside with the wind in my face. One poor girl wasn't feeling so good and I am sure she will never go for a boat ride again.

On the boat, one of the crew was talking to us and, as that is the way my mind turns, 80 years ago he likely would have been on a destroyer in the North Atlantic.

It was a bit of a walk to the puffins and as Mrs Spock had an unfortunate fall at Edinburgh Castle on Day 1-she wasn't as mobile as she should have been.

The advice was to just get to the area and wait-sometimes there will be 200 or so puffins at the cliff top-mere feet from the onlookers-I did see one at the top and several flying around at the bottom.

[Spock]

Wonderful trip that I feel like writing about in several posts.

First of all, TGIRL-I did not get to storm any castles-BUT, I fell in love with the old books in the shelves in one and I asked a tour guide if anybody ever looked at the books. He said that only people trained to handle them are allowed. I tried to tell him that I was trained-but he wasn't buying it.

However, at the same castle there was a storm of local first graders celebrating the end of school. While I am not sure of the correct name for a group of first graders-I think "Storm" is especially appropriate in this case. They were all dressed as knights and princesses and such and the teacher was also dressed in period costume. We talked to her and she said they had been studying siege warfare. How awesome is that!!!

I didn't think of it until last night when we got home-but I realized that I missed an opportunity.

Here I had a storm of trained first graders at hand to create a distraction while I went for the books in the library. OMG-they would have had the time of their lives.

!!! C'mon, man. Missed opportunities like that don't happen every day ya know..

Don't I know it-but, Dang, CCTV (the security camera system) is everywhere in that country

[tlynn78]

Wonderful trip that I feel like writing about in several posts.

First of all, TGIRL-I did not get to storm any castles-BUT, I fell in love with the old books in the shelves in one and I asked a tour guide if anybody ever looked at the books. He said that only people trained to handle them are allowed. I tried to tell him that I was trained-but he wasn't buying it.

However, at the same castle there was a storm of local first graders celebrating the end of school. While I am not sure of the correct name for a group of first graders-I think "Storm" is especially appropriate in this case. They were all dressed as knights and princesses and such and the teacher was also dressed in period costume. We talked to her and she said they had been studying siege warfare. How awesome is that!!!

I didn't think of it until last night when we got home-but I realized that I missed an opportunity.

Here I had a storm of trained first graders at hand to create a distraction while I went for the books in the library. OMG-they would have had the time of their lives.

!!! C'mon, man. Missed opportunities like that don't happen every day ya know..

Don't I know it-but, Dang, CCTV (the security camera system) is everywhere in that country

Oh, yeah - there is that.