Home At Last - Scotland Trip Report
Jul 18th, 2007, 07:01 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Home At Last - Scotland Trip Report
My trip report, finally! I've been putting it off since about 1/3rd of the trip was not really traveling or sight seeing, but was spending time with my husband's family and friends.
BACKGROUND: My husband, Tom and I live in Cleveland Ohio, but Tom has only lived here for 3 years. He is from Aberdeen and hadn't been home in three, long years. I was so excited for him! I myself had been to Scotland three times previously, for a total of 8 weeks. We've been to the Isle of Skye, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh, and many other castles before. My parents came with us for the first ten days of the trip (we were there for 18, June 14th - July 1st), and so we wanted to make sure they got to see the beauty of Scotland and not get stuck visiting with Tom's family/friends the whole time. So we found a balance (mostly visiting people our last week there, once my parents were gone). My parents had never really been anywhere outside of the US before (just Canada and Aruba, and those aren't really that extreme as far as other countries go).
WEEK ONE (Friday - Wednesday) ABERDEEN:
We landed in Edinburgh on Friday morning, where Tom's parents met us and drove the 6 of us up to Aberdeen (2.5 hours). Unfortunately it was drizzling and so the views of the countryside were not all that spectacular. My parents were still very excited though! We stopped at The Horn for some tea (strange place!). My parents stayed at the Holiday Inn right off Union Street (on Chapel Street). The location could not be beat, nor the rate (around 80 GPB a night). The hotel was very modern and clean. The only negatives were how HOT it was. No air conditioning and their window did not open far at all. The brief moments I spent in their room (small room), I could not believe how hot it was in there. I think it was because of the dampness outside, even though the temperatures were only in the lower 60s. The other negative was on Saturday night there were some loud, rowdy people running through the hallways. The staff eventually kicked them out at 5am, but I don't understand why it took so long to get rid of them. The staff had said they gave them a warning. The warning lasted two hours, which is ridiculous to me. My parents got 1/2 off their price for that night because of it.
(Tom and I stayed at his parents house in Torry).
ABERDEEN FOOD:
Friday night Tom's Mum made us a nice roast beef dinner, with my Dad's favorite - Yorkshire Pudding. Such a nice welcoming treat!
Saturday we had a really good pub lunch at Old Blackfriar's (on Union St, at the Castlegate). This proved to be the perfect spot (near the fire) on the cold, rainy day. My Mom and I had good scampi and my Dad the fish and chips, which he loved, and Tom finally got to have haggis neeps and tatties. The haggis was 1 lb!!! He couldn't eat it all, but one of his friends just about finished his.
Saturday night we had a great dinner at Paldino's (Italian) on Little Belmont Street. I recommend their profitteroles. mmmm.
Sunday morning - Fathers Day - We took Shelia's suggestion and had breakfast at Beluga Bar on Union Street. In hindsight, somewhere at the beach would have been better as Shelia had recommended, but it was cold that morning and Beluga Bar made more sense since it was close to the Holiday Inn. All the guys got the full Scottish breakfast, which they enjoyed (except for the burnt, dried out black pudding!), and my Mom and I were disappointed in our pancakes though (cold in some spots, obviously had been frozen!). I never did find a really good breakfast in Scotland, not until I got to Newark Airport did I have a nice one again! But that is my only complaint on Scottish food.
Other places we ate at in ABERDEEN were:
The Ashvale (famous fish n chips)
St. Nicholas Center Food Court (rip off!)
The Justice Mill- Union Street (once for
lunch, once for a snack at night -
really good prices in here, and really
nice inside)
The Sand Dollar Cafe at the Beach (Tom and
I had a fancy coffee here our last
week, after my parents left, it was
really nice inside and would have been
good for breakfast)
Kury - (really great Indian Food. They
have a buffet side of the restaurant
and an a la cart side. We always go to
the a la cart side, and it's much nicer
there.)
DAY TRIPS and Other Activities in ABERDEEN:
One day we took a drive along the Dee side of the river, and back down along the Don River. This was such a nice day and the weather worked out for us. We headed to Crathes Castle first, which I highly recommend. The rooms in the castle were great, but the highlight were the gardens. We got great pictures here. I think we spent about 2 hours here and it was so worth it. We then had a pub lunch in Banchory, which was a better place to stop than eating at Crathes Castle dining area, which most likely would have been overpriced.
We then headed to Balmoral Castle, which we found to be such a waste!! We only were allowed to see one room inside the castle, and we didn't have time for the gardens. But really, I wouldn't' suggest it and wished we had gone somewhere else. Tom, my parents and I bought the Great Britain Heritage 7 Day Passes which saved us 30 pounds overall, so we weren't too worried, but Tom's parents had paid the admission for here. Everyone we talked to LATER about Balmoral said they new it wasn't that great. Too bad they didn't tell us before we went! Oh well.
**A note on the Great Britain Heritage Pass. We purchased these at the Aberdeen tourist office on Union Street, and I had no idea that they would ask to see our passports to purchase them. I did not realize that only overseas residents are allowed to even buy them! I thought I had researched carefully! Tom and I did not have our passports with us that day, although Tom's is a British one, but the woman did take our Ohio driver's licenses as proof and let us purchase them. phew.
So after Balmoral Castle we drove for about two hours in the highlands and down the Don River. It was really nice, and my Mom was obsessed with taking a picture of sheep on a hillside for some reason. So she got her wish!
The next day we took a day trip to Glamis Castle, which I highly recommend. It was my second time there, and my favorite castle in Scotland (so far). My parents and Tom's parents also really enjoyed the tour (our tour guide was fun) and the Italian gardens as well. Again, excellent photos here. We also had lunch in their dining hall (yummy soup and scones) and we saw a highland coo right near the fence by our car! We then headed down to St. Andrews where it was extremely cold and foggy. We could barely see the sea at all! Kind of sad, but the fog really added to the spookiness of St. Andrews Castle ruins. I did not enjoy the mine one bit! It was really cramped (had to hunch over because of the low ceiling) and kind of scary (reminded me of this scary movie The Descent). Then we went down this ladder only to find a dead end. I really thought the man at the info center said you come out another end, but either we didn't find it or I misheard him. Anyway, we then walked around St. Andrews Cathedral Ruins and then down some streets to explore the shops. We stumbled into Janetta's Ice Cream and they all thought I was mad for wanting ice cream on a cold day, but I noticed everyone in the group got a scoop! yum!! After this we walked to the Old Course, but didn't stay long because it was absolutely freezing! Back to the warm car and a drive up to Arbroath for dinner at the Old Brewhouse (one of our favorite places). Of course the sun came out on the drive home, around 9pm. This was to be a theme!
The rest of our visit in Aberdeen was spent in pubs, night clubs, at friend's or family's houses. We did attempt to go to the Tollbooth Museum, but every time we walked by the door was locked. On the way to the Maritime Museum (free!), a seagull decided to drop one on my back
Tom did not notice it until we were halfway in the museum. Of course I freaked out and headed downstairs to the bathroom to wash my coat, and that was it of the museum for me...
We also checked out Duthie Park, but not the Winter Gardens (which I've been to twice before and are lovely), but to see the roses instead. Unfortunately they were only about 50% in bloom, but it was such a nice day outside that day (our last day in Aberdeen).
And we took a drive to Stonehaven one day for some pictures (have been to Dunnottar Castle in the past). I really like this little seaside town.
My parents thoroughly enjoyed Aberdeen. I think they liked the ease of it all (not as many hills as Edinburgh, and Union Street is not that big). It also helped that Tom's Dad was around to drive them everywhere! It was kind of amusing at first though. My Mom could NOT get used to them driving on the other side of the road, and the other side of the car. At one point she was yelling at me to tell Tom to keep his eye on the road, since he was turning around to speak to us in the backseat. The thing was, Tom wasn't driving! He was in the passenger seat. Ah, what laughs.
My pictures are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tammima...602153/detail/
(warning: there are a lot).
To see the thumbnails all on one page go here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tammima...7600601602153/
To be continued....(I did not realize I'd write so much) Four days in Edinburgh.
BACKGROUND: My husband, Tom and I live in Cleveland Ohio, but Tom has only lived here for 3 years. He is from Aberdeen and hadn't been home in three, long years. I was so excited for him! I myself had been to Scotland three times previously, for a total of 8 weeks. We've been to the Isle of Skye, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh, and many other castles before. My parents came with us for the first ten days of the trip (we were there for 18, June 14th - July 1st), and so we wanted to make sure they got to see the beauty of Scotland and not get stuck visiting with Tom's family/friends the whole time. So we found a balance (mostly visiting people our last week there, once my parents were gone). My parents had never really been anywhere outside of the US before (just Canada and Aruba, and those aren't really that extreme as far as other countries go).
WEEK ONE (Friday - Wednesday) ABERDEEN:
We landed in Edinburgh on Friday morning, where Tom's parents met us and drove the 6 of us up to Aberdeen (2.5 hours). Unfortunately it was drizzling and so the views of the countryside were not all that spectacular. My parents were still very excited though! We stopped at The Horn for some tea (strange place!). My parents stayed at the Holiday Inn right off Union Street (on Chapel Street). The location could not be beat, nor the rate (around 80 GPB a night). The hotel was very modern and clean. The only negatives were how HOT it was. No air conditioning and their window did not open far at all. The brief moments I spent in their room (small room), I could not believe how hot it was in there. I think it was because of the dampness outside, even though the temperatures were only in the lower 60s. The other negative was on Saturday night there were some loud, rowdy people running through the hallways. The staff eventually kicked them out at 5am, but I don't understand why it took so long to get rid of them. The staff had said they gave them a warning. The warning lasted two hours, which is ridiculous to me. My parents got 1/2 off their price for that night because of it.
(Tom and I stayed at his parents house in Torry).
ABERDEEN FOOD:
Friday night Tom's Mum made us a nice roast beef dinner, with my Dad's favorite - Yorkshire Pudding. Such a nice welcoming treat!
Saturday we had a really good pub lunch at Old Blackfriar's (on Union St, at the Castlegate). This proved to be the perfect spot (near the fire) on the cold, rainy day. My Mom and I had good scampi and my Dad the fish and chips, which he loved, and Tom finally got to have haggis neeps and tatties. The haggis was 1 lb!!! He couldn't eat it all, but one of his friends just about finished his.
Saturday night we had a great dinner at Paldino's (Italian) on Little Belmont Street. I recommend their profitteroles. mmmm.
Sunday morning - Fathers Day - We took Shelia's suggestion and had breakfast at Beluga Bar on Union Street. In hindsight, somewhere at the beach would have been better as Shelia had recommended, but it was cold that morning and Beluga Bar made more sense since it was close to the Holiday Inn. All the guys got the full Scottish breakfast, which they enjoyed (except for the burnt, dried out black pudding!), and my Mom and I were disappointed in our pancakes though (cold in some spots, obviously had been frozen!). I never did find a really good breakfast in Scotland, not until I got to Newark Airport did I have a nice one again! But that is my only complaint on Scottish food.
Other places we ate at in ABERDEEN were:
The Ashvale (famous fish n chips)
St. Nicholas Center Food Court (rip off!)
The Justice Mill- Union Street (once for
lunch, once for a snack at night -
really good prices in here, and really
nice inside)
The Sand Dollar Cafe at the Beach (Tom and
I had a fancy coffee here our last
week, after my parents left, it was
really nice inside and would have been
good for breakfast)
Kury - (really great Indian Food. They
have a buffet side of the restaurant
and an a la cart side. We always go to
the a la cart side, and it's much nicer
there.)
DAY TRIPS and Other Activities in ABERDEEN:
One day we took a drive along the Dee side of the river, and back down along the Don River. This was such a nice day and the weather worked out for us. We headed to Crathes Castle first, which I highly recommend. The rooms in the castle were great, but the highlight were the gardens. We got great pictures here. I think we spent about 2 hours here and it was so worth it. We then had a pub lunch in Banchory, which was a better place to stop than eating at Crathes Castle dining area, which most likely would have been overpriced.
We then headed to Balmoral Castle, which we found to be such a waste!! We only were allowed to see one room inside the castle, and we didn't have time for the gardens. But really, I wouldn't' suggest it and wished we had gone somewhere else. Tom, my parents and I bought the Great Britain Heritage 7 Day Passes which saved us 30 pounds overall, so we weren't too worried, but Tom's parents had paid the admission for here. Everyone we talked to LATER about Balmoral said they new it wasn't that great. Too bad they didn't tell us before we went! Oh well.
**A note on the Great Britain Heritage Pass. We purchased these at the Aberdeen tourist office on Union Street, and I had no idea that they would ask to see our passports to purchase them. I did not realize that only overseas residents are allowed to even buy them! I thought I had researched carefully! Tom and I did not have our passports with us that day, although Tom's is a British one, but the woman did take our Ohio driver's licenses as proof and let us purchase them. phew.
So after Balmoral Castle we drove for about two hours in the highlands and down the Don River. It was really nice, and my Mom was obsessed with taking a picture of sheep on a hillside for some reason. So she got her wish!
The next day we took a day trip to Glamis Castle, which I highly recommend. It was my second time there, and my favorite castle in Scotland (so far). My parents and Tom's parents also really enjoyed the tour (our tour guide was fun) and the Italian gardens as well. Again, excellent photos here. We also had lunch in their dining hall (yummy soup and scones) and we saw a highland coo right near the fence by our car! We then headed down to St. Andrews where it was extremely cold and foggy. We could barely see the sea at all! Kind of sad, but the fog really added to the spookiness of St. Andrews Castle ruins. I did not enjoy the mine one bit! It was really cramped (had to hunch over because of the low ceiling) and kind of scary (reminded me of this scary movie The Descent). Then we went down this ladder only to find a dead end. I really thought the man at the info center said you come out another end, but either we didn't find it or I misheard him. Anyway, we then walked around St. Andrews Cathedral Ruins and then down some streets to explore the shops. We stumbled into Janetta's Ice Cream and they all thought I was mad for wanting ice cream on a cold day, but I noticed everyone in the group got a scoop! yum!! After this we walked to the Old Course, but didn't stay long because it was absolutely freezing! Back to the warm car and a drive up to Arbroath for dinner at the Old Brewhouse (one of our favorite places). Of course the sun came out on the drive home, around 9pm. This was to be a theme!
The rest of our visit in Aberdeen was spent in pubs, night clubs, at friend's or family's houses. We did attempt to go to the Tollbooth Museum, but every time we walked by the door was locked. On the way to the Maritime Museum (free!), a seagull decided to drop one on my back
Tom did not notice it until we were halfway in the museum. Of course I freaked out and headed downstairs to the bathroom to wash my coat, and that was it of the museum for me...We also checked out Duthie Park, but not the Winter Gardens (which I've been to twice before and are lovely), but to see the roses instead. Unfortunately they were only about 50% in bloom, but it was such a nice day outside that day (our last day in Aberdeen).
And we took a drive to Stonehaven one day for some pictures (have been to Dunnottar Castle in the past). I really like this little seaside town.
My parents thoroughly enjoyed Aberdeen. I think they liked the ease of it all (not as many hills as Edinburgh, and Union Street is not that big). It also helped that Tom's Dad was around to drive them everywhere! It was kind of amusing at first though. My Mom could NOT get used to them driving on the other side of the road, and the other side of the car. At one point she was yelling at me to tell Tom to keep his eye on the road, since he was turning around to speak to us in the backseat. The thing was, Tom wasn't driving! He was in the passenger seat. Ah, what laughs.
My pictures are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tammima...602153/detail/
(warning: there are a lot).
To see the thumbnails all on one page go here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tammima...7600601602153/
To be continued....(I did not realize I'd write so much) Four days in Edinburgh.
Jul 18th, 2007, 07:09 AM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Darn, I forgot we ate at The Royal Hotel also. I love their fish, AND sticky toffee pudding. 
I might as well add that I got to try my first macaroni pies on this trip, and they were awesome!
We also had Aberdeen rolls, mmm.
AND, it was actually the Bon Accord Center that we ate at, not the St. Nicholas Center (I think - I get them confused).
I might as well add that I got to try my first macaroni pies on this trip, and they were awesome!
We also had Aberdeen rolls, mmm.
AND, it was actually the Bon Accord Center that we ate at, not the St. Nicholas Center (I think - I get them confused).
Jul 20th, 2007, 06:05 AM
#7
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 933
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Good to read your trip report amelie!
Just wondered if you've had cholesterol checks done on your return home!!! Whewff! Those pies!!!!
Glad it all went well for you - pity about the "summer" weather this year.
Just wondered if you've had cholesterol checks done on your return home!!! Whewff! Those pies!!!!
Glad it all went well for you - pity about the "summer" weather this year.
Jul 20th, 2007, 07:05 AM
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
lol carylspall, no but Tom went to the doctor the day after we came back. He had gained 12 lbs. yikes! I actually only gained 2, thank god. I thought I gained 10.
Caroline, that is funny that he "looks Scottish!". And yes, my name is Tammi. Amelie is for the movie.
Caroline, that is funny that he "looks Scottish!".
And yes, my name is Tammi. Amelie is for the movie.
Jul 29th, 2007, 06:46 AM
#9
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,159
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lovely trip report. I think that must be the first time the Horn got a mention on here. It's a bit of an institution. When i was little it was a milk bar and since I was brought up in Perth and we had rellies in Dundee, we ALWAYS stopped for ice cream there.
Since I came to Aberdeen, I discovered that it's the place that all Aberdeen rugby fans stop at en route to Edinburgh for the internationals. You should see it at 11am on match day morning.
I'm glad you liked it so far (mostly)
Since I came to Aberdeen, I discovered that it's the place that all Aberdeen rugby fans stop at en route to Edinburgh for the internationals. You should see it at 11am on match day morning.
I'm glad you liked it so far (mostly)
Jul 29th, 2007, 01:51 PM
#10
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 746
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"My Mom could NOT get used to them driving on the other side of the road, At one point she was yelling at me to tell Tom to keep his eye on the road, since he was turning around to speak to us in the backseat. The thing was, Tom wasn't driving! He was in the passenger seat. Ah, what laughs."
OMG...THAT gave me belly laughs!!! I know exactly what you are saying!! That was very funny!!!
Great trip report...I've got to get back to Scotland..was many years before...keep going to Ireland because my mom lives there...
Thanks again for the laugh!
Shadow
OMG...THAT gave me belly laughs!!! I know exactly what you are saying!! That was very funny!!!
Great trip report...I've got to get back to Scotland..was many years before...keep going to Ireland because my mom lives there...
Thanks again for the laugh!
Shadow
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
crazy4Hawaii
Europe
34
Jul 16th, 2007 06:31 AM
Daniel Williams
Europe
4
Jul 30th, 2002 03:20 PM
