Edinburgh

Wind.  Wynds.  Whisky. 

Edinburgh is definitely a charming city, but we battled frosty temperatures and extreme wind over the weekend (minus 5° C with the wind chill).  Brrrr!  There happened to be a severe winter storm making its way through Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England - just our luck!  We made the most of our situation and bundled up in warm clothing, scarves, hats and gloves (what I really wanted was a balaclava though!).  And every so often we’d pop into a shop or restaurant to warm up.  Props to Matt for taking his hands out of his warm pockets long enough to snap some great photos!  However, we saw a bunch of crazy guys who were completely under-dressed in only shirtsleeves and girls who were wearing tights with shorts?!  So silly. 

 

 

 

The city is so fascinating and old, entwining the buildings, castles and monuments with the cliffs they’re perched on.  The hilltop castle camouflages itself with the volcanic rock it sits on, making it almost invisible.  And the centuries of soot that cover the city’s skyline lend a hand in giving the buildings an extra eerie and mysterious vibe! 

  

 

  
The tangle of cobblestone alleys and narrow lanes (“wynds” and “closes”) filled with fun shops, small pubs or restaurants are a delight to explore.

  
We took another free walking tour and there was a surprisingly large turnout – 3 big groups in English and 1 in Spanish.  It was a mixture of history and story-telling, covering the main sights of the Old City from the Royal Mile up to Edinburgh Castle.  It was informative and fun, just soooo cold.  We learned where the term “shit-faced drunk” originated, ha!  Hundreds of years ago a city-wide regulation went into effect specifying that bed chamber pots were to be emptied (i.e., thrown out the window) only twice daily - once at 7 AM and again at 10PM at night, which coincided with the closing time of bars…..keep in mind that most people in the city lived in several storied buildings so when the warning “guardy-loo” was yelled prior to emptying the pot, drunk and disoriented men stumbling past would look up and get doused, thus the term “shit-faced” was born!  Fact or fiction?  I dunno, but it sounds reasonable to me!

About half-way through the tour, I could feel only 2 of my 10 toes and my face was pretty numb!  Luckily, we stopped for hot tea at a large pub to thaw out before continuing on.  Along the way we saw where JK Rowlings wrote the first few Harry Potter books, the cemetery where she found the names for some of her characters as well as the school that inspired Hogwarts.  Cool.  Fun stuff!  

I tried the traditional “haggis” for lunch, which consists of minced lamb and onion (as opposed to the heart, lungs and liver boiled in the stomach of the animal, which is how it was made back in the day), with a layer of mashed turnips and carrots nestled underneath.  It’s a hearty and flavorful dish but I give it mixed reviews – it was just ok in my opinion.

Bagpiper for a Scottish wedding!   

Many of Edinburgh’s museums offer free admission so we visited the National Museum, which explores Scottish history, the diversity of the natural world, different cultures, art and design as well as science and technology.   We also stopped by the National Gallery (free as well!)

On Saturday night we celebrated our 7th anniversary at Mark Greenaway, splurging on the tasting menu with wine pairing.  The food was imaginative and delicious, and the setting was warm and intimate.   A truly lovely evening!

Edinburgh Castle had amazing views and we arrived just in time for a short informational tour, providing the fortress’s highlights.  In the Great Hall we learned about the importance of kilts and how to properly assemble one (gotta make pleats).  I still think they look cold and don’t see how anyone could be “warm” wearing a wool skirt in freezing temperatures!

 

After the castle, it was time to warm up with the Scotch Whisky Experience!  It starts with a barrel ride through a replica distillery, along the way learning about the whisky making process.  We learned the different aromas and flavors that go into whisky from the different Scottish regions.  I hate pretty much most liquors, including whisky, so when it came time to “tasting” I took the smallest sip possible but it was still horrible.  It was a very nice exhibit overall, but not my drink of choice.  Matt said his was better….

 We also enjoyed fresh seafood in the neighborhood of Leith on the waterfront.

Time to head back to Basel and hopefully warm up!  Where is Spring??

Bordeaux

La Belle au Bois Dormant ("Sleeping Beauty").

We endured a bit of wet weather but still had a fabulous time in Bordeaux.  They were celebrating the opening of a new bridge so there were fireworks upon our arrival, how fun!  I wasn’t expecting it to be so pristine and lively.  The limestone buildings and churches are squeaky clean and bright thanks to a big urban renewal project launched by the mayor in the mid 1990’s.  They beautified the buildings and cleaned off centuries of soot, developed the quays along the Garonne River and revamped the tram system.  The end result is a majestic and elegant city!  We enjoyed strolling through the pedestrian streets in old town and meandering along the river.

 

We booked a ½ day wine tour out to Pomerol and Saint Emilion on the right bank, home to the original macaroon recipe and dozens of premier Grand Cru class wine producers.  Since it’s the low season, we were the only participants, so it was like our own private tour, yee-haw!  Boris was our charismatic guide – he was a US baseball fanatic who played minor league ball back in the day; he also lived in Japan for several years.  He was very well travelled and spoke no less than 5 languages.  He was also very knowledgeable about Bordeaux and wine, of course.  We had a really fun time with him.  After driving through the vineyards and ogling all the amazing chateaus, our first stop was to a bakery where we sampled the local cannelés (amazing little French cakes with a crispy outside and moist inside - delicous).  We also visited a wine shop where we sampled several different varieties, in all price ranges.  We also walked a bit through the village, which is super quaint and medieval (picture postcard perfect).  However, it was very windy!  Saint Emilion is made up of a monolithic church from the 8th century and has ruins stretching along its steep and narrow streets.  So pretty!

 

Our tour also included a visit to the Chateau Ambe Tour Pourret, where we had a cheese and wine pairing (blends of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc), after a short tour of the vineyard and barrel room.  Yum! 

Bordeaux is also a gastronomic center.  However, we were stunned to pass numerous cool, trendy, artsy, classic restaurants that looked so inviting but were empty at 8:00 p.m. on a Saturday night?!  Yet the 2 we tried to go into were full.  Go figure, it was like all or nothing.  We would love to go back when the weather is warmer to enjoy the great wine and food al fresco (and perhaps see some grapes on the vines)! 

Budapest

Buda.  Pest.  Danube.

We just returned from a long weekend in lovely Budapest!  The weather was pretty balmy too, no need for big winter jackets, hurray!  Unfortunately, we had to wait over an hour for our luggage at the airport as they brought it to the wrong terminal, sigh!  Therefore, we arrived to the hotel later than expected, but it was in a great location near St. Stephen’s Basilica and a bunch of restaurants, so we were able to quickly find something to eat.  It was a very lively Friday night and the nearby bars were spilling with people on the sidewalks, smoking and drinking, in full “party” mode.  There were also loads of people drinking in the park (the police don’t care as long as you keep the noise down).

On Saturday we joined a (free) morning walking tour, which was quite popular (they divided us into 3 groups of approximately 25 people).  It was an insightful and entertaining 2.5 hour walk about history, society, architecture, statutes and what Hungarians are actually like.  Our group was full of international students studying abroad, so Matt and I felt somewhat “old”, ha!  We started on the flat Pest side near the Danube and then walked across the Chain Bridge to the hilly and medieval Buda side, winding our way through the cobbled streets to the Royal Palace, St. Matthias Church and ending at the castle-like like Fisherman’s Bastion, which provided stunning views of Pest (although it was hazy).  

 

 

 

 

After the tour ended, Matt and I filled up on lunch and then walked over to the Liberty Statue on Gellert Hill.  Yes, we walked a lot on Saturday and keep meaning (but forgetting) to bring our GPS watch to capture our distance!  We were so taken with the architecture and buildings in Budapest -- baroque, neoclassical, eclectic and art nouveau . . . how majestic!

Luckily, the predicted rain on Sunday was just a short drizzle so we enjoyed our walk up the elegant Andrássy Avenue to Heroes’ Square.  Dedicated to “the memory of the heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of [our] people and [our] national independence,” this square is one of Budapest’s grandest landmarks.  We also walked through the City Park behind the square which hosts another castle of some sort, a church and the famous Szechenyi  Bath.  

There were tons of statues throughout the city, most of which you could rub for good luck.

Interestingly, several statues were covered in shrouds and fountains were drained to protect them against the winter months.  However, one big statue that was covered when we arrived was miraculously uncovered when we left, hurray! 

After Heroes' Square and Matt's fill of rubbing statues for luck, we back-tracked to The House of Terror, a jarring museum that documents the dictatorial oppression Hungary faced during its fascist and Stalinist regimes. Once the headquarters of the ÁVH secret police (similar to the Soviet Union's KGB), the building was the site of the brutal interrogation and torture of countless political activists and dissidents throughout the 20th century. 

By this time, we were ready for lunch and found a great burrito street kitchen (Burrita Bar) we had passed previously.  The “build your own” burrito was tasty, filling and authentic, just like home!  It was actually a cute place.  

 

Afterward, we walked down one of the pedestrian streets to the big Parliament building on the Danube.   Unfortunately, it’s undergoing some deep-cleaning and renovation and parts were covered with scaffolding.  However, our views of Parliament from the Buda side on Saturday were fantastic.

 

Staying on the Pest side, we walked through the Jewish quarter to Szimpla, a popular “ruin pub”.  A ruin pub is usually located in huge abandoned buildings and filled with eclectic thrift-shop décor with random objects hanging from the ceilings.  When we visited, they were hosting a mini-farmer’s market on the ground floor.  It seemed more shabby than chic, but definitely interesting!

Since we heard over and over that no visit to Budapest, the “City of Baths”, is complete without a dip, we gave in.  I would’ve preferred something more private, but the hot water was indeed relaxing and felt great on our tired feet.  We both slept well on Sunday night!

On Monday morning we awoke to glorious sunshine and visited the Great Market Hall, a large three-story building full of stalls selling local foods and wares.  We then had a sweet treat at the opulent New York Café before heading back to the airport.  Budapest was really amazing and quite economical!