Well the trip over to Scotland was relatively uneventful...thankfully we made it in this morning since as of a few hours ago they have shut down the airspace over Ireland because a change in the wind and the volcanic ash is drifting over Dublin.
After we flew into Edinburg we were graciously picked up by one of our hosts and on our way to the Scotish countryside which is pretty breathtaking.
Our host and guide also shared a Scotish joke that I thought was too good not to pass along:
A Scotish sheep farmer's wife disliked him so and thought he was the worst farmer in the world, one night he brought a sheep into the bedroom and said look here...the wife removed her book from her face and he said this is the cow that I have sex with when you say you have a headache, the wife in total disgust says, "that shows how much you know about farming, that's a sheep", the husband says "that shows how well you know me I was talking to the sheep."
Here are a few photos from the day:
A couple of deer playing in a carrot field. The field has been covered with straw since December to preserve the carrots until they were needed at market.
St. Andrews Cathedral Ruins
The second oldest churct in the Scotish church system, behind a malt barley field.
but HUGE. We know how big it is because our Sat Nav (GPS) took us all the way around the estate's giant stone wall that I am sure it took someone their entire life to create and we saw the fattest phesants that I have ever seen in my life...I mean like small dogs. Anyway back to the estate...the dining room was very 'chefy' (which was a comment from one of our hosts, Anne, not me but fit the entire place to a tea - ha! tea...tee) and very quiet. I think this is the type of place you go to with people you don't like because you don't talk to them the entire time you are there, so you can imagine, was difficult for me! There were some courses that took all three of us to decide what some of the items on the plate were and I'm not certain how Halibut goes with oxtail, but they paired it together and Jake said that it was lovely...but I think he was full of it. I also don't know how you combine a goat cheese mouse with a bitter herb gel (really, does an herb need to be a gel?) and then a tomato foam (foaming tomatoes, maybe they were rabid?), but again they did...first bite not bad and then it went down hill from there. Honestly I thought I was part of a Top Chef Masters quick fire challenge and no one told me...the overall theme of the night was 'in the dining room, with a candlestick.'
As we were leaving this lovely estate, which I must say had a pretty remarkable Egg's Benedict, I realize for the second night I had been sleeping in a room where fake deer were outside the front door of the hotel or uh castle. So now I am obsessed with taking pictures, but alas last night no deer out front, not sure how I'll make it through the day.
Today is our last full day in the UK, I've enjoyed my stay but pretty excited to get to a menu where I am excited to order something off of it and can eat a giant salad.
