Spring Visitors and Loch Ness Adventures

Now that the dark and drizzly days of winter are being overcome with the light and drizzly days of spring, loads of visitors are heading up north and across the pond to adventure Caledonia with us. The festivities began just this last weekend when Matt's mate from the ol' mission flew all the way out to stay in our wee flat on William Street in hopes we would show him a good time in these parts. I prepped for his arrival by buying some authentic flavours for him to enjoy which included hot cross buns, scones and clotted cream, Tunnock's Teacakes and a couple of Kinder Eggs. Luckily Chase has a sense of humour and no agenda because he quickly forgave Matt and I for having eaten nearly all of the scones, hot cross buns and clotted cream before he even got here! Thank goodness we had the self control to leave some Teacakes and Kinder eggs for him. That said, I think his week adventuring with us was still full of some good tastes of Scotland.

Some highlights of the week, at least for me, were walking about Holyrood Park and getting loads of new views that I swear I had never seen before. That place will always be a wonder. It has so much to offer.

We all worked up a pretty good appetite for some "chipy" when we finished. The Fish n Chips place on the Royal Mile was recommended by a couple of people at work so we stopped there. It was perfect. Served up by a frowning Scottish tween then eaten in a plaza with an distressing number of pigeons, we got all kinds of authentic local flavour from our lunch stop.

That afternoon, we packed up and headed over to Waverly bridge to catch our train to Inverness. What does Inverness have to offer you ask?

Any guesses? Can you see a slithering creature swimming about in this pic?

Indeed, it is just a hop, skip and a swim through a canal from the famous Loch Ness. So after resting our wary legs at the Inverness Student Hostel, and getting an earful from a chatty but tactless Englishman about "what Americans are like", we made our way over to our "Jacobite Tour" of Loch Ness. The weather was somewhat unforgiving (though how could I expect anything different than overcast and chilly/fresh Scottish weather?) and the pre-recorded tour narration was stale and hard to follow but no complaints on the views. It was that austere kind of gloomy beautiful that this place has to offer. I loved it.

Though, I found our wee trip down the canal somewhat upsetting as this random local fellow took it upon himself to wait around on the banks until our boat left and then road alongside us the whole way. For some reason it stressed me out beyond words. Maybe because it was he made it difficult to take a picture that didn't include him or perhaps because he kept looking over at us to make sure he was "on pace" with us. Would you believe he waited for us for the hour+ we were on the loch and was there back on the bank of the canal to ride alongside us back?! If you ever make your way up that far north and take the Jacobite tour, you will have to tell me if you encounter this guy.

Inverness is a lovely town to explore on foot and easy to keep your barrings. We took a leisurely walk along the canal after our lunch of sandwiches and scones. It had some really idyllic sites to offer.

The rest of the week has blurred past since we got the midnight train home and I have worked the last couple of days. Still, amid all the stresses of applying for jobs around the country, papers and finals, work and church callings, it was so so lovely to have an excuse to take a wee holiday just north of us. I think I am learning the art of being a Brit in their right to a proper holiday for good mental health. Many more adventures are awaiting us too as my dear friend Mary is coming in tomorrow afternoon and those dear Oklahoma Sweeney parents next weekend. I have already booked our "Tea for 4" at the Caledonian next weekend with them and set aside my holiday earned from the "Royal Wedding" next week to go towards a trip to our first trip to the continent. Much to love in a Scottish Springtime it seems....

Smacznego (or "Bon Appetit")

Before coming to Edinburgh, I would think about all the different, new experiences I expected to have.  I wondered whether haggis really would be as unappealing as everyone made it out to be (turns out it is actually quite nice). I wondered if I would be able to make friends with Scottish people or if there would be cultural barriers that would prevent it. Among the things I wondered about, there was also a fair amount I expected to experience. For example, I expected going to the supermarket would be even more loathsome than it is was with a car (this indeed turned out to be true). I anticipated that it would be hard to find a lot of the ingredients and foods that I am used to cooking with (this has been the case sometimes but not always*). Etc etc.

One of the great things though about exploring a new place though is that there are loads of things that are great which you don't even expect. One of the biggest ones for me in the Edinburgh chapter of my life is getting to know Polish people, culture and food. When I first interviewed for my housekeeping job, I was asked very matter-of-factly if I knew how to speak Polish. "What a random language to know", I said. "Why no, I don't know if I have even met a Polish person before." The duty manager, a kind but humourless fellow, followed up by telling me that there are a lot of Poles in the Edinburgh area and that half of the housekeeping team was Polish and a handful of the kitchen help were as well. At the time, it didn't matter to me one way or the other (I just cared about getting a job). I had no idea what a cultural adventure I was about to have.

My second day on the job I was paired up with this spunky, wee Polish lass who in spite of having learned English only a couple of years ago could chat it up more than anyone I had ever met. Ever. From the start, we "got on like a house on fire". I don't know how you couldn't with this girl Aneta. Within the first couple weeks of work, we were already swapping favourite cultural dishes with each other. I made her chile con carne and cornbread. She brought me potato dumplings, meat stuffed cabbage, and Polish herbal teas (she is fascinated with me not drinking leaf tea as a religious thing). Even today I have come home with a 15 bags of "Malina + Granat - Herbata Owocowa" (Raspberry and Pomegranat Herbal Tea judging by the pictures on the box) and a handful of Polish biscuits and wafer candies. Her teas and biscuits have yet to disappoint as they have an unrivaled grasp on how to best espouse the wonders of marshmallow.

Last night sealed the deal for me though. For a couple of weeks, Aneta and our Latvian co-worker/friend Agnese and I have been talking about going to Kleofas Cafe, a wee Polish restaurant over on Gorgie Road. It took some scheduling acrobatics to get us all there at the same time but oh was it worth it!

The wonders that the Poles can work with beets, potatoes, cabbage and the like. Never thought to saute pickled beets in butter to make a warm salad but it is one idea to remember.

Though the potato dumplings were unbelievably moist and soft and my pork medallion impeccably savoury with a mushroom sauce they made, the award of best dish would have to go to the dessert cake I got. "Sour Apple and Dark Chocolate Cake". What an inspired combination of  melty bittersweet and sour with the most stimulating texture. I have never eaten a cake that accomplished so much without any frosting. What a delight!

How had I never heard the raving reviews of Polish food before? Surely with the contributions they make to the culinary world, there would be more restaurants around and aisles in supermarkets with their ingredients. I will say though, that this experience is probably a template for something much bigger that I will encounter as I go new places, meet new people throughout my life. I imagine that there are a wealth of people and cultures (and food) I have never really thought about before but has something magnificent to offer.




*Foods I expected would be difficult to find but are not
-Cummin
-Mexican food (there is little variety and not as great/authentic quality but it is there)
-Cinnamon sticks (I didn't expected these to be difficult to find but they are so super cheap here compared to the States)

*Foods I expected would be easy to find but are not
-Ground pepper (they usually only have the peppercorns?)
-Diced green chilis
-Popcorn
-Chocolate chips
-Tofu
-Dried Beans (Black and Pinto beans are the most difficult to find; they can be found but they are quite expensive and only at the biggest supermarkets.)

Simple Pleasures in Portobello

These last few weeks Matt and I have been burying our heads in homework, the ol' church callings, work and volunteering. However, with the start of British Summertime (ie Daylight Savings for all you American folk) , our days have gotten luxuriously longer, quicker than we expected. This has led to all kinds of restlessness in trying to stay in, with work to be done. Since November we became used to a cozy hibernation with mugs of tea in our wee flat when the sun went down at 3:30pm for month after month. In the last couple weeks though it has become a bit torturous to try and be too productive when it is light (and often even balmy warmish!) until as late as nearly 8pm. Indeed, a day-adventure was calling our name. So we looked at how far the Lothian line buses would would take us in any direction (in spite of the 10pence increase) and chose a Saturday afternoon in Portobello.

We hopped onto #26 that took us out to Edinburgh's seaside resort of yore. Apparently, this place used to be quite the holiday seaside destination for 19th century folk but like most idiosyncratic resorts, like Saltair, it has been in slowly declined in popularity over the ages.

Portobello is only 4+ miles from our flat but it might as well be in a different city than Matt and I as we have no car and a maximum walking distance capacity of 5 miles round trip. That said, it was well worth the 5.20 it took to get us to this stretch of the Firth of Forth. The 19C (66F) weather was about as friendly as one can ask for from a Scottish coastline in the spring (or ever for all I know). Still, I am not sure I would have been as brave as these thick skinned wee lasses messing about in North Sea waves in nothing but swimming costumes. Perhaps Scots are bred a bit heartier for a holiday at the sea.

One of the Edinburgh historian-types in our ward was telling us just today that he once had a mate that would swim across the Forth, starting in Portobello, on New Years Eve every year! Unimagineable....

This is a coastline that doesn't call for the boogie boards and only those who are "having a laugh" would think to bring a umbrella for sun protection to this misty, cool beach. Still, there is something utterly serene about visiting a part of the sea that offers a boardwalk with nostalgic wonders like "Noble's Amusement's" (a la Pleasure Island scenes in Pinocchio) and stretches of beach that don't place you in uncomfortable proximity to overweight sunbathers.

I think one of my favourite nuances of the place was this mist that would rise up from close to the tide.

After walking about for a bit, Matt and I decided the outing called for Magnum bars and an Italian Ices along with a good sit and some people watching. When we finished up, we walked our way back along the boardwalk and caught the bus home. I think it felt a wee bit easier to whittle away at our papers and assignments with a hints of wind burn (or perhaps could it be from the sun?) on our skin.

Afternoon Cuppa at Loopy Lorna's

A social has been in order for us Girlguide leaders of the 166th unit for a while now. We decided on a meeting for High Tea yesterday afternoon at Loopy Lorna's. It was my first time having a proper afternoon tea and to be sure, it did not disappoint. Just look at this spread...

Highlights of this particular tea house are the delightfully mix-matched dishes and cooky knitted cozies of different animals. Mine was a duck...as you can see.

Louise and Signe shared a pot of "Blooming Amazing" which was a whimsical tea that budded open as it steeped to reveal a Lily inside. The wonders of British tea artistry!

My favourite were the scones with clotted cream (life changing it was!) and fresh raspberry preserve. Heaven. The preserve was stunningly tart and with just the right balance of sweet I couldn't help myself but shamelessly dish up rather unlady-like portions of it for nearly everything I ate. Luckily I was among friends so I don't think they judged me. Needless to say it was one of those cultural flavours I was glad to sample during my time here.

In other news....

My IT Buddy made news today for his epic plans to cycle across the Eastern coast of Italy for a charity group, just months before his 70th birthday. A local reporter came into the library today to learn more about his cause and ambitions and consequently got to learn a wee bit about the IT Buddy programme with the Edinburgh Public Library. Afterall, if you are going to have a cause big enough to cycle 250 miles for, you best get yourself a proper blog to tell your story. That's where I came in. Here's the article.

"Feeling (too much?) Like a Local"

13. Is "sidewalk rage" a thing? If it is, then I think I am prone to it when other pedestrians don't follow the walking traffic rules. Granted they aren't officially "laws" like on the road but if you need to stop and tie your shoe, read a sign, or the like - I suggest you step to the side mate. Don't mess the rush hour chi on the sidewalk. Otherwise the rest of us peds will resent you for it.
14. Getting this little number from my friend I do "IT Buddies" with. Isn't it terrific? He was so grateful to learn the basics of his new laptop and how to do basic internet searches that he custom-made one of his marvelous origami trees for me.

This list is growing too fast to even keep track of it very well. The thing is, I have noticed that I have found less and less of the daily life here unusual. It isn't just that taking a bus to supermarket then walking with my re-useable bags back to our flat from the bus stop is routine, though it is. It is beyond the wee fridge that seems like a normal size now, the cold, damp weather or the walking to church in my trainers and then changing into my Sunday shoes to avoid blisters. Those things are indeed normal feeling to me now and I suppose that I expected them to become that way at some point; however, while walking home from work along Queensferry Road, I looked up over Dean Bridge as I was crossing it. It is a lovely view, to say the least.

It was at that point though that I realized it had been several days of work since I had taken a moment to look over the bridge that had once been such a wonder to me. I walk along that road several times a week and it has become rare for my breath to catch in my chest when I see the waters of Leith.

Lately I have noticed that while talking to people, I forget they even have an "accent". On telly, Matt and I will be watching advert after advert and not even think twice about how people say their words differently than we do. People will use terms like "mum", "cheers", "didnae" or "couldnae" and it seems quite natural and less like a novelty.

I remember when Matt and I walked bleary-eyed out of the Edinburgh airport at 8am to take a taxi to our hostel and face a full day of jet lag. Worn out and disoriented, we waited on Argyle Street for our hostel to open. The distinctive Scottish and British accents came and went past us like a Doppler effect as locals walked past us. It was all we could do not to sit and smile at each other, as utterly tired and scared as we were, everything around us from the buildings and the sounds on the street to the smell of breweries and rain, we were somewhere new. We were somewhere that was far from home. We were in Scotland. It was an intoxicating feeling - a rush - that made all of the difficult logistics and pains of finding a life in a new place worth it.

I remember this feeling, on a smaller scale when moving to Texas. People actually wore cowboy boots! And grown men would pour themselves into tight wrangler jeans and use the word "y'all". We went to a Stake activity with Matt's grandparents, I remember feeling that rush of excitement that comes when you feel like you are a part of something worth writing about, worth documenting in your life, as I saw this guy cutting open watermelons on a card table with a Texas-sized knife. Afterall, this was "watermelon country" - close to Luling - home of the "Watermelon Thump". It was so Texas and so Mormon ward activity at the same time. It was unique and I had never seen anything quite like it. If you don't see the humor in that, it is probably because you have already had experiences like that in your life before.

There were plenty of things like that when I got here that I just couldn't get over. They were so perfect. So Scottish. So new. But there is this bittersweet thing that happens when a place becomes familiar. It becomes less anecdotal. It becomes normal. It is just life. It's a little sad when I think about it too much. I hope I am taking in enough. Noticing enough. Appreciating the unique flavour here enough. At the same time, I am liking this sub-chapter of our story here, where there is routine. There are friends. There is fitting in more than just gaping at how marvelously different people and places are here than people and places where we are from (though between Matt and I - I am not sure where that would be anymore).

Holiday in London Town

4 stellar, adventure-filled days in London for under 200 pounds? Yes please. Matt and debated about taking the trek down over and over. "There is so much Scotland you can see for the amount you would spend for London." I think we were underestimating the fun we would have and over estimating the cost though. I will say we cheated a bit as I my ever-lovin' friend Ruth got us the "hook-ups" for a place to stay, as her parents live in South Kensington. They are at the centre of everything! Well, that is not true, they are at the centre of lots of things. The thing is, it turns out that London is so so enormous and dense that it is really impossible to be at the centre of everything. Still, being a stone's throw from Hyde Park, the Victoria and Albert Museum (we sounded like proper locals and were calling it the "V&A" by the end:) and just a few blocks more from the most incredibly life-changing French bakery as "Paul" (the sell those delectable macaroons!), and Harrod's! Oh Harrod's! I get ahead of myself though. Let me get oriented here. Always the best thing to do when exploring a new place.

Here is London:

Here is the area where we stayed:

Yep. London is so so big. There is no way to wrap your mind around it. You really have to think of it as something like multiple cities all pushed together. As overwhelming as it can be initially, the Tube is slick and efficient and there is just loads to do there.

So what did we choose to do with just the 3 1/2 days we had? After a leisurely 5 hour train ride along the West Coast of England, stopping in idyllic places like "Berwick Upon Tweed" and the historic York, we found our way from King's Cross Station to South Kensington. Our gracious host mum, as I will call her, got us oriented and turned over all of her maps, Rick Steve's travel guides, and membership passes for us to use over the next few days (she had her hosting down to a science!) then led us in the direction of Hyde Park to start our exploring.

Hyde Park was marvelous in spite of the cold, windy greeting it gave us (still warmer than Edinburgh afterall - it was snowy sleet when we left). Highlights included the intriguing sculpture they had by the Serpentine Pond,

and a crazy fast and nimble skateboarder who was showing off his mad skills with cones he wove in and out of in the centre bicycle path. It was mind bending.

With the wee bit of exploring time we had left, Matt and I headed over to this "Harrod's" we kept hearing about. Afterall, it seems that everything in the UK, aside from Boots pharmacy, supermarkets, and apparently Harrod's are closed by 6pm. What to say about Harrod's?

That's marzipan, mind you, not real fruit!

But these are all dates.

Luckily, taking pictures at Harrod's is free, because everything else is like a billion pounds. Turns out I could afford a cupcake with some tip money I made from housekeeping though!

The next day brought an interview for Matt at the Lincoln's Inn library.

He looked smart. I was proud of him in spite of the fact that he doesn't think he will get it. What will be will be. In the meantime, they "reimbursed" him for his 80pound train ticket - like I said, we kinda cheated on keeping our funds unbelievably low for the holiday. PS If you want an explanation on what the Lincoln's Inn is, you will have to go to Matt, I don't understand the difference between a barister and a solicitor in the rest of the law system in the UK. Apparently you do need to understand what all of these are because I have had things explained to me like 5 times and I still don't get it.

Onward we go! Lunch gave me the opportunity to change Matt's life with his first taste of a French macaroon, pistachio flavoured. We made the mistake of only buying one and we kinda fought over it a bit. Next time we were sure to buy 2.

Then a quick stop and the nerdy-fun museum on 221b Baker's Street.

Not sure what was more fun, Matt trying on a bowler in the gift shop

or seeing all the campy set-ups in the museum.

Who needs Madame Tussaud's when you have waxy re-enactments of Sherlock Holme's stories?

And somewhere in there we found our way to the Tower of London.

The next day brought a much anticipated trip for me to the Tate Modern gallery.

It was everything I hoped for too! Matt was a sport and let me share all of my "insights" and wandering thoughts about any of the pieces that struck me in there. A couple of times he even would add, "is that a Georges Braque over there?" or "This must be an earlier Pollock, don't you think?" And to think he told me "I am pretty dense when it comes to art" when we first started dating. Visiting this museum may have been just about my favourite thing of the whole trip. Such a playful collection of modern and contemporary pieces, no snobbery needed to appreciate it.

My favourite piece? Could have been the blocks of wood carved into trees and then place in the gallery space. Clever concept, don't you think?

Then it was lunch in Borough's magnificent Market. Oh the wonder!

Hot Raclette cheese sandwhiches anyone?

I am still amazed I was able to make a decision in time to catch our ferry around the River Thames. Do you see the remarkable selection of Turkish Delight? Can you believe those billowy magnificent meringues?

Indeed our boat ride kept us on track with our time. A good thing too because there was much to see while cruising around the Thames. Thank goodness the weather was a wee bit more forgiving that day. Such fun using our new camera on the sites too.

Our big splurge of the trip was forgoing the 16 pound entrance fee to Westminster Abbey. Afterall, the outside was cool and the gift shop is free to wander and filled with loads of "William and Kate" paraphanelia to keep the tourist crowd occupied. Instead we opted for a go up the London Eye with some Austin friends of yore, who are now proper London, UK folk. We all agreed it was a great way for us Sweeneys to end the London adventures.

So yeah, if you have the notion that somehow London shouldn't make it on the travel itinerary whilst living in the UK, you would be wrong indeed. In spite of the 8pounds a day for the Tube (just traveling in Zones 1&2 of the 5!) and the fact that many ticket kiosks say prominently and unappologetically says "THIS MACHINE DOES NOT ACCEPT SCOTTISH POUNDS", London is one swell place indeed. In fact it is like a dozen swell places, all in one. It is so huge! I already said that I know but I thought I should drive the point home. Huge and perfect for a March holiday, it turns out.