Part II, Scotland: Mother and Son Trip

Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Greyfriars Bobby, Outlander, Monty Python, and the Holy Grail, Harry Potter, and Whiskey Tasting

May 16 – May 17, 2022

Hello Dear Friends,

As I woke up on the morning of May 16th, I could hear the rain on the window pane next to my bed. I got up and made some coffee in my coffee press and texted Ryan, who was in the room next to mine, that coffee was ready. He came over and we talked about what we could do that day in the rain and decided in true British fashion, we would just keep to our plans. We had rain jackets and if need be, we could duck into a shop or pub or something.

Ryan then mentioned that Rachel, his wife, and my daughter-in-law, would like something from Edinburgh having to do with Harry Potter. I am sure if you are a Harry Potter fan, you know that the books were written by J.K. Rowling here in Edinburgh and there are a few coffee shops around that she frequented often to write the book series. Some of these cafés include the Elephant House, Nicolson Café, and Spoon. He thought she might like a coffee cup from one of these places. So, we decided we would have to stop by one of these cafés later in the day.

I must mention here the lovely breakfast that our hostess prepared for us each morning at 14 Hart Street. Part of this loveliness was created by the elegant dining room where breakfast is always served. The dining room table is lavishly laid out with fine dining ware, including a silver tea service and silver utensils of all varieties, including jam spoons and sugar tongs. The fruit board is especially nice with fresh berries. I mention this because I have never seen blackberries as fine as these were. They were very large, about ¾ the size of my thumb. I found out later from John, our tour guide, that these are a type of Scottish blackberry called, Stewarts of Tayside. They are delicious!

She had several options for breakfast including the Full Scottish Breakfast, which is very like the “Full English Breakfast” that I mentioned a few posts back. However, with the Scottish version you have an option of Black Pudding as well, which is kind of like sausage, only made with pig blood, oatmeal, and barley. Ryan tried the Black Pudding but said it had a very strong flavor. He ate all of it but said he wouldn’t order it again. I had porridge which is pretty much my go-to breakfast in Britain.

She also served coffee in a coffee press, and white and brown toast with fresh butter and a variety of jams and jellies. Of course, I had the traditional British orange marmalade, my favorite. As Ryan and I sat there we were joined by a mother and daughter visiting Edinburgh as well. They had arrived the night before. We all sat at the long dining room table together and talked about what to do that day, they decided to climb to “Arthur’s Seat”; which is a viewpoint from the top of one of the hills surrounding Edinburgh. We told them we were headed to Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, and a Harry Potter Coffee shop. As we sat there talking, the rain stopped and the sun began to come out. It would be a good day.

Then after breakfast Ryan and I started walking up towards Princes Street talking about coffee. Now, our family is a coffee family. We all love coffee, good coffee, even my grandchildren, Hailie and Clayton. My son, Ryan, and his wife had their first date at a coffee café where they took a class on coffee and whenever we travel, one of Ryan’s main places of interest is the local coffee cafes. So, not long after breakfast as we were walking up towards Princes Street, we saw this coffee shop that was above a pub called, “The Black Bull”.

“Let’s stop here,” Ryan said. It had only been a few minutes since we had had coffee at breakfast but I too wanted more coffee so I said, “ok”. Besides, the whole day lay open before us and neither of us wanted to be on any kind of schedule, so we walked in and ordered two coffees. It was a tiny place with two small round tables by the door and a shelf table in front of the window. The window was open and a nice breeze was coming in.

“Can we sit there?” Ryan asked pointing to the shelf table as the lady made our coffee.

She nodded and so we sat there and I had an idea to go out and take a picture of Ryan looking through the window with his coffee. It turned out to be one of my favorite pictures of the whole trip! Ryan then decided to purchase some of the coffee beans that had been roasted locally from the shop but decided to come back to buy them so he didn’t have to carry them all day. However, unfortunately, we didn’t see the shop open again during the next several days we were there. Who would have thought? This was a big disappointment. So, lesson learned, if you see something you would really like to have, buy it when you have the chance!

Up on Princes Street, I took Ryan through Waverly Train Station because of all the train stations I have been to around the world, Waverly is my favorite. Walking through it, it is easy to see where J.K. Rowling got her inspiration to write about the scenes in the train station for her books. It was easy to imagine the 9 ¾ platform being there!

From the front of the station, we took a taxi from the taxi rank up to the castle. Yes, the castle is walking distance from the station, but the climb is straight up and since my knees are always sore, I thought it best to take a taxi up. The taxi driver laughed good-naturedly and said a lot of people chose to take a taxi up rather than walk. From the castle then we could follow the Royal Mile down the hill to Holyrood Palace.

Edinburgh Castle is always packed so it is best to get there early. As it was, it was already booked up until 12:30, so after getting our tickets we had to wait a couple of hours to take our turn. If you know in advance you want to visit the castle and what time, the best way is to book your tickets online prior to your visit. I knew this but chose not to book in advance because I wanted to keep the day free.

The 12:30 worked well for us because it gave us time for lunch and to look around the upper area of the Royal Mile. I had been telling Ryan about a Scottish traditional fish chowder called, “Cullen Skink”, and we decided we would try and find some for lunch. As it would have it, we found the chowder listed on a menu outside of a whiskey bar near the castle. “Feel like some whiskey Mom?” Ryan asked.

“Sure, why not?” I said, so we sat down inside and each ordered a shot of local whiskey and the chowder. It was like what I remembered. Very hearty and similar to New England Clam Chowder only with big chunks of white fish. I decided then that since we were eating traditional Scottish food, I would also order Cranachan; which is their traditional dessert. It is made with double cream, raspberries, toasted oatmeal, honey, and whiskey. Usually served in layers in a parfait glass, there are many levels of perfection for this dessert. I have had terrible Cranachan on bus tours through Scotland and excellent Cranachan. The best Cranachan was in Denver, Colorado of all places. This was at the Lumber Baron Inn and I was staying there for a few days back in 2019. The owner made it for me at this wonderful Scottish dinner and for dessert he served Cranachan. His was a bit different, though, because he served all the ingredients separately and I was able to combine how much I wanted from each ingredient. He told me this was how it was supposed to be served. I can well believe that because it was much better than some of the tourist versions I have had before. It is odd that such a simple dessert could have so many variations, but of course, it also has to do with the quality of those five ingredients. The Cranachan I had at this whiskey bar was very average, but it went very well with my shot of scotch whiskey. For those of you who do enjoy scotch whiskey and are searching for food to compliment the whiskey, cranachan is suggested in whiskey bars in Scotland and it does pair very well.

After lunch, we looked through a couple of very crowded souvenir shops before making our way through the main gate of the castle. We chose the self-guided tour and simply read the information on plaques around the castle. One of the best parts of the castle is the magnificent views over Edinburgh. I think Ryan really liked this as well and we had fun taking pictures through the canon openings in the rock wall around the castle and trying to figure out what monument was what, looking out across the city.

Being a British history buff, and having Scottish ancestry, also lead to a fascination with the stories in the castle. One of my favorite historical figures, and a grandmother way back, is Saint Margaret, who was Queen of Scotland back in the 11th century. She was an English princess who had been born in Hungary, after her father, Prince Edward the Exile, was exiled from the Kingdom of Wessex; an area in southern England. After her father died, her mother, Agatha, decided to take her children to Northumbria, in the northeastern part of England when a storm came up and the family shipwrecked on the coast of Scotland. King Malcolm III of Scotland was a widower and became attracted to Princess Margaret and he married her. They had seven children together including three sons who became kings of Scotland and one daughter who became a queen of England.

Margaret was very pious and brought Roman Catholicism to the Celtic Church of Scotland. She had a chapel built inside the castle walls which is known as “St. Margaret’s Chapel” because she was canonized by Pope Innocent IV and became recognized as a saint. Her son, King David, also became a saint.

I have always loved going inside St. Margaret’s Chapel at the castle. The interior is very small and it is quiet, especially after the noise of all the tourists out in the rest of the castle area. I was really looking forward to showing Ryan this sacred place, however, there was a private wedding going on so he was only able to see the chapel from the outside.

After visiting the castle, we walked halfway down the Royal Mile, checking out the shops. For those who are wondering what the Royal Mile is, it’s the mile-long road between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. Holyrood Palace is the official residence of the Monarch of Scotland; which of course is Queen Elizabeth II, Herself. The original part of the building dates to the 12th century when it was an Augustine abbey called, Holyrood Abbey. “Holy Rood” means “True/Holy Cross”, and possibly comes from a legend in which Saint Margaret, Queen of Scotland, had a piece of the True Cross of Jesus.

This abbey was made into a comfortable royal residence by the early 16th century and this is where the Monarchs of Scotland have usually preferred to live, rather than in Edinburgh Castle, which would be cold and drafty. Some of these monarchs include Queen Mary of Scots, King James IV of Scotland and his wife, Queen Margaret Tudor, and Queen Mary of Scots’ son, King James VI of Scotland, who was also King James I of England.

Ryan and I did not make it all the way to Holyrood Palace, but I have been there before and it is worth a visit for those who are interested. Instead, we decided we needed a coffee and Ryan still wanted to stop in at one of J.K. Rowling’s favorite cafes where she wrote Harry Potter to purchase Rachel’s gift. The most well-known café is, of course, The Elephant House. We decided to go there but when we arrived it was closed due to a recent fire.

I did recognize the area, though, and knew we were very close to the statue of Greyfriars Bobby, a statue in honor of the little dog who was loyal to his master, even guarding his master’s grave until he died fourteen years later. The story of the little dog is well written about, but goes like this… There was this little sky terrier, named Bobby, who had an owner named, John, who was a night watchman. When John died, Bobby led the funeral procession to the graveyard at Greyfriars Church. After John was buried, Bobby would guard John’s grave day and night, no matter the weather. The Cemetery Caretaker would try to make him leave, but always he would come back. He only left each day when the cannon, up at the castle, would go off, announcing it was 1:00, to get food and water from local shopkeepers. After a while, the local people in the area became fascinated by this little dog’s devotion and would gather around to watch the 1:00 routine of the little dog. Soon the crowd grew to curious people from outside of town and stories began to be told about Bobby.

When the city authorities tried to forcefully remove Bobby, the townspeople gathered together and built him a shelter, and finally, giving in, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh had a collar made for Bobby so that he would no longer be in danger of being sent away. Bobby then became an official pet belonging to the city. The collar says, “Greyfriars Bobby- from the Lord Provost, 1867, licensed.”

Bobby died after fourteen years of guarding his master’s grave. The city buried him seventy-five yards away from John’s grave and he has his own tombstone that reads,

“Greyfriars Bobby – died 14th January 1872 –

aged 16 years

Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all”

Ryan and I saw both the statue, which is in the middle of the sidewalk in front of the church, and then we walked through the cemetery and saw Bobby’s grave with all the flowers planted around it. Then we took a better look at the cemetery which has some very sinister history. The most sinister that I know of is the history of body snatching that was prevalent in the 1820s-1830s in Edinburgh. Bodies were being examined for medical research and medical schools paid a lot of money for fresh corpses which led to stealing fresh bodies out of church yards. Greyfriars still has several tombs with metal bars across them to keep the bodies in the ground. This graveyard is also known as the place where J.K. Rowling found several of her character names from the tombstones. You can walk around and find, Thomas Riddell, McGonagall, Potter, Moodie, etc.

After this, we were very much ready for a coffee. We knew there were more cafés that J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter at, so we looked them up and decided on Nicolson’s Café. It was actually here that J.K. Rowling wrote a lot of her first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Here we had our coffee, took some pictures of Harry Potter memorabilia, and Ryan bought Rachel her cup.

It was time now to head back to the B&B and get ready for dinner. I had made reservations at a fine dining establishment called, BABA, where the food is inspired by the Levant region of Asia. Ryan and I shared the food we chose because it was really a tasting feast. We ordered the appetizer, “venison and urfa pepper carpaccio with celeriac, horseradish, and hazelnuts”. This dish was different, with Ryan enjoying it more than I did. Then for our two main dishes we ordered “slow-cooked lamb shoulder with ptitim, rose harissa, preserved lemon, mint, and pomegranate”, and then the “honey and harissa grilled chicken leg, batata harra, and garlic tahini”. Both of these mains were very good and presented with flair. In case you were wondering about these different food names, “ptitim” is an Israeli couscous, and both Ryan and I really like couscous. “Harissa” is a hot chili paste and “batata harra” is Arabic spicy potatoes.

This was all followed by two amazing desserts, “yogurt panna cotta with candied cumin, black fig and honey” and an “olive oil sponge made with yogurt and pomegranate”. The chef was very nice and came to talk to us about the selections we made and when we asked him if he knew of any places nearby where we could listen to live local music he suggested the Black Cat Pub, a few doors down on the street behind us.

I do highly recommend this restaurant, BABA, especially if you have a bit of an adventurous palette. It’s not too over the top with different ingredients and the whole experience was tastefully unique.

It had started to rain again before we had set out to dinner earlier in the evening and then as we walked the short distance to the Black Cat, the rain stopped leaving the city covered in a yellowish mist. Looking up, we could see Edinburgh Castle sitting above the city through the mist with the black volcanic rock looking black and shiny, the grass below very green. I swung around to Ryan to see if he saw this also.

“So cool!” I exclaimed and Ryan nodded, agreeing. We both took pictures, then headed inside the pub, The Black Cat. It was small inside and a bit dark with dark wood paneling and shelves of whiskey. In our conversation with the chef, we had learned this pub was a local place and not touristy and that had appealed to both Ryan and I. Ryan asked me what kind of whiskey I wanted and I asked him to choose for me. So, he chose a 12-year-old Highland single malt whisky called, “GlenDronach”, for both of us. Good choice too!

After we were there a few minutes, a husband and wife began playing their instruments at their table. The lady played a huemmelchen; which is a small bagpipe and her husband played a fiddle. The little pub then became packed with people and most had to stand. Luckily, we had a table and a good view of the couple playing because they were very good. We were both very happy that the chef at BABA had told us about this little gem! Both Ryan and I love traditional music and a trip to Scotland would not have been complete without some great impromptu music in a Scottish Pub!

“That was the best part of the trip so far!” Ryan said, laughing as we walked back along Rose Street, toward our B&B. I had to agree with him.

The next morning, after another wonderful breakfast, John picked us up and we headed to our first whiskey distillery, Glengoyne, just north of Glasgow. The process of making whiskey has always interested me ever since my husband, Ron, and I began experimenting with making Old Fashions with different whiskey. I had also been to the Jack Daniels Distillery in Tennessee to see how they made American whiskey. The part I found most fascinating was the fact that some of the whiskey’s flavor comes from the water used. Jack Daniel’s source of water in Tennessee comes from a natural spring that you can see. This interested me because the tasting of whiskey (and wine) from different regions, for me it is like tasting the land itself.

I did not find this uniqueness at either of the distilleries today. However, I did learn a lot about how to taste whiskey properly and that the flavor of the whiskey can be subtly changed depending on the type of barrel it is stored in and for how long. The richer colors of whiskey often come from whiskey stored in oak barrels that had been used to hold sherry, port, or Madeira from Spain. These whiskeys will sometimes have a “spicier” flavor as well as undertones of different fruits.

There are differences between Whiskey made in America and Scotch Whisky made in Scotland, including how to spell “whiskey/whisky”. In America and Ireland, the word is spelled, “whiskey”, in Scotland and Canada it is spelled, “whisky”. One of the differences is the types of barrels used. American whiskey is always stored in new charred oak barrels, whereas in Scotland they generally use used barrels either from America in which American whiskey has already been stored, or from Spain where they purchase used barrels that different kinds of sherry, port, and Madeira have been stored in, creating interesting subtle flavors.

I am not going to go into how all this process happens but I will say of the two distilleries we went to on this day and the one we would go on later in the week, the process is basically the same, yet totally different depending on if they use modern methods or traditional methods, or a mixture of both. I would like to mention here that if you plan on going on a distillery tour around Scotland, the distilleries are not allowed to ship whisky to the USA. You can only take it home if you take it yourself. You are allowed to take 5 litters in your check-in luggage. The only other option is to wait until you go through the Duty-Free shop on your way out of the country and you can purchase more and carry it with you in your hand luggage. Ryan and I could not even find a place like a post office, Fed Ex, or UPS that would ship it home!

Between the two distilleries Glengoyne and Deanston Distilleries, we visited Doune Castle, which is Castle Leoch, in the show, Outlander. Doune Castle was also used in the movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It was actually used quite a bit in the Monty Python movie, the scenes being shot from different angles. Probably the most famous view of this castle in that movie is when they used the castle for “Castle Anthrax”.

Monty Python was not a movie I ever got into, but my husband, Ron, loved this movie and so does Ryan. Ryan and John, our tour guide, had a good time laughing recounting different scenes with the “wooden bunny” in the movie and John explained to Ryan how they filmed the scene of the “wooden bunny” and the castle. We were not allowed to go inside the castle, though, because it is marked as unsafe. Pieces of the castle have been falling down over the last year or so.

We ate at Howies on Waterloo Place that night. I had reserved the table but it was more for the convenience of the location of our B&B, rather than the reviews. The food here is traditional Scottish fare, which was quite good, but the restaurant was very busy and noisy. What I remember most about this place is the painting of the Highland Cow or “Coo”, as the Scottish say. Where I sat, the painting was directly in front of me, behind Ryan. I thought it looked exactly like the print we see so often in the States that you can purchase at Target.

Next week I will share with you our wonderful tour of Glamis Castle, the childhood home of the late Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons, and then a day sailing trip along the Firth of Forth. Have a lovely week! -Jody