So, off I trekked to the far, far Northwest of Scotland to spend a few days surrounded by fresh air, sheep and Gaelic heritage. A little island with rugged nature and generous, friendly locals with an accent to die for. A wee celebration with delicious Hebridean seafood and a scrumptious sticky toffee pudding to mark the occasion. Yes, all the ladies in our family have a verrry sweet tooth!
Lots of long walks along the windy coastline, watching surfers in the freezing cold waters and avoiding crossing paths with the scary-looking highland cows. A friendly greeting here and there from friends as well as strangers. “Hayye” is my new favourite word, a cooler version of the Italian “ciao” in my opinion.
After three days of Scottish breakfasts and teas - because who needs lunch and dinner - it was time to wish Mum farewell and head on to Edinburgh to meet Expat girl arriving from Paris.
With four hours to kill at the airport I rented a car and took myself to visit Blackness castle along the West-Lothian coast. Lucky me, it was an exceptional day with blue skies and glorious sunshine which needed to be enjoyed to the max.
So on I went to explore yet another castle... this one being Linlithgow Palace, Mary Queen of Scots birthplace!
Back to the airport to pick up Expat girl and whizz her up to St. Andrew’s where we endulged in a real dish of fish and chips followed by homemade fudge ice cream.
The uni visit at St.Andrew’s was instructive and short given the size of the town. We squeezed in a visit to the castle grounds and the cathedral before meeting up with a friend who guided us towards the best scones everrrrrr. Clotted cream and strawberry jam and we are in teatime heaven.
On to Edinburgh where a university open day was scheduled. An intense day of talks in sustainable development, geography, climate change, sociology, international relations, politics, economics and East Asian studies have led to utter confusion of what to study once Expat girl gets her International Baccalaureate.
Nothing better to clear your head than heading down to Edinburgh’s legendary rugby stadium to watch the varsity match between the Universities of Edinburgh vs St.Andrews. The girls selling the tickets asked us which side we were on... a minute of silence while mother and daughter stand looking at each other... neither of us are not known for being at a loss of words!!!!
Bagpipes, mascots, rugby chants, spitting fires, kilts and lots of alcohol ... fun for part of the match but we decided to skip the second half in search for some tea and cakes... back to the city center and into Harvey Nichols. My daughter needed a little lesson on British shopping culture.
More tea, more cakes, more happy faces!
Today - after yet another yummy breakfast - we visited the castle of Edinburgh and the Golden Mile because a bit of culture has never hurt anyone.
Following our instincts we veered slightly off the beaten track to discover the quaintest teaplace. Turns out it won Scotland’s best cafe award in 2018.
Carrot cake, Lime & Courgette cake, Coffee & Walnut cake and a brownie to sooth our sweet tooth before we head back to Paris with our heads and hearts full of Scotland’s exceptional hospitality and wonderful sweets. It was grrrrand!
Hebridean beach seems like the Caribbean
Curing my sweet tooth with fudge doughnuts
Blackness castle
Homemade Scottish pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast
Light reflections throughout the centuries
Linlithgow castle where Mary Queen of Scotts was born
St.Andrew's cathedral grounds
Scrumptious scones with jam and clotted cream
Where cultures clash: a Scottish bagpiper in front of an Italian pizzeria in Edinburgh
British icon: the red telephone booth
Best cakes in town: the Scottish Café
Venturing into the side alleys in Edinburgh
More cakes...
A menacing view from Edinburgh castle
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