Ahhh, Scotland. I’m finally getting around to going through my photos. I know a lot of folks have been asking to see them, so here they are!

The thing is, I didn’t see much of “Scotland”. I saw Glasgow, which is its very own spot in the Universe. (And a good one at that.) I enjoyed spending time mostly in the city. Had I had more time, I would have ventured out, but such was not the case, which just means I have to come back!

First off is the Kirklee House, which is the bed & breakfast that Rick and Kirsty set me up in. I loved it. It was very quaint.

And here was the view from my room.

And breakfast in my room every morning. They served the best bacon I’ve ever eaten!

Breakfast every morning consisted of one sausage link, scrambled egg, two strips of bacon, a boiled tomato, and toast. Also present at the table were orange juice and coffee. I can honestly say it was the perfect breakfast every day!

I went for many walks around the neighborhood (the West End near Byres Road)

Some alleyways.

I loved this sign:

And there was a Johnny Depp sighting!

The cats in the West End were frighteningly enormous. They must eat a lot of the aforementioned bacon!

One afternoon, while Kirsty was doing some pre-wedding primping, Rick took me to Òran Mór for “A Play, a Pie, and a Pint”. It’s an old church converted into a pub and playhouse. The Play was “La Befana” (The Hag), the pint was “John Smiths” and the pie was a delicious Steak Pie with gravy.

 

After the play (which was lovely), we walked over to Glasgow University (also very lovely).

After that, we walked along the River Clyde, had coffee, then parted ways.

That night, I took myself out to dinner at the Stravaigin off Byres Road. I ate veggie haggis, neeps and tatties (mashed potatoes and mashed parsnips). Very good.

I was very curious about the “Kick-Ass Olives” but didn’t order them to find out about this strange curiosity!

The next day, I walked around the West End some more, then met up with Rick and Kirsty for their engagement session (see previous post) at the Pollok House where we roamed the gardens and saw a scarecrow.

Then we had lunch at the Pollok House!

We went downtown in search of cigars for their wedding day and saw the “obligatory piper” (as Rick called him) just about to play on Buchanen Street.

Rick, a bit of a phone geek, was looking up tobacconists in Glasgow (of which there are pretty much none anymore).

The next day was my birthday. Rick and Kirsty took me out to “Two Fat Ladies” restaurant in the West End, which was fabulous. More bacon was consumed!

I love these guys! They spent the night before their wedding day making sure I had a fantastic birthday!

Goat cheese tart was mine; the mussels were Kirsty’s!

Bacon-wrapped scallops were mine; and the communal veggie bowl barely got touched, as we were STUFFED.

After dinner, we enjoyed a few bites of Scottish tablet, which is a dry, crumbly sort of fudge. Decadently sweet–you can only have a little bit–but the perfect pairing with strong after-dinner coffee!

After dinner, on our way back to our respective hotels, we went into Cottiers, which is yet ANOTHER church converted into a pub. (I sense a trend here! Drinking and praying…)

Rick enjoying a beer while Kirsty looks something up on her phone.

In Britain, there is no mistake about it: SMOKING WILL KILL YOU. Very impressive signage. And the other impressive thing was Kirsty’s drink rings. You could tell how many times she’d sipped her drink that evening.

The entire next day was spent at the wedding (see previous post) so onward to Friday. I went downtown to do a little shopping and take myself out to lunch.

Pizza and Peroni. Pizza was with a rocket (arugula) salad in the middle. Absolutely delicious.

That evening, I took myself out to dinner at Cail Bruich (near the Òran Mór where we’d seen the play).

The next day, I spent the evening with Rick and Kirsty. Rick cooked rack of lamb and a really delicious potato-cauliflower gratin. Since they had to get rid of some champagne before their big move to India, I was happy to help out!

While Rick cooks, Kirsty shows Eva where Seattle is in the atlas book.

I believe Rick is trying to make sure everyone gets equal portions and no one is left thirsty.

One last shot together with Kirsty. I miss her (and Rick) already!

One thing I loved was all the cool/weird potato crisp flavors. My personal favorite was “Sausage and Tomato”. Shown here are “T-Bone Steak” (very specific cut!), “Prawn Cocktail”, and “Worchester Sauce” (did they spell Worchestershire wrong?!)

What a fabulous trip! Loved every minute of it (except for the jet lag)!