Last Call from London

Welcome to my fifteenth and final edition of "News from London." It's hard to believe that I have been here for a whole semester! It's even harder to believe that I have followed through on my promise to keep this blog going the whole time! Nevertheless, on Tuesday, I will be giving final exams in my classes and then on Friday, after a couple of days of farewell events and Christmas parties, I will be heading home.

I thought I'd use this last post to share a few random pictures and to mention some of the places that I've enjoyed, but which never made it into the blog. Also, I'll list the things that I will miss most about living in London, and the things that I am most looking forward to at home. Finally, there are a few people I need to thank.

I'll start with a few pictures of London icons that you might have been expecting to see before now.

Westminster Palace (Parliament) on a rare sunny day. I took this picture early in the semester from the south bank of the Thames.

Westminster Abbey. I didn't go inside on this trip because I spent a lot of time there on a previous visit to London.

I included a picture of Angela in front of Tower Bridge in an earlier post, but the bridge itself was shrouded in mist. Here's a clearer picture I took before the Olympic Games decorations were removed.

I was planning to include pictures of Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, two more London icons that never made it into the blog, but looking back through my pictures I wasn't able to find any worth posting here. I'm always reluctant to take pictures that include lots of random strangers and those are two places where you are never alone.

Something that I have spent a lot of time doing, but haven't written much about is visiting museums. There are so many museums in London that it is impossible for the average tourist to get to them all in a one or two week trip. Fortunately, I've had a whole semester and I can honestly say that I have been to all the major ones. Here are my favorites.

My Favorite London Museums

1. The British Museum. The British Museum makes you think that no other place should even be allowed to call themselves a museum.

2. The Victoria and Albert Museum. The V&A is sometimes overlooked by tourists because of its close proximity to the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum, but in my opinion it is the best of the three.

3. The Tate Modern. Housed in a converted power station, this museum is worth a visit even if you are skeptical of modern art.

4. The Museum of London. Not as high profile as the top three, but if you are interested in the 2,000-year history of London, this is where you'll find it. In addition to the main location, there is an excellent Museum of London-Docklands at Canary Wharf.

5. The Churchill War Rooms. A great museum housed in the bunker used by Winston Churchill's cabinet during World War II. It's run by the Imperial War Museum, also worth a visit, but currently undergoing a major renovation.

If you're wondering why I didn't mention the National Gallery, a world-class art museum, it's probably only because I did not go there on this trip. I did spend an entire afternoon there on a previous trip, though, and I highly recommend it as well as the nearby National Portrait Gallery.

Okay, time for a few more pictures. Here are a few with a pop culture theme.

Here are some CAPA students crossing Abbey Road in a poor attempt to re-create the cover of the Beatles album with the same name.

Fans are allowed, even encouraged, to write on the wall in front of the Abbey Road studios. They paint over it every six months.

221B Baker Street, the residence of Sherlock Holmes.

I was only able to find one 1950s-style police call box similar to Doctor Who's TARDIS. It's on Earl's Court Road, just outside the tube station. 

If you're only in London for a week or two, there is plenty to do without ever leaving the central part of the city, but when you're here longer, you get the urge to venture out a little farther. Here are my top five places in greater London.

My Favorite Places Outside Central London

1. Hampton Court Palace, in Surrey, just to the southwest of London. I wrote about this in one of my earlier posts. There's 500 years of history here, with an emphasis on Henry VIII and William and Mary.

2. Windsor Castle, in Windsor, just to the west of London. It dates back to the 11th century, but it is still regularly used by the Royal Family.

3. Kew Botanical Gardens, in Kew, west London. The grounds are beautiful, but I most enjoyed the green houses, or orangeries.

4. The East End of London. Traditionally the working class part of London, there have been a lot of changes in recent years. Canary Wharf, Olympic Park, and older neighborhoods like Limehouse and Stratford are worth the trip from central London.

5. Hampstead Heath, in Hampstead, north London. Hampstead Heath is a beautiful park (more wild than you might expect from the English, who like to control nature) with great views overlooking the city.

One of the orangeries at Kew Botanical Gardens.

A view of London looking south from Parliament Hill in Hampstead Heath.

Here are a couple more random shots back in central London.

If you've been saving up for that special umbrella, here's where you want to go!

Do these phone boxes looks familiar? They looked familiar to me, too. It took me a minute to realize that they are the ones in the background picture on this page. I originally chose it from a bunch of stock photos when I was setting up my blog back home.

Things I'll Miss About Living in London

1. Running in Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens. With a week to go, I've logged about 130 miles of running in London. All of them have been in central London's largest park, which is about 1/2 mile from my building.

2. Public Transportation. Mostly the London Underground (the Tube), occasionally a bus, and trains whenever I leave the city; all combined with a lot of walking. With the exception of a taxi that Angela and I took in Northumberland, I have not been in an automobile in four months.

3. The Churchill Arms. I would love to have a great local pub like this in Carthage or Joplin.

4. World-class historic sites and museums. It's great to be able to chose from so many on a free afternoon.

5. Lamb. This probably isn't really number five, but Vincent House serves lamb a lot and it's not something I usually eat at home.

Things I'm Looking Forward to at Home

These are in addition to being with Angela and living in my own house, compared to which these things are trivial.

1. NFL Football. It has been tough for me to be away from home during football season, especially with the Colts doing so well. I found a pub that shows some games and I can listen to the Colts' radio broadcast, but I am anxious to sit on my own couch, at a normal time of day, and watch football in HD.

2. 3G. I've been using an old Motorola Razor with a UK SIM card since I've been here. I have my iPhone with me, but international data roaming costs a fortune and free public WiFi is unreliable. I don't talk on the phone much, but I'll be glad to be connected again.

3. Ice. If you've travelled abroad you know what I mean. You can't get a glass full of ice here. Even a few cubes can be difficult. It sounds like a small thing, but after a while you miss it.

4. Putting my camera away. I've taken over 1,000 pictures here and I'm glad to have done so, but I'm getting pretty tired of carrying that thing around all the time.

5. My bed. I have no real complaints about my time here, but since I need a number five, I will admit that my mattress is pretty uncomfortable.

I'll definitely miss having access to public transportation. The Notting Hill Gate tube station was the beginning and end of many memorable days here.

I'll miss Vincent House, too. Especially not having to cook or clean! 

Being away from home, having small classes, and doing a lot of field study has given me the opportunity to get to know my students better than I normally would. I hope this experience has been as valuable for them as my study abroad experience was for me. If I had not spent a semester in the Netherlands when I was a junior at Purdue, I doubt I would be in London today.

Some of my students with a piece of the Berlin Wall outside the Imperial War Museum. I hope this experience has changed their lives.

A few of my students in Oxford on our last outing of the semester.

Speaking of change, this has to be my favorite UK road sign. I imagine being pulled over and having a police officer wag his finger at me and say "Spend more time with your family!"

I want to close by thanking Missouri Southern for giving me the opportunity to spend the semester in London. It has been an experience that will definitely enhance my teaching in the future. I also want to thank Angela for being so supportive. I could not have done this without her. (And we're both thankful for Skype!) Finally, I want to thank my regular readers. It means a lot to me that so many of you followed me throughout the semester.

I hope that you have enjoyed "News from London." I have had a great time writing it. I'm going to keep the blog active because I may use it to share pictures from a few trips I have coming up. So stay tuned for "News from Rome" in March, "News from the Grand Canyon" in May, and potentially "News from India" next Christmas!

Until then,
Cheers!

My Favorite Pubs

It's hard to believe that my time in London is almost over. One week from tomorrow I'll be on my way home!

As I said last week, the topic of my favorite pubs is one that I've been "researching" all semester! I've put it off until now because I wanted to leave the door open to the possibility of discovering a new pub that would make the list. Now that I only have a week to go, that seems unlikely. I may revisit a few of the ones here, though! (Perhaps this is a good time to say that the opinions expressed in this blog do not necessarily represent the views of Missouri Southern State University.)

Some of you know that I am a home brewer. I picked up this hobby because of the appreciation that I have for good beer, and my desire to better understand what goes into it. Judging by the explosion of  craft breweries and brew pubs in the United States over the last ten years, a lot of people share my appreciation for good beer.

Most Americans, when they think about beer-producing countries, think of Germany. For my tastes, however, the UK makes the best beer. (With all due respect to Ireland. Guinness is an amazing beer!) The biggest difference is that German beers are usually lagers and British beers are usually ales. I won't get technical about the differences between the two (it involves the type of yeast and the temperature at which it is active) but I will say that I think ale produces a wider variety of full-bodied beers than lager. The UK, in my opinion, is also the best place to drink beer. That is because they serve it properly.

Americans who order a beer in a British pub sometimes complain that it is flat and warm. There is something to that. Good British ale is served from a cask. A cask is different from a keg in that it is not pressurized with CO2. That's why it has to be hand pumped. Since it is not artificially carbonated, it does taste "flat" if you're used to drinking heavily carbonated beers. Also, the casks aren't kept as cold as kegs. It's not "room temperature," like you sometimes hear people say. It's cellar temperature, about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If you can get past these two things, however, you may find that the absence of carbonation and chill allows the flavor of these beers to come through. You will also know that the beer you are drinking is fresh. The CO2 in kegs acts allows it to be stored longer, while casks need to be finished off right away. (Unfortunately, this means casks can't be shipped to the US.)

Most lists make you wait until the end before revealing their number one, but I'm going to start with what has become my favorite London pub. The Churchill Arms in Kensington.

The Churchill Arms on Kensington High Street, London. As you can see, the owner loves flowers! The flags were part of the Olympic Games celebration. 

The Churchill Arms is not the closest pub to my building, but it has become my "local." There are several reasons why I am willing to walk past two or three other pubs to get to the Churchill Arms. The first is that it has a great atmosphere. There are no televisions or loud music, it's just a nice, comfortable place to sit and have a pint. The second is that the people are very friendly, even to an American in a place that doesn't attract a lot of tourists. Third, the place is filled with Churchill memorabilia, which appeals to my historical interests. Finally, they are a Fuller's pub, so they serve Fuller's ESB, my favorite beer in the world! They had Fuller's ESB from a keg at Pizza by Stout in Joplin, Missouri. Sadly, we lost Pizza by Stout to the 2011 tornado, may it rest in peace. (An added bonus to the Churchill Arms, and probably the only thing about it that isn't traditional, is that they have a restaurant that serves Thai food.)

Local pubs in the UK serve a purpose that bars in the US haven't really served since before prohibition. The point isn't to get drunk. The point is to have a place that you can go in the afternoon or evening, have a pint and maybe a bite to eat, and catch up with your friends, who you know will also be there. It really is a vital part of the culture here. There's no stigma attached to it. It's also perfectly acceptable to go to a pub by yourself, which has been great for me, since I'm on my own.

Like many bars in the US before prohibition, many pubs here are owned by breweries. That's why certain pubs serve certain beers, although they will often have one or two "guest ales" as well. There are also some "free houses" which serve whatever beers they choose. I have seen a few American beers as guest ales in London pubs, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale most frequently. I mentioned above that Fuller's ESB is my favorite. Back in October I had a chance to visit the Fuller's brewery in Chiswick, a neighborhood in southwest London (pronounced Chiz-ik). In addition to ESB, their most famous beers are London Pride, a nice golden ale, and London Porter, a very dark and full-bodied porter.

The shipping warehouse at Fuller's brewery.

My favorite beer. As you can see, it has a pretty high alcohol content, so you have to go easy.

Here I am in the tasting room at the Fuller's brewery. I have to say, they were very generous with samples after the tour!

I'll move on now to some of my favorite pubs in London. You don't have to look for pubs in London, they are everywhere. Because there are so many, you need some way of choosing which ones to go to. The way I do that is by finding pubs that are historic. For me, there are few things cooler than ordering a pint in a pub that has been around for hundreds of years!  If you've been reading my blog you know that I have spent a lot of time exploring neighborhoods in London. Before going out for the day, I do a little research and find the oldest pub in the neighborhood. Then I stop in for a beer and sometimes lunch. Pubs are a great place to have lunch when you are alone, and the food is often very good. In choosing my favorites, I picked ones that were historic and met all the other criteria I mentioned above: good atmosphere, friendly people, and good beer.

Here my top five (not counting the Churchill Arms) in no particular order.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, located in a narrow ally off Fleet Street. A lot of places use "Ye Olde" without deserving it, but this place was built in 1667, just after the great fire. The building has a small footprint, but there are two basement levels with tables in lots of interesting nooks and corners. They have Samuel Smith's Best Bitter on cask here, an excellent beer.

The Princess Louise on High Holborn Street. This has to be the most beautiful pub in London. Very Victorian, a sign out front says "Established 1872--Redecorated 1891." Surprisingly, you can get a pint here for £2.90, making it one of the cheapest beers in London. (I'm always too self-conscious to take pictures inside pubs, so I stole this one off the internet.)

The Jerusalem Tavern on Britton Street started as a coffee house in the 18th century. It is the opposite of the Princess Louise. Its interior is about as stark as you can get. It is the only pub in London that serves beers from the St. Peter's brewery in Suffolk. That alone makes it worth the trip. It also has good food at lunchtime. I recommend the brie and cranberry on freshly baked bread.

The Grapes is an 18th century pub on Narrow Street in Limehouse, in London's East End. The pub has a small back deck that is directly over the River Thames. In fact, on the day I was there, the tide was unusually high and the deck was under water.

The George Inn in Southwark. The only galleried coaching inn left in London. They serve Speckled Hen, an ale familiar to some discriminating American beer drinkers.

No list is complete without a few honorable mentions.

The Dog and Duck, a tiny Victorian pub in Soho with a great selection of cask ales.
The French House, also in Soho, was a meeting place for the French Resistance during WW II.
The Hereford Arms, in South Kensington near CAPA, was a favorite of Americans during the War.
The Three Famous Kings, in West Kensington, is the only pub I have found that shows NFL football.

One other place gets honorable mention, but I hesitate to call it a pub, it's more of a beer bar. BrewDog in Camden Town serves the amazing craft beers of BrewDog Brewery in Aberdeen, Scotland. They keg and bottle, no casks.

I tried a few more of these high-alcohol content beers than I should have. I loved the Libertine Black Ale, the 5 a.m. Saint, and the Punk IPA.

In earlier posts I have mentioned my favorite pubs and beers encountered in my travels outside of London. I'll review those here and add one new one.

The Twice-Brewed Inn, in Once Brewed, a very small town near Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland.
The White Heart, in Edinburgh, which serves Bellhaven 80 Shilling Scottish Ale, an amazing beer.
The Fiddler, in Drumnadrochit, near Loch Ness. Great food, I made an exception and ordered Scotch whisky here instead of beer.

In my recent blog about my trip to Cardiff, Wales, I mentioned that I had found the best pub there, but did not elaborate. So, here it is.

The Goat Major on High Street in Cardiff. They serve beers brewed by Brains, a Cardiff brewery. Brains dark is the best mild dark beer I've ever had. Plus it's fun to say "A pint of Brains, please."

Well, I had a lot of fun putting this together. Hopefully you don't think I haven't done anything but sit in pubs and drink while I've been here! Please check back next week for my last installment of "News from London." I'll be listing some of my other favorite things from my semester in the UK, as well as posting some of my favorite pictures that never made it into the blog.

I always close by saying "Cheers!" but this week it seems especially appropriate.

Cheers!

Thanksgiving

Greetings from London! I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. My intention was to dedicate this week's blog to my weekend in Wales but, although I had a great time, the weather was not very conducive to photography. So, I decided to broaden the topic a bit, and tell you about some of the things I've been up to since I got back from Scotland, finishing up with the few good pictures I have from my trip to Wales.

I'll start with some of the things I've been up to with my students.

Earlier this month, I took my Roman Britain class to the Tower of London. Although the Tower itself dates from the 9th century, there is a nice stretch of Roman city wall on the grounds. I decided that this was a good enough reason to take them to one of my favorite places in London. The oldest building on the Tower grounds is White Tower, started by William the Conqueror after his conquest of England in 1066.  The tower is probably best known as the place where Henry VIII had two of his wives executed. It's also the place where Shakespeare tells us that Richard III had two young princes killed out of fear that they would challenge his own claim to the throne. Most historians disagree, but their bones were found in White Tower.

Here are some of my students hanging out with Emperor Trajan. The bottom half of the wall you see behind them is Roman. The top part was added in Medieval times.

This is White Tower, started by William the Conqueror after his conquest of England in 1066. Fun fact: Before he conquered England, William was known as "William the Bastard."  

On Thanksgiving morning, I took my World War II students on a tour of the HMS Belfast, which is permanently moored on the south bank of the Thames, right across the river from the Tower of London.  The Belfast saw action in both World War II and Korea. Its biggest claim to fame is the role it played in sinking the German battleship Sharnhorst off the north coast of Norway in 1943. It also provided cover fire for the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944.

Two of my students waiting to board the Belfast.

One of my students on the bow of the Belfast. I told him to throw that anchor overboard, but I don't think he heard me.

I have a map of London on the wall of my room. Each time I explore a new area of the city, I trace the streets that I walked with a marker. That way, when I look at the map I can easily see places that I still need to visit. Before this month, I hadn't spent much time on London's East End. Part of the reason is that this area is on the back side of the map. The other reason is that there are not a lot of tourist attractions on that side of the city, now that the Olympics are over. A couple of things in the news this month forced me to "flip the map" and head to the East End. The first thing was Hurricane Sandy. Follow-up stories about the flooding in New York mentioned that they needed a tidal surge control system like the one in London. I had heard of the Thames Barrier, but never seen it, so I went out to take a look.

The Thames Barrier has ten steel gates that can be raised into position across the river. When in place they would be the height of a five-story building, protecting central London from storm surge. It was completed in 1982.

The other story in the news that drew me to the East End was that many of the venues from the Olympics were being dismantled or repurposed. I had been thinking about going out to the Olympic site since I got here, but because the Olympics were over, I didn't see any urgency. Once I heard this, I decided I had better go while there was still something to see.

The three structures you see here are all staying. On the right is Olympic Stadium, where track and field events, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, were held. In the center is the Orbit, a sculpture and observation platform that some are calling London's Eiffel Tower. On the left is the aquatics center. They are taking down the large bleacher wings that obscure the shape of the building.

Some of you have asked what I did for Thanksgiving. It was a little strange being here on such an American holiday (although I've been in foreign countries on Independence Day a couple of times). In the morning, as you already know, I toured the Belfast. In the afternoon I did a little Christmas shopping. That evening, CAPA, where I teach, threw a Thanksgiving dinner for more than 100 Americans, mostly students. The food was good, the Brits' best take on what they imagine American Thanksgiving dinner to be. There were a few things that made me laugh, but I won't spoil their good intentions with criticism. The company was also good. We taught our hosts a little about Thanksgiving, and they reciprocated with a game to see how much we've learned about British pop culture. It wasn't like being home for Thanksgiving, but it was a lot of fun.

On the morning after Thanksgiving, I headed off to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, for the weekend. (That's Caerdydd in Welsh.) As I've already mentioned, the weather was pretty bad. It rained most of the time I was there. In fact there was some pretty serious flooding in Wales and western England. Despite that, I had a really good time. I did manage to snap a few pictures in between the showers, so I'll use those to tell you a little about what I saw.

This is Millennium Stadium. I've included it because on the Saturday I was there, it hosted a rugby match between Wales and New Zealand. If I had known what a big deal that was going to be, I might have chosen a different weekend!

You're probably getting tired of me going on about castles all the time, but isn't this a great picture? This part of Cardiff Castle was built by the Normans after the 9th century conquest.

This is Cardiff High Street (High Street is the equivalent of Main Street in the US). It probably won't surprise you that I found what I believe to be the best pub in Cardiff along here. 

I don't feel bad stealing this picture off the internet, because I took one from the same spot only there were raindrops on my lens. This is Cardiff Bay. It looks like a great place to spend time in the summer. It's a little bleak in the winter, but there was still a lot going on.

Some of you know that I am a huge fan of the BBC-Wales television program Doctor Who. Visiting the Doctor Who Experience was one of the reasons I wanted to go to Cardiff. (I know, add that to my obsession with castles and it makes me a pretty big nerd.) It was a great way to spend the morning out of the rain.

Thanks for reading "News from London"! I hope you'll come back next week to read the long-awaited post on my favorite UK pubs and ales. (I've been "researching" that one all semester!) If you followed the link from my facebook page, you can read earlier posts by clicking the links under "Blog Archive" near the upper right-hand corner of the page. If you enjoy the blog or just want to say "hi," please leave a comment in the box below.

Cheers!

Scotland!

Angela and I had a great time in Scotland! In fact, we saw so many things and took so many pictures that when I finally sat down to write about it I didn't really know where to begin. Even though we were only there a week, I think I would have to put Scotland onto my list of favorite places. One of the reasons I liked this trip so much is that we were able to get out into the country. Usually when we are traveling abroad, we spend most of our time in cities. They are easier to get to and once you are there you can use public transportation to get around. Cities are great, but the Highlands were one of the things that drew us to Scotland, so I knew that I would have to find a way for us to get there. I'm very glad I did.

I'm going to let my pictures tell most of the story this time, giving you a little break from my history lessons.

Despite what I just said about wanting to get into the country, all the guide books say that every visit to Scotland should include a visit to Edinburgh, the capital. I'm glad that we started there. Edinburgh's Old Town is very walkable, and most of the tourist sites are along the "Royal Mile" between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace at Holyroodhouse. 

Edinburgh Castle is right in the center of the city. If you've been following the blog, you know I love castles, and this was a great one. Construction on it began in twelfth century and it's still being used, so it has many layers of history. I didn't take this picture myself. It's a great perspective that I only had from a moving bus.

I love how the castle is built right into the mountain, which is an extinct volcano.

The Castle offers great views of Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth, which leads to the North Sea.

Walking from west to east along the Royal Mile, most of the businesses are tourist oriented. Usually that would be a turn off, but I was impressed by how authentic most of them were. It is clear that the Scottish people are very proud of their history and heritage and they are eager to share it. If you visit, don't be afraid to stop in the Tartan Weaving Mill or the Scotch Whisky Experience.  I also recommend  dinner at The Witchery, but make a reservation and bring your credit card!

St. Giles Cathedral, a 14th century church named after the patron saint of Edinburgh, is the next major site along the Royal Mile.

The Scottish Parliament building, completed in 2004, is a huge contrast to the Medieval buildings that can be seen along the Royal Mile. The complex is pretty amazing and it's impossible to do it justice with just a couple of pictures. Click here to see more.

Along one wall of Parliament are quotes from famous Scots. This was one of my favorites.

At the end of the Royal Mile, opposite the castle, is the Palace at Holyroodhouse, the official Royal Residence in Edinburgh. 

Adjacent to the palace are the ruins of Holyrood Abbey, built in 1128, about the same time that construction began on Edinburgh Castle. 

If you have time to see something other than the Royal Mile while you're in Edinburgh, I'd recommend Grassmarket Street. It's where all the historic pubs are. Our favorite was the White Heart. Get a pint of Belhaven 80 Shilling Ale, you won't be disappointed.

After a couple of days in Edinburgh, we left on a three day tour of the Highlands. We went with a tour group called The Highland Experience. They made all the arrangements for our overnight stops and the driver served as our tour guide. I was a little reluctant to travel with a tour group, but I was even more reluctant to rent a car.

Despite my initial reluctance, I think that these tours are the best way to see the Highlands, short of renting a car and setting off on your own

Our three-day tour of the Highlands with overnight stops on the Isle of Skye and in Drumnadrochit, on Loch Ness.

Stirling, where this photo was taken, is sometimes called the "gateway to the highlands." This is a monument to 13th century Scottish hero Mel Gibson . . . I mean William Wallace, aka "Braveheart."

Eilean Donan Castle. Originally built in the 13th century, it was destroyed in the 18th century, and then rebuilt in the 20th century. An amazing sight.

A short distance from Eilean Donan Castle, we crossed over a bridge and onto the Isle of Skye. I don't think that I had heard of Skye before I started looking into tours of the Highlands, but I remember that when we first talked about Scotland, Angela said that she would like to go to one of the islands. I'm glad she did because this turned out to be the highlight of the trip. As we were leaving she said: "Thank you for taking me to the Inner Hebrides." That's not something you hear every day!

This is Kilt Rock waterfall, near the northernmost point on the Isle of Skye

This view is in the other direction from the photo above. It's one of those places where your brain doesn't want to believe what your eyes are seeing. I had that feeling several times in the Highlands.

After the Isle of Skye, our next stop was Loch ness. I remember reading about the Loch Ness Monster when I was a kid. At the time, Loch Ness seemed like one of those far away places that isn't quite real. Even with all the traveling that I've been fortunate enough to do, it wasn't a place that I ever thought I'd end up, so I was pretty excited when I saw it on the itinerary of our tour. I can't say that it looked like I had imagined it when I was a kid, but I was definitely not disappointed. In fact, taking an hour boat ride on the loch was one of the highlights of the trip for me. If you ever find yourself in Drumnadrochit, on the banks of Loch Ness, be sure to eat at Fiddler's. The grilled loch salmon and haddock stew that I had there was the best meal I've had in the UK.

Believe it or not, we spent Halloween on Loch Ness. No monster sightings on our boat trip, but it's not hard to understand why such legends have persisted. Its deepest point is 755 feet. (I saw Angela look around for the life preservers when the Captain said that!) 

I wasn't sure where to put this photo, but Highland cows are cool and this guy needed to be in my blog.

After returning from the Highlands, we had one more night in Edinburgh before returning to London. This gave us time for another evening trip to Grassmarket Street and another morning walk around the city. Although we had traveled to Edinburgh by train, we decided to fly back. The train ride there had been broken up by our stop in Northumberland, but the trip home would have taken ten hours! With Angela's visit coming to an end, we didn't want to spend that much time on a train. Flying time was only about two hours.

I love Scotland!

In re-reading my entry I realized that without planning to, I wrote it as if it were a travel guide for a week in Scotland. I thought about a rewrite, but I decided to leave it that way, hoping that maybe it would convince some of you to make the trip yourselves someday. Even if you never make it to Scotland yourself, I hope that you've enjoyed reading about our trip!

See you next week back in London!
Cheers!