Bacon

Yes, bacon. I found the less fatty, thicker, and very salty bacon that we were privileged enough to be able to eat in the UK so extraordinary, that I believe it deserves its own post. We first encountered this amazing meat at the Belfast International Youth Hostel, on our first real morning of the trip. We ordered the MEGA Belfast Breakfast to share (and you know it has to be big if Ryan was willing to share): 2 griddled soda bread, 2 griddled potato bread, 2 slices "brown" toast, 3 sausages, 3 eggs, bacon, fried tomato, and baked beans (all for 5.50 GBP, less than $10).

This is otherwise known as the Ulster Fry, and is a variation on the traditional British Breakfast that we also enjoyed in Scotland (the Irish one having soda and potato bread, while the Scottish one had mushrooms tossed into the mix). I was hooked. I have always loved tomatoes, especially of the cooked variety, and beans, and in this dish I encountered a new found love: back bacon. As it turns out, in the UK the bacon comes from pork loin (hmmmm, not the back as the name would imply), while here in the US we eat the less delicious, in my opinion, meat from the belly of the pig (yes, in this case belly does mean belly).

The bacon we encountered was so much more pork like in nature, and completely different from the American variety, that the American bacon seems to be but a distant cousin of the other more decadent pig products. First off, there is the thickness. I usually enjoy my American bacon crispy, or else it seems like I am eating a thin slice of fat instead of meat (more on that later), but crispy bacon in no way compares to satisfyingly biting into a thick slice of cured meat. The meat was also significantly less fatty than American bacon, which usually has large streaks of white fat, often more than actual meat. My dislike of the consistency of fat has left me often running off to turkey bacon as an alternative, but this was not a problem with the back bacon, which had only a thin line of fat, just enough to add flavor, running along the side of each slice. Lastly, there is the flavor. In addition to the higher pork content, and hence more delicious meaty flavor, whatever is used to cure the meat resulted in a more salty, yet still smoky, cut of meat.

If I can only bring one dish that I ate while we travelled in Ireland and Scotland into my recipe repertoire, then I would have that be the Ulster Fry. Now for finding some back bacon in Houston...

Dunkeld, the Gateway to the Highlands

Unfortunately I have now returned to the US to begin studying for the Step 1, but Ryan is still in Scotland enjoying himself and learning lots of new things at the International Conference on Arabidopsis research. In the meantime, while I anxiously await his return, I will finish telling you guys about the last half our trip. Once he is back there will be lots of pictures (I think before I had left we had already taken over 1,500) to share with you.

We left Belfast on Wednesday morning bright and early at 6:30 with a ride to the ferry station. The ferry took us across the Irish sea to Stranraer in style, with movie theatres, restaurants, and arcades aboard for entertainment. Of course instead of enjoying the amenities we both promptly fell asleep only to wake up as we approached Stranraer, a surprisingly cute seaside village with a humungous out of place looking dock for the ferry adjacent. Once we disembarked it was a quick walk out the front of the ferry and straight into the train station and straight onto the train. From there we took a total of 4 different trains to reach our final destination: Stranraer - Kilmarnook, Kilmarnook - Glasgow Central, a quick walk from Glasgow Central to Glasgow Queen Street, and then Glasgow Queen Street - Perth, and finally Perth - Dunkeld. We had an hour in Glasgow to get from one station to the next, so we stopped and enjoyed a cup of coffee (from this local place called Starbucks, perhaps you have heard of it?), sitting under a tree on the grass in George Square. One thing that I was pleasantly surprised by throughout our travels in the UK is how many people take advantage of the small green spaces in their cities, with dozens of people sitting outside on the grass during their lunch breaks chatting with friends.

Once we arrived in Dunkeld we had about a mile walk to our B&B, as the train actually arrives in Birnam, right across the river. We took the walking path from the station, and walked directly into the Beatrix Potter Garden. She spent several of her summers as a child in Dunkeld and Birnam, and she was actually in Dunkeld when she wrote the letter which later became the Tale of Peter the Rabbit. From there the gardens only became more breathtaking. All of the houses lining the main road in the small village of Birnam had amazing gardens full of wild flowers and vines.

Upon crossing the bridge to Dunkeld we were rewarded with picturesque views of the cathedral ruins and this small Scottish village. After checking into our outstanding Bed and Breakfast, we walked to the visitor center to pick up a map of local walks. This turned out to be a pound well spent, as the walks are not as well marked as a lot of other places we encountered in the UK. From there we were off to see the cathedral ruins, just around the corner. The front part of the cathedral has been redone and is currently in use, but the nave, with parts dating back to the 1200s, was destroyed in 1689 during a battle between Jacobite Highlanders and William of Orange. The interior of the ruins is gorgeous with soaring walls, large windows, and graves scattered among the ruins. There were also wild flowers growing throughout, and large flowering shrubs on the grassy grounds that spread down to the river. We later learned on our walks, and while talking to a local Dunkeld man, that these wildflowers cover the hills all summer long, instead of the few weeks worth of wild flowers that we are graced with most places in the US. My favorite of all of them were the pink foxgloves, with tiny brown polka dots on the inside that were found around every corner on the trails.

From there we were off to the local pub, the Taybank, for dinner. I had a delicious dish called a curly skirly (chicken stuffed with oatmeal and onions and lots of other wonderful foods). From there we were off on a 6 mile hike in the hills south of Birnam. The beginning of the trail wound by 3 large roaring waterfalls, and took us through the hermitage which has a charming small circular building with balcony overlooking the largest of the waterfalls, and was a playground for the Duke of Atholl among others. It also took us by the tallest tree in the UK, who knew that such a small village could have so many amazing things to see?

Hiking in Scotland is a lot different than in the US, because the land was divided up long before anyone gave thought to having hiking trails, so the trails actually wind through people's property, by cows and forests, and provide sweeping picturesque vistas of small farm houses or large estates against the tall hills surrounding.

From there we went back to the Taybank for some local Scottish beer, and to hear some local musicians play. The Taybank does not book acts, instead they provide a space for anyone who wants to to come play music. The night before we arrived it was a visiting Frenchman who played the spoons, the night we were there it was 3 local men playing more traditional instruments and local music.

We had a tough time deciding what beer to try so we enlisted the help of a man standing near by. He appeared to be 3 sheets to the wind, so we figured he would know his beer. Not only did he suggest a great beer to try, but he also ended up being very friendly and we talked to him for over half an hour. He has lived in Dunkeld his entire life, and was open to answering all of our questions ranging from the weather, to what jobs were most common in the area. He was so friendly that he offered to buy us both a pint, but was we knew that custom dictated that you reciprocate the favor, and we did not want to stay out late, we politely declined. He asked where we were off to next, to which I replied "E-din-bur-ah". He was so excited that I said it correctly instead of "E-din-burg" like all of the "yanks, sorry to call you yanks, but that's what you are so don't take no offense of it", that it launched him into a 5 minute long discussion of how annoying it is that most "yanks" don't pronounce it correctly, and even when corrected continue to make the same mistake. Moral of the story: make the effort to learn how to pronounce local words correctly, or to speak a few words in the language of the country you are visiting, and it will get you a long way with the people in that country, who will really appreciate the effort, even if you feel slightly silly when that foreign word tumbles awkwardly off your tongue. While this drunken Scottish groundskeeper was the local that we spoke to the most during our trip, we were pleasantly surprised by the kindness of everyone that we spoke to, and the willingness of local people to jump in and help when we were lost, or looking for a good place to eat.

The next day we awoke to delicious scrambled eggs with local smoked salmon, and pancakes with bacon on top and smothered with local syrup, served up by the Bridge B&B where we were staying. With full and satisfied bellies we were off on yet another walk, before returning to town for a late lunch and to try some sticky toffee pudding and haggis. Not actually a pudding at all, but instead a dense sweet bread, smothered in hot toffee, and served with vanilla ice cream that was like a little slice of heaven. As for the haggis, after hearing so much about it and each half dreading and half looking forward to having a taste, I think we were both pleasantly surprised by the delicious interplay of meat and spices in this traditional Scottish dish of sheep's heart, liver and lungs combined with oatmeal, onion and spices, and stuffed in a sheep's stomach and then boiled for several hours. The stomach is then cut open, and the contents inside scooped out. We had it served over tatties with neeps on top (mashed potatoes and turnips), delicious. It was so satisfying that we ended up falling asleep on the grass in front of the cathedral and taking an hour long nap, quite the picturesque place for a late afternoon snooze in the sun.

After that we explored the village a bit, only to find several other places we wanted to eat and will have to hit the next time. We did get a chance to buy some delicious linseed bread at a local baker, which we ate on the train along with Serrano ham and a spreadable local Scottish cheese that we bought at a local sandwich shop. It was a complete shot in the dark when we choose the cheese, but it ended up perfectly complementing the bread and ham.

Then it was off to the last stop on our trip:Edinburgh.

Antrim Coast, Ireland

It seems like so long ago now, but no Tuesday we took a tour bus to the northern coast of Ireland to see Giant's Causeway. Sometimes called the 8th wonder of the world...apparently locals say that's because it is a wonder what the big deal is, but we disagree because the scenery was gorgeous. The tour started with a drive up the coast and a quick stop to take a look at a castle just north of Belfast, then we were on winding roads along the sea, with alternating cliffs and farmland on the other side. After a stop at some wonderful castle ruins and the Bushmill's distillery we came to giant's causeway.

We started with a walk along the top of the cliffs overlooking the beach, wow the water in Northern Ireland is so beautiful, bright blue near giants causeway, with large cliffs, sometimes red in color, rising above, and fields of green with grazing cows going up to the cliff's edge. We then walked down to Giant's causeway, which was supposedly built by a giant who wanted to cross over to Scotland to beat up a giant on the other side who had been taunting him. The other version of the story is that it was made by the cooling of lava millions of years ago, I think the first one is a little more romantic. Regardless, the dark columns of rocks were striking against the ocean, and reminded me a lot of devil's postpile near Mammoth in CA, where we camped several summers when I was a kid. We sat in the shade of the columns, and enjoyed some bacon cheese bread (that's right, bread baked with loads of cheese, and this delicious bacon that uses different cuts then the bacon in the states on top, mMMmmmMM).

Afterward we went to carrick a rede bridge, which is a small rope bridge that passes over ot an island where the ocal fishermen go to catch salmon. The crossing was overpriced at 4 GBP each, but we decided well worth it because the money goes to the national trust which also takes care of Giant's causeway. And when we got over to the island it turned out to be well worth the cost. The water is clearest I have ever seen, you could stand at the edge of the island and see straight down to the bottom of the water, and even see the individual seaweed at the bottom. We wanted to go swimming so badly, especially since it was such a gorgeous sunny day. It was so warm that I actually spent most of the day in a tanktop, and got a raging bright red sunburn across my shoulders to prove it.

We ended our last night in Ireland at the John Hewitt Pub in Belfast, where we enjoyed a pint of Guinness and wonderful local Irish music. We were both amazed by how quiet the streets are in Belfast. There are only 300,000 people in the city, and even in the middle of the day the streets are not very busy, even though everything in the city centre is within easy walking distance. And once night falls (figuratively, not literally, as the sun did not set until past 10), the streets become deserted, with everyone either heading home or hunkering down in pubs. I only wish that we had more time at our trip and could have stayed longer, but instead we were off to Dunkeld, Scotland and our next adventure, but more on that later.

The joys of flying

We just finished clamoring to our seats on the flight from Atlanta to lovely Newark when a woman began rudely shouting at us to take Ryan's duffel out of the overhead compartment above her seat, because she apparently felt entitled to that space even though she boarded after us. To avoid confrontation we took the bag and we were luckily able to push and squish it under the seat in front of us. Meanwhile, the woman tried to fit her bag into the same spot only to discover that it was not carry on size. She had to check it.

From there the flight continued on the same track. There was a young girl in the middle seat ahead of us separated from her mother. The stewardess asked the man in the aisle to move. He said he couldn't because he needed a wheelchair (he later got up and walked to the bathroom) so the nice man sitting next to the girl's mother switched with her.

Then came the food service. It turns out that on short flights they do not offer vegetarian options. This was not ok with the ambulatory wheelchair man and his wife, who turned out to be sitting in the window seat. They proceeded to shout back and forth about the lack of sandwich options that they could eat, in their very annoying and angry voices. The stewardess attempted to calm them, but when she walked away they carried on. The poor man seated in between them asked angry wife to please stop shouting in his ear, so instead she began shouting at him.

I had no idea, but apparently arguments between passengers are grounds for diverting the flight and making emergency landings. Luckily this fact, when presented by the poor stewardess caught in the middle, sounded just as horrible to angry wife as it did to us so she shut her mouth. She and her husband were in a hurry because they had to make their international flight, and they knew they would have to wait for their matching wheelchairs to whisk them away to their connecting flight after briskly walking up the jetway.

Oh, and btw, the turkey sandwiches were delicious.

Only 1 week until we leave!

All packed and ready to go. Is it time yet?

Alright, time for the final countdown. Only 7 days, 1 test, and a 14 hour drive stand between me and my flight with Ryan to Ireland. Here is a breakdown of our itinerary:

Sunday June 21st: Fly from Atlanta, GA to Belfast Ireland
Monday June 22nd: We arrive in Belfast bright and early at 9 am and are going to spend the day sight seeing around town. We have no specific plans other than to take a Black Taxi Tour which was recommended as the best way to see town by one of my classmates who lived in Belfast for a year.

Tuesday June 23rd: Waking up bright and early to take a bus tour up to Giant's Causeway and the oldest whiskey distillery in Ireland. I'm usually not a big fan of tour buses, but after some quick research it turned out that it is actually cheaper to take a tour bus than public transport, and we will be able to visit several sites (McComb's Tours, book online ahead of time for a discount).

Wednesday June 24th: In the morning we are going to take the ferry from Belfast across to Stranraer, followed by a train to Dunkeld Scotland (Stena Line Rail and Sail Package, you have to call for reservations, but it is well worth the money you will save. Our tickets were half the cost of purchasing ferry and train separately). Along the way we are switching trains in Glasgow, giving us a quick 1.5 hours to get a taste of the city. At Dunkeld we are staying in the nicest accommodations of our trip, a 4 star B&B. Pricier than our other accommodations, but its always good to splurge for a night.

Thursday June 25th: Most of Thursday will be spent exploring Dunkeld. We chose to visit Dunkeld because we wanted a taste of a smaller town in Scotland, and somewhere to go on a few short hikes. It also has the added bonus of cathedral ruins, as Dunkeld was once the religious center of Scotland. I realized how important it is to stop and enjoy a small town even if time is short when my family and I took two days exploring Rothenberg, Germany in 2007. After spending the day in Dunkeld we will be off on the train again for the short trip to Edinburgh.

Friday and Saturday June 26th and 27th: Two days does not seem long enough to enjoy Edinburgh. The city has so much to offer, and I have had several friends tell me that it is their favorite city in Europe. On top of all that, almost all of the sites we want to see are free! There are countless things we plan on seeing, but the one thing we did plan ahead of time was our visit to the castle. You can purchase tickets online ahead of time and walk right in, instead of waiting in line with the masses (purchase tickets here).

Sunday June 28th: I am heading back to GA to study for the Step, but Ryan will staying in Edinburgh for another week for the International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (lucky boy).