Out and about around the Moray Firth
By Julie | July 17, 2010
We’ve been so busy having fun in Scotland, we’re just now getting around to another update.
After a few days of exploring our little village and the neighboring burghs, we drove to Macduff Marine Aquarium to get an overview of the sea life in the Moray Firth. Julie was thrilled to learn that Plaice are fished here and plans to buy some fresh in the hopes of recreating a tasty meal from her first trip to England in 1988. Will was entranced by the very LARGE Wolf Fish and other species in the huge cylindrical seawater tank that is open at the top.
Macduff Marine Aquarium
While we get passing rain showers most days, it warms up again in the evenings since the the sun doesn’t go down until nearly 11 p.m.. A beach-side fair in Cullen beckoned.
Will and Mike cruising at the Cullen carnival.
Mike handstand on Cullen beach
Everyone takes nature walks here. The views of the sea and cliffs were breathtaking along the Moray Coastal Trail to Findochty, a neat little fishing village just two miles to the West. William picked more wildflowers for Mommy on the path (she is getting used to this royal treatment on vacation). We had a tasty lunch at a traditional pub on the harbor, then went onto the docks and watched kids in wet suits diving and splashing. Mike decided we should climb some more to a memorial above the town.
Findochty Memorial
With time for leisurely meals, we cook a lot at our cottage. Sausages (so many varieties) and eggs, lamb chops, and one night, Mike took a stab at the official dish of Scotland – Haggis. It’s often served with potatoes or “tatties”. William tried a few bites. Mike and Juile are fans.
Haggis, Tatties, Tennent’s and tea
(If you want to see the full complement of our Scotland photo sets, click on any picture in the blog to go to our Flickr page.)
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Esconced in Portknockie cottage
By Julie | July 8, 2010
We had a safe trip and are now at the Clythness cottage in Portknockie. The BA flight from Denver to London was amazing, the service was better than we’ve had in a decade. Click on a picture to see more of the cottage on flickr.
We’re settling in and exploring the neighborhood. The ocean is a few blocks away as are the library and playground.
We’ve mostly been eating at home, but we did stop by the local fish and chips shop. We found many different types of sausages for breakfast and the local beef and lamb are great.
The rental car is a 5-door Vauxhaul Corsa. Driving on the left side of the road is easier than we imagined. Shifting with the left hand feels natural, and we haven’t veered onto the right side of the road yet. Sparse oncoming traffic is still startling (why is that car going so fast on the wrong side of the road?!?!).
We have some adventures in the planning stage. There is a scenic rail line that goes to Dufftown, with many distilleries along the way. The brochure says that on Sundays they’ll even let you drive a diesel engine in the switch yard! That will probably be the highlight of the trip for William.
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Lake Okoboji revisited
By Julie | June 26, 2010
Next stop on our return journey was Lake Okoboji, IA. I spent many childhood summer vacations there with my family and things haven’t changed at all in 20 years. William loved seeing the boats on West Lake and watching the people on the boardwalk heading to Arnolds Park. Mike enjoyed the holiday atmosphere – the whole town seemed to be on vacation – and the famous Nutty Bars.
You can see the top of the wooden roller coaster in the picture, as well as the Tipsy House. Yes, Will found the small train that takes toddlers around in circles and toots its horn.
Fresh nutty bars are delish, but I was even more overjoyed by the service when we discovered I’d left my wallet on the table. There and it was safely behind the counter after a 30 minute frantic search. A big extended family vacation in Okoboji is on the docket for the near future.
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Hendrix Art
By Julie | June 26, 2010
Mike and I slipped away for a bit of siteseeing in the Little Apple. Our first stop was the Walker Art Center in downtown Minneapolis, which specializes in contemporary art and funky video installations. The coolest thing we saw was a Jimi Hendrix piece that required taking off your shoes, entering a room with a row of hammocks and being bombarded by Hendrix music and images flashing around the room.
Back outside drifting across the bridge we were treated to a great view of the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry statue by Claes Oldenburg. Once across, a pleasant walk through Loring Park was punctuated by some gorgeous flower beds near our hip lunch spot, Nick and Eddie. Excellent steak frites. Coincidentally, the place has huge speakers exposed all around the joint making it a fitting ending to our Hendrix Experience.
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Minneapolis wedding weekend
By Mike | June 24, 2010
As we pulled into Minneapolis on Day 5 of our car trip we were ready for some fun. The Twin Cities didn’t disappoint.
Mike’s clan fawned over William and provided another great party, this time celebrating Lauren and Nick’s wedding. Will took his first taxi ride to dinner on the shores of the Mississippi River (mangled with extra constants in that toddler way of speaking). A post-meal stroll along the cobblestone streets and the path snaking along the Mighty Mississippi was very pleasant. It was the nicest weather of our trip that day.
Cousin Lauren and her wedding party were gorgeous with downtown Minneapolis as a backdrop for the nuptials.
“Whoa! Lauren’s getting married all the way up there?”
The reception was a blast and William was a dancing fool. He got to slow dance with Momma, do the Twist with Papa and boogie with Auntie Tina, Daddy, Lauren and a variety of older women whom he charmed. The girl in the white and black dress even got jealous when he was whisked away for a turn with the bride!
Girl drama at 2, lord help us.
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