Scotland: Haggis, Rod Stewart, Slaraffenland, Blood Sausage and Ox Tongue

We took the train from London to Glasgow. I had high expectations for Scotland since we were over jet lag and feeling well rested.

From the station, we cabbed to our hotel and were very happy with what we saw. Blythswood Square was situated 10 minutes from the shopping district and close enough to the West End to see less touristy areas. We enjoyed our stay and the included breakfast each morning.

The room

The highlights were the meal at The Ubiquitous Chip Restaurant, the tour to the Highlands, the lunch in Edinburgh at The Grainstore Restaurant, and the bands we saw (Slaraffenland and Social Services).

We had agreed to have one fancy meal in each place we stayed. This would be the get dressed and look presentable night. For Glasgow, we picked the The Ubiquitous Chip . The menu read well so we were excited. By far, this was my favorite meal of the trip.

Haggis!

I started with the The Chip’s Own (since 1971) Venison Haggis, Mashed Potatoes, Carrot Crisp and Turnip Cream. Amazing dish. For main, I had the Aberdeen Angus Fillet Steak au Poivre, Potato Gratin, Cherry Tomatoes, Spinach and Wild Mushrooms. The only let down was the wine pairing. I let the sommelier pair for me and he picked a super jammy Aussie Shiraz that was just too much for me.

The meal was worth every pence.

The next day, we toured the West Highlands. Mike, our guide to the Scottish Highlands (Oban, Glencoe, West Highland Lochs And Castles) was personable, fun, and informative. He took unscheduled stops to show us waterfalls and offer tidbits on what we were seeing. He would answer any question and was a genuinely nice guy who enjoyed his job.

The only minor issue we had was the music he played during the tour. It was a tad annoying to hear Rod Stewart over and over but I'm sure if we chimed up, he would have stopped playing it. It was a case where we didn't want to offend since he was such a good guy.

The sites were stunning and it was a small enough group where we didn't feel like cattle. Great day.

And, we learned that you can make a 4 day hike through it, with nights in b&bs. Next time, if Lindsay is game.

The day trip to Edinburgh the next day was enjoyable up until to the downpour and the expensive and crowded Castle tour. I was cranky on all accounts. Then lunch. That saved the day.

Still wet, at the Castle.

The Grainstore Restaurant was near the Castle and provided a break from the rain and a palate cleanser (pun intended) from the Castle. I had the Stornoway black pudding with apples and watercress and then the ox heart for main.

How Scottish is that? The black pudding didn't have that overpowering iron taste. The ox tongue was just ok but still very tasty.

We ended our stay in Glasgow by seeing a few bands. I had bought the tickets to see Slaraffenland but it was Social Services who were much better. It reminded me how much I miss going to hear bands where people don't talk during songs (as much as the States).

Here are the rest of the pictures.

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