me and the bagpipe man!!=)
check out the really misty thursday edinburgh city!
so i started my edinburgh tour on thursday... reached at about noon, checked into the hostel (which was splendid cuz there was free wifi throughout the entire complex!! even in the rooms!! to keep me connected with the world) and i went out in search of authentic scottish food! =) and i hopped into this rather fancy looking pub near my hostel, and having that adventurous spirit, ordered a plate of haggis, neeps and tatties!=D haha=D it turned out to be 3 piles of mashed stuff in different colour.. brown (ewww!!) orange and white!=D haha... so here's a description of haggis from wikipedia (which i totally did not know before i ate the dish!=S)
my 1st dish of haggis: the traditional scottish dish=)
my 2nd dish of haggis at a different pub...
and of course with a pint of scottish beer! =D
Haggis is a dish containing sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally simmered in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours. Haggis is a kind of sausage, or savoury pudding cooked in a casing of sheep's intestine, as sausages are. As the 2001 English edition of the Larousse Gastronomique puts it, "Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour".Most modern commercial haggis is prepared in a casing rather than an actual stomach. There are also meat-free recipes for vegetarians. The haggis is a traditional Scottish dish memorialised as the national dish of Scotland by Robert Burns' poem Address to a Haggis in 1787. Haggis is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties" (Scots: swede, yellow turnip or rutabaga and potatoes, boiled and mashed separately) and a "dram" (i.e. a glass of Scotch whisky), especially as the main course of a Burns supper. However it is also often eaten with other accompaniments, or served with a whisky-based sauce.
okay.. i know the dish don't sound really appetising but it really tasted good! haha=D its like eating kway chap in singapore lah... just western style... so.. on thursday edinburgh had this really thick mist.. visibility was barely 100m.. even worse at night.. this was due to a really light spray/ drizzle and the really strong gusts of wind! but it gave the city a really nice magical appearance, just like that of hogwarts - the land of harry potter=D like all other cities in uk, most of the shops here close really early, except for a few touristy shops, which sells really expensive traditional scottish outfits... about 100gbp for the kilt!! =O yups! so the night was spent in the hostel, on my laptop connecting with the rest of the world=)
the peaceful loch lomond=)
the 2nd day was spent on a tour... to this place called loch lomond... loch is scottish for lake. yups! so what's so special about loch lomond.. loch lomond is the lake with the largest surface area in scotland!! it was a rather small group tour. only 5 people... so it kinda fell like a private tour... overall it was a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the city to the peaceful, quiet and serene..
the loch ness cruise=)
spot monster nessie!! =P
the 3rd day was also spent on a tour, this time to the ever famous loch ness and the scottish highlands!=) yups! so did i spot loch ness on my tour? well, i'll leave u guys with a picture that i took while on the loch ness cruise and u judge for yourselves! =P this tour was even better than the tour on the 2nd day, probably cuz the tour guide was much better and had more stories to tell! haha=D me and jelvin got the cheap thrill of getting to sit right beside the driver on the front of the tour bus and so we've got the full front view of the scenery!! totally spectacular!! especially while touring the highlands on the bus!! the snow capped glens (scottish for mountains/ hills) were just awesome!! haha=D
edinburgh castle at night...
... and in the day
sandemans europe free walking tour! must go!!=D
the last day was spent in the city itself. visited edinburgh castle, which was just beside our hostel... for the entire morning, and then i went for a free walking tour in edinburgh... which was kinda interesting cuz it brought us to places where tourists usually will not go=) and was of course informative too! much better than exploring the city by myself!=)
yups! so this pretty much wraps up my 4 day edinburgh tour! not all 4 days were spent in the city of course! haha=D cuz after visiting so many uk cities, all of their city centres look and feel roughly the same... so the highlight of this edinburgh trip was actually the 2 tours which i went on - the loch lomond and the loch ness & highlands tour=) yups!
stay tuned for updates on my easter trip!! will definitely find time to update my blog whenever i have wifi connection!=)
~hearts for my girlfriend!!~
<3<3<3
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