All posts filed under: Scotland

Road Trip Isle of Skye (75 of 141)

Skye full of sights

Są w życiu pewne rzeczy, które dodają mi otuchy, kiedy wydaje mi się, że chmury nigdy nie odejdą znad Edynburga i z mojej głowy. Codzienne przyjemności, moje własne przyzwyczajenia, rytuały, które wykonuje, żeby wprawić się w dobry nastrój. Zapalenie świeczki zapachowej z Antro. Herbata z cytryną i słuchanie Chopina czy Turnaua. Czasem wystarczy, że o czymś pomyślę, żeby mój nastrój przybrał zupełnie inny kolor. Jedną z takich myśli, jest to, że mieszkam 5 godzin jazdy samochodem od Isle of Skye i mogę tam uciec z Kubą, namiotem i naszym kolorowym wełnianym kocem w bagażniku. Sama myśl o możliwości eskapizmu jest krzepiąca. Nie jest to rozwiązanie, ale tymczasowy opatrunek na problemy, zwłaszcza dla introwertyków uwielbiających spokój i ciszę. Czasem myślę, że mieszkam w Szkocji z jakiegoś powodu i bliskość Hebrydów jest zdecydowanie jednym z nich, chociaż odkrytym stosunkowo niedawno. Tym razem wyjazd na Skye nie był ucieczką przed codziennością, tylko zaplanowanym wyjazdem ze znajomymi, żeby pokazać im piękno Szkocji. Lubię chwalić się Szkocją, okazywać mój mały lokalny patriotyzm. Zwłaszcza z tego powodu, że wydaje się jeszcze …

Pentlands winter walk  (14 of 31)

Winter walk in the Pentlands

[vc_row type=”in_container” bg_position=”left top” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” bottom_padding=”4%”][vc_column][vc_column_text] Winter walk in the Pentlands When we first moved to Edinburgh I used to live in a neighbourhood called Marchmont – a part of town mostly inhabited by students and some families. After the first year we rented a small flat in the attic in Morningside, on Maxwell Street. I shared a room with my younger sister and the view from our window was looking out towards the Pentlands. Even if the pavements in Edinburgh are still dry and mornings not frosty at all, the Pentlands are usually dusted with white powder or a snowy duvet after some colder days. On Sunday we woke up early. I fried the bacon rashers and toasted some bagels while J flicked through a hill walking guide and chose a path – a loop of around 9 km through the hills. Since we were going for a long walk we shared 3 bagels between us. They tasted almost as well as in NYC. Almost. The bacon was super crispy. Our …

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Man batters fish // The best fish & chips in Scotland

This is what I googled last Saturday afternoon and that’s how we made a decision to drive up to visit Anstruther Fish Bar in the Kingdom of Fife across the Forth Bridge. Anstruther won the independent fish and chips award in 2008 and 2009 and according to the website this where you will find finest raw ingredients, cooked with skill and expertise to produce the tastiest fish and chips – all served with a smile and a dash of salt and vinegar (no vinegar for me though). Drive across the Firth of Firth. Remember that part of Ann of Green Gables when she says she’s afraid of crossing bridges but she has to look to make sure she doesn’t miss the moment when the bridge collapses? For some reason I have this quote stuck in my head. It was a beautiful drive via the Fife scenic route, about 45 miles from Edinburgh, up and down the hills with a frequent glimpse of the sea (as in pictures above). At first, we got a little lost …

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Lochs and sheep // Perthshire

I went to Firbush twice when I was still a student at the University of Edinburgh. It’s a tiny settlement (not even a town or a village really) perched on the banks of Loch Tay in the Perthshire, about 3h away from Edinburgh and just a short walk from village Killin. Not only does it make a beautiful spot for camping, but also for kayaking, mountain biking or wind surfing, if that’s your thing. I chose kayaking but sadly didn’t take my camera with me; perhaps a wise choice as two people in our group capsized. We’re planning to buy a tent and make a few camping trips to the Highlands on weekends as I don’t get any time off from university until July. The first day the weather was rather bleak. We still went kayaking after practicing in the little bay pictured above. In the evening we made a trip to Killin to a pub. yep, picutures of branches and droplets. one more. next day was sunnier. this looked like a pretty idyllic place …

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Isle of Skye: Part 2

I’m only writing this post because I know only a handful of people read my blog and most of them are friends. Here comes the best kept secret of Scotland. You’re welcome. I can’t decide what was the best thing about staying in Skye – the scenery or the Shepherd Huts. When you wake up to a view like this, you don’t have reception in your phone to be distracted and you stop feeling the urge to instagram your morning so you can focus on actually enjoying it. Janet has thought about everything when it comes to making your experience as good as it can possible be. In your huts you will find a super comfy bed with super-high-thread-count-feels-like-a-cloud-cotton bed linen, a wood burning stove, a dyson heater, a folder with all the leaflets about the best local restaurants and attractions, super fluffy towels, a sink and a table, tea & coffee, cutlery, two super fluffy cotton robes and even a Skye scented candle. You walk in and you will actually say wow because it’s …

On the edge of Britain: Isle of Skye Part 1

(Soundtrack to this post: Scottish Gaelic song, in which the poet praises the island of his heart. Composed during WWI).  Oh Skye, you stole my heart. Surrounded by sea, with the migthy Cuillin on the horizon, narrow windy roads and countless crofts, a big piece of the Inner Hebrides jigsaw puzzle. We went to Skye on a whim. During the summer I watched this documentary about the Hebrides and I couldn’t find an excuse for why we shouldn’t just drive up to Skye one weekend. We’ve lived here for over 6 years now, why have we not been there yet. We booked a Shepherd’s hut for two nights, packed rain jackets, wellies, burgers and beer to our little car and off we went. J put together 4h of good oldies and road trip music. ^^ Ready to go  ^^ Crossing the Firth of Forth ^^ First stop for coffee and cake.   ^^ It looked like it was going to rain. It didn’t. yet.  ^^ Meadow next to the cafe. pretty. Jarzebina! ^^ Narrow windy roads. Even the drive itself was …

Off to Skye

Today we’re off to the Isle of Skye. We’re staying in a small wooden cabin in the south of the island and are hoping to unplug from the world and just stare at the horizon. J has prepared a road trip playlist and we have a good supply of burgers and cider. Have you been to Skye before? Any last minute recommendations? Picture by super talented Emmanuel Coupe

Hurricane Infographics

Today I stayed at home because of the red alert warnings from the Met Office. While the wind was shaking the  bridges in Scotland, people on twitter were busy inventing the name for the hurricane ( being a foreigner I had to check it in the Urban Dictionary). Some of the tweets made me laugh our loud – seriously, the Scottish have an amazing sense of humour. Above are some of my favourites displayed in a little infographics poster – enjoy! Source of the tweets: Entertainment STV PS. I hope you’re all safe and that the hurricane didn’t cause any damage in your area!