On the UK portion of our July trip we stayed in London and Wokingham. Ampersand Hotel - South Kensington Eric had stayed at the Ampersand once before and was happy to return for this trip. This boutique hotel has a great location, just steps to the South Kensington tube stop on the Piccadilly and District lines, and a few blocks to the V&A and Science museum. We were issued a double room, which is quite small - just enough room to walk around the bed to the bathroom, with a tiny ... continue reading...
Wokingham: eat + drink
Sunday After an easy check-in to the hotel, we walked 15 minutes into town for a cider at The Ship Inn. We ordered at the bar and sat outside in the shade as the air temp was gorgeous. The beer garden was full of friends meeting for pints and definitely seemed like a local hangout. After drinks we walked over to Piccolo Arco for dinner. I had the Fettuccine al Cartoccio (mixed seafood pasta) and Eric got the Pollo Saltimbocca (chicken with parma ham and gravy). We both opted for a large ... continue reading...
London: food + drink
Friday After my missed connection adventure it was nice to go out for some comfort food, so a trip back to Vicino for dinner was in order. We split the Sicilian Rosato special (a mix of sangiovese and indigenous grapes), Eric got the truffle pasta with mushrooms and I had the penne with buffalo mozzarella, basil and tomatoes after my beef carpaccio appetizer. We had our hotel call in advance to make sure we could get a table, and while the restaurant was full the service was still on-time and ... continue reading...
London: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Eric surprised me before the trip by finding tickets to the Harry Potter show, parts 1 + 2 for Saturday! Part one runs from 2pm to 5pm and Part two runs from 7:30pm to 10:15pm so we made reservations for lunch and dinner to make sure we could eat in a timely manner. We slept in a bit after a hectic Friday so breakfast was skipped, but we did make time for a quick walk through Hyde Park to see the London Mastaba on Serpentine Lake. Next, we picked up our theatre tickets, then headed to ... continue reading...
London: Trump protests, Hampsted Heath
Since Leandra's arrival was delayed I had the afternoon in London by myself. By chance I was in town the same day as Trump, and protests were planned for several spots around London. Given the news coverage of the Trump balloon I decided to start at Westminster garden to see if it was still in the air. Arriving a little after noon I found quite a few people with signs milling about, several debates going on, and news cameras along the eastern boundary of the park, but not the balloon. And ... continue reading...
London: getting there the long way
The original plan to get to the UK for this trip was for both of us to fly IcelandAir through Reykjavik, Iceland onto London. However. Right after Eric bought my ticket, the price for the same flight tripled. So, he booked himself on the direct flight from JFK to London and we timed it so we would arrive and leave around the same time. On Thursday afternoon (on our way to the airport) I got a text letting me know my outgoing flight was delayed about 45 minutes. I had a scheduled 1:20 minute ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: long layover in London
Continuing the trend of nice weather on this trip, we were treated to a beautiful sunny day in London. We thought heading towards the Thames would be a good way to enjoy the weather, so we decided to start at Bishops Park and Fulham Palace. Fulham Palace Fulham Palace library Wisteria! Unfortunately, the famous walled garden was already closed by the time we got there, but we could peek in through several of the gates. After a quick stop for some gelato we headed toward ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Speyside food + snacks
Thursday On our way to the Tomintoul Distillery tour, we grabbed some caffeine at the Caoldair Coffee and Craft Shop. I had a scalding hot latte that took me forever to drink (I finally had to get a to-go cup) while Eric enjoyed his (less-hot) hot chocolate. Tables are interspersed with stuffed toys, postcards, and clothing items and there seemed to be a few locals hanging out. Due to a whiskey event for the boys at 7pm, we made an early reservation at the Copper Dog. We were seated in ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Glen Grant garden walk
On Sunday morning before our scheduled Glen Moray heritage tour we took a detour to the Glen Grant Distillery to explore their garden walk. One of the few activities in Speyside we did that didn't involve whiskey, the self-guided walk includes many landscaped areas, a few small waterfalls and (at least when we were there) no other people! A lovely way to spend an hour in Rothes. ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Spirit of Speyside whisky bars
Besides the Spirit of Speyside festival events we also visited several of the famous whiskey bars in the area. The Quaich, Craigellachie Hotel, Craigellachie Located just up the road from our apartment (completely on purpose) we spent the most time at our favorite wee pub in Scotland. Over the last few years we'd seen way more of Lindsey—who Leandra got to chat with for about ten minutes between events—but this year it was Angus who kept us entertained and full of whisky. Ask him about his ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Spirit of Speyside independent bottlers
During the Spirit of Speyside festival we attend three events that featured independent bottlers, groups that buy casks through brokers (usually) and then decide when and how to bottle the insides. Craigellachie Hall Whisky Tasting Thursday evening 'Whisky Tasting and New Releases' in Craigellachie Hall. Hosted by two smaller independent bottlers, Spirit Still and Dramfool. Only four tables for this event, but quite fun and informative, with a nice range of interesting whiskies. ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Spirit of Speyside Craigellachie Bridge tasting
Just like in 2017, Craigellachie hosted a fun tasting on the beach next to the Craigellachie Bridge during the festival. In fact, in 2018 they held an event on both Saturday and Sunday! On both days the weather was fantastic, with sunshine and warm temps, so it was a really nice way to end the day before heading into the evening festivities around town. hearing about the whisky on offer; drams by the River Spey Saturday Tasting Craigellachie 51 - Eric tried this one, and found ... continue reading...
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