John Cumbow

August 10, 2017July 24, 2018

Baked beans for breakfast… and other quirks of Scottish cuisine

The full Scottish breakfast — The “full Scottish” breakfast

SCOTLAND – One of my most curious first impressions of Scotland was the so-called “Full Scottish Breakfast.”

The ‘full Scottish’ includes such typical morning fare as smoked bacon (mostly meat, unlike American bacon where it’s mostly fat), a savory link sausage, a fried egg (just one) and toast (white or brown).

Uniquely Scottish additions to the menu include a wedge of potato scone (more like a potato pancake than the scone I’m familiar with in the States), a slice of black pudding (another type of sausage – very salty – made from pork fat or beef suet, pork blood and oatmeal or barley), sautéed mushrooms, a couple of grilled tomato halves, and finally…
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July 30, 2017July 24, 2018

Stone buildings are everywhere in Scotland

Stone buildings can be seen all over Scotland

SCOTLAND – When we arrived in Edinburgh in June we were impressed by how many stone buildings there were all over the city. Not just the castles, but public buildings, private homes, storefronts, monuments and more.

Stone walls are everywhere in Scotland — Stone walls are everywhere around Scotland

You also see stone walls everywhere in Scotland… along every street and roadway, enclosing individual yards and gardens, and around every field and pasture. Stones, stones and more stones.
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July 6, 2017July 24, 2018

Adventures in grocery shopping

KIRKCALDY, SCOTLAND — Melanie and I walked to Aldi the other afternoon to shop for groceries. Our meandering path led us past lots of lovely old stone homes, some with leaded glass windows, some with ornamental wooden gingerbread embellishments at the gable peaks, many surrounded by stone walls and lovely flower gardens.

Arriving at the grocery store, we were confronted with a challenge… how to unlink one of the shopping carts parked in the cart corral outside so we could take it inside to do our shopping.

Linked shopping carts outside Aldi — Linked shopping carts outside the Aldi store

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July 2, 2017July 24, 2018

If it’s Wednesday this must be Stirling (Castle)

Stirling Castle sits high atop a rocky crag in Stirling, Scotland

SCOTLAND – Melanie and I have been in Scotland for just about two weeks now. We’ve (mostly) adjusted to the 8-hour time difference from back in Stanwood, Washington; figured out how the buses and trains work; can make proper change when we pay for something; and we’re getting used to some of the differences in language (yes, they speak English, too, but it often sounds quite different from the American English we’re used to).

In our past travels, this would have been the point in the trip when we had to head back home (and back to work) after a much-too-short vacation, with way too many places still on our “we should go there” list.

But not this time. We’re just getting started…
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