You know what happens when you drive from Inverness to Edinburgh? I’ll tell you what happens: You drive through one of the most densely-populated distillery landscapes in the world. Our lunchtime stop concluded with a tour and tasting at the scenic Blair Athol distillery in Pitlochry.
Not my picture above and below, by the way. Ironically, you can’t buy 99.9% of their product, which is immediately sold from the warehouse to Johnny Walker for use in one of their higher-end blends (don’t ask me which). The single malt they do keep, though, is aged in sherry casks and can certainly hold it’s own–rich, mellow, and sweet, maybe a little too much (but just a little).
The rest of the drive was primarily scotch-induced naps, after which we arrived at Edinburgh, the cultural and political capitol of Scotland. No rest for the weary, though! Time for a quick dinner before tonight’s tattoo. We tried the Indian/British street food hybrid restaurant at our hotel, which (while reviews were mixed) we found to be quite tasty (if a little overpriced). Nica didn’t object!
We wore Nica out by letting her run around our new hotel room. She liked exploring every little nook and cranny. Keep your eyes on that girl!
After Nica crashed, we left her with Nana and joined the rest of the family in line for the tattoo. Great seats! Leila was a real trooper and stayed up for the whole exciting evening, despite the rain and very late hours.
The backdrop for the tattoo is the majestic and ancient Edinburgh castle. The performance itself takes place in the courtyard before the front gates. Temporary stadium seating and flawless execution make for a great performance setting (not my photo…).
I was too mesmerized by the performances to take great photos, but here’s a marketing picture of one of our favorite acts, the Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland. Not only are they a great group of drummers, but their act is just crazy. Those drumsticks? They’re also piccolos. And fireworks. Yeah, it’s nuts. More than once, a family comment was made regarding the wonderful things you can do when you don’t have to worry about fighting actual wars.
The next morning, we hunted for the hotel breakfast restaurant (a different place than the previous evening’s meal, actually), and were pleasantly surprised to enjoy our meal with a fantastic view right underneath the nearby castle where we enjoyed the previous evening’s performance.
(Sorry for the backlight washout, but it’s a great background.)
Meanwhile, Nica was packing away what had to be nearly a thousand calories. This girl is heading for a growth spurt, and (like the rest of her family) also seems to have acquired a taste for Scottish butter.
Much more to come as we explore one of the world’s greatest historical cities!