Haggis, Neeps and Tatties with a dram of Ardberg

Greetings from St.Andrew’s in Scotland!

Last night my hotel contact seemed sad to see me go and we shared a pint with some of her co-workers in the pub behind the hotel.

Today I took a sunny early morning cab-ride along the Thames to the charming London City airport and flew to Edinburg. I took a train to Leuchers (Lou-kers) which sort of broke down along the way but that was fine because a beautiful dark dark-haired Scottish lassie bought me a whisky. After the second round I was ready for my cab ride to the Fairmont at St.Andrew’s. The landscape was similar in some respects to Vancouver Island except when we reached the town of St.Andrew’s. All the buildings are made of stone and we passed through the arches of an old castle. The hotel is on St.Andrew’s Bay which faces the North Sea and has two golf courses along the water.

After a quick check in by a real Scottish dude in a kilt, I headed for the clubhouse for some food and my first single-malt in Scotland. I thought I’d try something I’d never had before so I had a piece of Ardberg. I think it’s from the island of Islay (Eye-luh) where Laphroigh is from? It had a strong peaty and seaweed smell without the chlorine smell and taste of Laphroigh. For food I thought I’d go for it and I had Haggis, neeps and tatties. That’s haggis (it’s sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs), mashed turnips on top of mashed potatoes with gravy. If you like they’ll pour a dram of whisky over it before they pour the gravy on it. The haggis was very satisfying. It is kind of like a meaty tasting ground sausage. It was great to smell the ocean in my whisky and gaze into the North Sea at the same time.

I walked out of the clubhouse towards the links lined North Sea and watched a group tee off. These courses are not for beginners. Every shot here counts, one false move and it’s a total disaster. The courses look hard enough here but combine that with the chilly wind from the North Sea and you have the most challenging conditions possible. I can’t wait to play.

I walked past a BBQ on the deck where they were grilling local lamb. I’m having that tomorrow. I got back into my room and noticed that they had left me a large fruit gift basket and a bottle of wine. I love this five-star treatment! I hope my photos turn out great. I’m so glad to be here.