Scottish epic journey for Freeeedommm!

My mind was full of imagination about strong Scots, like William Wallace or poetic souls, like Sir Walter Scot; On contrary, my stomach was about to devour me from the inside when shortbread or butterscotch biscuits became the conversation of ours on the journey to... well, well, well- Scotland! That is how it has all started.

I guess, I might have fallen into a slightly nostalgic or melancholic mood, when I have realized that the journey was prolonging and my eyes were unable to slip through the pages of Harry Potter, as they were doing so since the early hours of the morning.  However, then when we crossed the border, everything has changed...

Frankly saying, I started to laugh as the landscape has changed drastically and surprises such as these cows became common for our week and a half journey from then onward....

I have to admit as well that I am indeed fond of culinary travelling, where I can explore different foods and indulge into regional classics, which would never taste the same if I had tried to make them at home. It does not have to be in places, which are rated 5 stars on Tripadvisor; to be honest, they don't even have to be on any websites, but they have to put a milestone on my experience of an amateur in a kitchen, as well as fill the stomachs of my family.

Yes, this is a pie. Seems to be ordinary, like any pie, as if Philip Larkin wished it to be ordinary, like in the poem 'Born Yesterday' for Sally Amis. However, it was extremely tasty, the filling was piping hot with the tempting chicken divining the flavour with the slightly salty bacon, slipping outside the crust whilst I was cutting it and making sure it mixes well with the HP brown sauce, which I have tried for the first time in my life. Additionally, the irresistible wedges accompanied the main dish with the well-spiced coleslaw and salad, which tasted truly home-made, like my mum's! Are you asking now, where have I found such exceptional meal? Well, it was a little cafe next to a farm in the middle of a mountainous and lake land area. I can't even remember the name. Shame, isn't it? But unrivaled.

You might have probably posed a question: Why is there a pie before... wait for it, wait for it...

                                                    HAGGIS NEEPS AND TATTIES!!??

And my answer is: I have no idea, but there you go... there is your (and mine, obviously...)

                                                    HAGGIS NEEPS AND TATTIES!!!!

I adore comfort food and heart-warming dishes, such as this one. I also have to add that you can try it at a descent price at Wetherspoon (a little advert from me as well as the lovely San Pellegrino lemonade :) Personally, I prefer the orange flavour from the lemon; Sadly, I still have not been given a chance to taste the other two. But well, let's look on the bright side of life and say that this is not the last holiday in my life ;)). However, relating back to my "wonderful" and surely "professional" photography, I can not resist admitting that I truly understand why Haggis is the Scottish national dish! My German teacher rests with my opinion from before the end of the school year that I was afraid to try it after having a good read on Wikipedia. On the other hand, now, I plan to prepare it for lunch next weekend! Haggis consists of surely fatty flavours, but also of a great combination of them, prefect for the rainy weather outside, as it keeps you warm and ready for new challenges. I can imagine that it is what William Wallace had before the battle...

Perhaps my description is not very detailed, as I would never be able to compare it to the masterpiece of Robert Burns in his poem "Address to a Haggis". What I can only say, it is "Warm-reekin, rich"!

And now, changing the story, for you my dear readers, who might prefer more of the literary heritage story, I would like to relate back to what I am more fond of than Haggis or furry cows in the Scottish countryside, it is as you could remember: Harry Potter! Do you recognize this bridge? Do you remember the film? It is the Glenfinnan Viaduct, where the Hogwarts Express hurried to get all the students in school on time before the feast. Ohh, I want that roast! Or the pies! Or even the porridge!

Again changing the story, as I relate back to Scottish dishes once more, for those readers, who rather travel with a geographical manner, as I guess we all should; I also got a chance to visit the famous Scottish Lochs (YES! Inculding Loch Ness, but even with my particularly good sight, I was unable to spot Nessie, sorry... :( ) Therefore, imagine, that you just turn around from that look of the bridge and you see a magnificent landscape with a Loch in the middle of high steep mountains and hills covered with straps of grass; They lead you to wherever you dream of, if you pull the strings of your imagination intensely enough and with true passion of a indefatigable traveler, who wishes to explore the unexplored. I feel like one sometimes, do you feel the same during your journeys? Right your experience in the comments below!

Copyrights of my dad :)

I feel as if this journey to such a wonderful greenery area has fulfilled my expectations, but I can't end this post with such a smooth mood, therefore I need to add that I have spent a long time looking at the lake described because I was trying to take a perfect photo of my Starbucks mug in the landscape... Ooops, but well, I enjoyed that too and in the end I have chosen a different landscape for it:

The only thing is that I get really annoyed when they can't spell my name: it is not that hard to ask if they are unsure!!!

Personally, I would love to study at a really good university in the future, not only because I can get a a great job later, but also because some of them (which I am interested in) have beautiful architecture; The stone buildings and long history accompany the study perfectly, as well as give a hint of enchanting mood every time you need to get from your house to the lecture. Imagine rushing through the cobbled streets with you leather satchel unpinned because of heavy books and quick last-minute notes for the essays folded in the small pockets at the front; As if you were another Hermione Granger rushing for the next lesson with Mr Flitwick. Ahhh, Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and... St Andrew's? Yes, that is another university town that I had a pleasure to visit and my favorite
photograph, simply speaks for itself:

Lastly, I could never forget about afternoon teas, where I never have a proper cuppa, but well at least cake is in it place. In my last post, my dear readers, you were able to see the greatest place in Edinburgh and link to my profile on Tripadvisor. Here I must, not only wish to, present Henry's Coffee House in Dundee, where I unfortunately, did not get a chance to try a true Dundee Cake. Real shame, real shame... But this means, however, I need to come back to do so! :)

As they say, always look at the bright side of life! :)

Where the magic began...

Hello again my dear readers! Sorry that you haven't seen any new posts recently, however I had to pass through the most difficult journey of my life so far- GRUESOME EXAMS. As I am one of those people, who like to do more work than they need to, I ended up having additional exams, which added up to nearly thirty! Horrendous...

But what kept me going? What helped me survive in that battle against the behemoths (especially English Language exam)- indeed it was Harry Potter, as I was able to dive into spellbinding stories on my hour-journey home, where I could have imagined that instead of writing essays about Cold War, I could be like Hermione, who was running out of parchments for her homework about history of Hogwarts.

And then, and then when I have reached the true Garden of Eden, which was nothing more than my big mug with funny ducks full of hot chocolate on Friday evening with a thick layer of whipped cream and an encouraging sprinkle of chocolate (from my new Cadbury's Sprinkler :)) to top it off; I have finally relaxed finishing the second book. At that point, I was able to admit- I had become a Potter-maniac! Nothing more, nothing less, so then the new paradise came and thanks to my dad I ended up visiting the "birthplace" of Harry Potter in Edinburgh about a week later.

So, let's start the topic of this post now!
                                                                      ... slightly too low down the page, I guess.

I have to say, this coffee house is one of the best I have ever been to! Lovely atmosphere and I have learned something- there are so many various books about elephants! When you walk around the streets of Edinburgh with a running nose as it is slightly chilly but also as it rains every other minute; you start to fill peckish (even after haggis) and continually hear the pipes music in the background, the only thing you want to do is indulge into a generous piece of cake with a hot drink- so this is the right place for you and I strongly recommend vanilla cheesecake and a cup of milky latte.

                                                                            Believe me, you won't regret it.

Now, as an earlier mentioned Harry Potter fan, tears filled my eyes when I saw articles hanging on the walls with J. K. Rowling and her beginnings. Such sentimental moments encompassed me whilst sitting in a comfortable chair and thinking that it is going to be me one day with that cool Macbook sitting in the corner and revising, but at the same time sipping my hot beverage and enjoying the atmosphere- like that university student that I saw there.

P.S. Toilets were the true surprise :) and for more information look on my review on Tripadvisor. Get ready: Italian breakfast and Scotland posts will be up soon!