Scotland!

Next stop in Great Britain--Scotland. Hope the Scots are ready for us! It was only sensible that we would visit the famous Loch Lomond since we were busting out songs in the car and practicing our Scottish accents. After three hours of driving through the beautiful Highlands, we belted out a verse or two of "...on the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Lomond..." Not too surprisingly, we all knew the words of a few lines. Of course, Sue knew plenty more, so she more or less carried us. Perhaps there is Scottish in us as well!

Following our trusty GPS, we twisted and turned through beautiful tree-lined roads and hillsides. The temptation was to stop at the little pubs along the way because they were so darn cute, but the light was fading, and we wanted to get to see the Loch Lomond at sunset. Plus, our hotel sat literally on the banks of Loch Lomond, at the Oak Tree Inn. Not the fanciest place we could ever have stayed, but certainly adequate for what we needed. And, we stepped out into our Scottish experience, the Scottish language and the food. Wow, what a difference from the English land we had just left. 

On the menu for dinner, for example, were mushy peas, bangers, haggis, and mash. Certainly, we could easily pronounce the words. But who orders mushy peas? Sounds a lot like baby food and as it turns out, looks like it as well. After a lengthy discussion with the waiter deciphering all the menu items, we discovered that mushy peas were, well peas mashed up. Simple enough, but did they taste good? We had to try those. And, they weren't bad. Bangers were sausages; haggis a mix of pork, lamb or beef innards, and mash was short for mashed potatoes. And of course, a Scottish tradition menu item, beans on toast. We all were at a little bit of a loss for what to order, but decided to stick with the safe bet of fish and chips. This was the default menu item we always selected when we didn't know what to have. Deb courageously tried the haggis and reported that it wasn't bad. What a trooper!

Best of all, we he had the opportunity to try our first drink the land was known for...Scotch whiskey. Now, the Battys typically want nothing to do with hard alcohol because we were definitely known as lightweights, but wanting the full Scottish experience, Deb and Edie decided to be brave and order a dram. This was easier said than done because the Scottish bartender, thick with accent, wanted to know what kind and if they wanted water with it or not. Of course, he didn't say something like "Would you like water with that," instead he said something in Scottish, which cracked us up because we couldn't understand him. So, we just nodded and smiled, which incidentally gets you far in this country. 

With Deb's first sip of whiskey, we witnessed steam coming out Deb's ears, eyes tearing up, and her mouth puckering up in pain. Clearly this was going to be fun for the Battys. Sue and I laughed so hard we cried watching Deb try to get this down, but she never gave up. It takes more than a little pain to deter a Batty from her goals. Plus, her more experienced aunt Edith seemed to have the swishing method down, and she had that happy glow so many Scottish have after a wee dram. Deb followed suit and he cheeks soon glowed as well.

Watch out Scotland, the Battys have arrived, and we are taking your Scotch with us!

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