To Mowgli's dismay, I'm still on European time, and 10 am is late enough to get started when I have so much Scotland to see. I'm like a little boy bouncing up and down. I drag Mwogli off his sofa cushions and we phone the Space Cadet. The Similarski sisters are going to head down to Ayrshire with us too see another perspective of Scotland. Oringinally we were meant to meet them at Centrall Station, but their mother and Grandmother are viisiting from russia and we have been invited for Breakfast.
We met the Space Cadet's father briefly the previous evening. I usually find russians to be very quiet an manly and quite imposing, but either becuase of the time he's spent in Glasgow or becuase my stereotype is completely wrong, I was pleasantly surprised that he was very welcomng.
As we arrived at 9.30am his hospitality continued:
"Morning Cognac???"
Breakfast was brandy, pancakes and caviar:
It actually makes for a really tasty breakfast. I love salty things so really enjoy the caviar. I only have one brandy with my coffee, as I plan to drive later, which is a pretty good job, because on the second round of brandies, the Space Cadet seems to think that Brandy is served in similar measures to red wine.
After we are full of pancakes, I get the smelling salts out to bring Mowgli round before we head off to Ayr on the Train. Before we get on the train, we have Scottish breakfast:
I can't believe it, but it appears that despite living in Glasgow for almost 5 years, the SPace Cadet isn't ure if she's tasted Irn Bru before. We give her a hit, it's good to see the tears welll up in her eyes as the E numbers hit her retinas. She doesn't like it.
It feels good to be going on the Glasgow seaside holiday down the coast to Ayr. I get to watch the views and point out all the sites as I get to re-discover them.
We roll into Ayr and Mowgli heads off to get clothes and a shower. I take the Similarski sisters off to see Ayr. This doesn't take very long, as its getting reallly run down so I have little passion for the place:
We find ourselves down by the bridge which crosses the river Ayr. It isn't very warm - in fact it is absolutely baltic, or as the French say "Tres Baltique". There is a good tranditional cure for this which exisits in ayr; The Coffee Boat:
The Coffee Boat is a little greasy spoon wagon which has exisited in the same spot(In one form or another) as long as I can remember. I treat the Similarski sisters to teas and coffees, and they also get to try my cup of Mushy Peas:
From wikipedia:
"Mushy peas are dried marrowfat peas which are first soaked overnight and then simmered until they form a bright green paste. Sodium bicarbonate is often added to soften the peas and to inhibit fermentation during soaking which reduces later flatulence. They are a very traditional northern English accompaniment to Fish and Chips and appear placed to remain a part of traditional British cuisine."
I like them with a lot of vinegar and I eat them as we head long the river ayr towards the Harbour:
As we get closer and closer to the sea, the wind is starting to batter off our faces. Its become a brisk winter walk to blow away the cob-webs.
My Mother is near Ayr, so we are killing time until she is heading to my home, and she will take us along. This gives us time to head out along the pier:
The photo above is pulled off the internet. The island's you can see in the background is Arran, where I made a trip to in the summer. When we there(Hopefully I'll get pictures of it from the Space cadet tonight), you couldn't see any of this, all you could see was wind and spray. It was WILD:
There are rocks on either side which are a very scarey black. You can literally see the water flly about in the air. It's really dramatic and feels like the eye of the storm or something like that. We mess about and take a few photos, and then eventually, thourgh the mist annd spray, I see a Beetle arrive along the sea front, and we run back to the warmth of my mum's car.
I make the introductions and then we head in coast a bit via Mowgli's house to finally make it to my home.
It's good to be back. See the cats, have a fridge full of scottish munchies etc. etc. etc.
We chill out for a little while, and I enjoy that feeling o f relaxation that home brings with it. I've worked so hard for a few weeks that it's tempting to just go to my room and sleep for two weeks, but luckily socialising and roadtripping is too tempting too.
By this point Luke SkyeTrekker(Of Scottish Road tripping Blog fame) has arrived to join the party. He has a good thick Ayrshire accent which I'm enjoying watching the Similarski sister's faces as they get used to it.
Space Cadet's sister has to be back up in Glasgow, so we hit the road again - this time I'm driving the Beetle. It feels good to be behind the wheel with a car full of friends again heading up the M77 to Glasgow. We have connected a powerbook to the car with a tapemachine(The iTrip and iPod combination ran out of battery), and Mowgli is chief DJ.
Before long, we are zooming through the Clyde Tunnel to reach Partick.
We drop one Similarski sister off in Partick and then head off to look for some fish and Chips. I've not had fish and chips yet in this country and we plan to get some on the way home. We are at around Kilmarnock when I decide I'd rather head home and get Chinese in my village.
Theres a dish you can get in Ayrshire chinese takeaways callled "Smoked Shredded Chicken" which is just so good, and I've never seen anywhere else. We get a pile of dishes and take them back home before vegetating in front of the Television - finally spending a night in my own bed......
No comments:
Post a Comment