"Fortune Brands (FO) says it will spin off its home-and-security unit, with products including Moen faucets and Master locks. The spinoff would be designed to be tax free to holders, Fortune said. The company also said it would spin off or sell its golf division, with brands including Titleist; and continue to operate the liquor business as an independent publicly traded company. Fortune's liquor brands include, among others, Jim Beam bourbon and Laphroaig single-malt Scotch. The company says each is well positioned to create significant value for shareholders on its own. Annual revenue totals .5 billion in wine and liquor, billion in home and security and .2 billion in golf, Fortune said. The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that the plan was under consideration. "
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
La Chouffe Beer - Belgium's Premium Beer
La chouffe is considered a signature product of the famous Brasserie d' Achouffe brewery. It is a Belgian brewery that was found by Christian Bauweraerts and Pierre Gobron in 1982. In 1988, they began to distribute beer to other countries. It is situated on the lands of the Belgian Ardennes and is known all over the world for its special high quality beers.
The beer instantly captures the minds of drinkers thanks to the beer's decorative labels that contain the reputed and friendly elf. Goblins and elves are two of the most important and notable characters in the legends of Ardennes. La chouffe is a blonde ale which instills freshness and brings an enchanting fruity taste to its consumer. This unique characteristic makes the beer stand out. Mc chouffe is considered to be the dark sister of La chouffe. It has been given the title 'Scotch of the Ardennes' thanks to its full flavored, dark texture which reminds everyone of the Scottish cousins.
Ever Had A Gnome On Your Beer?
The labels in their beer have gnomes on it, and this is actually a play on the name of the town La Chouffe. The name originally refers to a dwarf or gnome in the dialect of Walloon. Brasserie d'Achouffe manufactures various kinds of beers.
La chouffe which is the most famous brand has about 8% ABV. It is available in 201 barrels or in magnum which and also in 75cl bottles. Mc Chouffe, the dark sister, is Scotch ale which contains about 8.5%ABV. It is available in 201 barrels and also in 75cl bottles. Chouffe Houblon is highly hopped ale which contains about 9% ABV. It is fondly described as a fusion of the Belgian tripel and an Imperial IPA. La chouffe and Mc chouffe are brewed from crushed malt barley and spring water. This is then processed in vats and the La chouffe coriander is produced.
Some of the other products include N'ice Chouffe, a Christmas beer which contains 10% ABV, Kwelchouffe, a strong Pale Ale which contains about 8.5 % ABV, Chouffe bok 6666, the bock beer which contains about 6.66% ABV and seasonal beers which contain 4.5%-7.5% ABV.
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Thursday, December 8, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Cocktail Male Baby Names
The cocktail is an art of mixing the liquor, and flavor to create delicious drinks. The cocktails have been around for more than a century. Parent who really likes a particular cocktail chooses the name of cocktail as baby names. Here are few favorite baby names which may have originate from cocktails.
Collins, Gibson, Jack, John, Johnnie, Killian, and Miller are male baby names which is also the name of a popular cocktails, or liquor. Collins is an English baby name which is short for victory of Nicholas people. Tom Collins is also a popular cocktail which is a combination of gin, sour flavors, and carbonated water. Brandy Collins (Brandy), Jack Collins (Applejack), John Collins (Rye), Michael Collins (Irish whiskey), Ron Collins (Rum), Jock Collins (Scotch Whiskey), Comrade Collins (Vodka), and Jose Collins (Tequila) are variations of Tom Collins. By replacing the gin, Tom Collins changes to a different name.
Gibson is another English baby name which means son of Gilbert. Gibson is also one of the many variations of Martini. Traditionally, Gibson is a Martini which is garnished by pickled onion. Probably, Dana Gibson invented the Gibson cocktail. Challenging the taste of the original Martini, Dana substituted the olive with onion.
Jackie, Jacky, and Jackson are Scottish baby names which are derive from Jack. Jack means the graciousness of God. Jack is also part of Jack Rose which is a classic cocktail. The cocktail combines Applejack, Grenadine, lemon, and lime juice into a tasty classic cocktail.
Johnnie is a modern variation of John which is an English baby name. Johnnie is taken from Johnnie Walker. It is the most widely distributed Scotch Whiskey in the world.
Killian is a Celtic baby name which means blind. However, Killian is also an Irish baby name which means strife or fierce. Irish developed a taste for the popular Irish beer called Killian.
Miller is one of the occupational baby names. It is an English baby name which means the grain grinder. Miller is also a popular beer called Miller. To work in a mill is one of the oldest occupations. In fact, the mill is an important development in the advancement of agriculture.
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Thursday, December 1, 2011
Lagavulin distinct malt
Ardbeg Whisky - Secret of the Taste, is now on www.talkingisland.co.uk Working in one of the best Scotch whisky brand distilleries where the original village bell is still resounding in the wind. One of our 'Working in Britain' series. More whisky films on http for sneak viewings, a whole film to subscribe.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Is the Luck of the Irish Necessarily Good?
In May of this year I had my first taste, in Belfast, of Bushmills 20-year-old single malt whiskey aged in sherry casks. It was an unforgettable experience. Appropriately enough, the idea for the trip to Belfast was hatched over a Bushmills in Minneapolis with a new Irish friend. Like most wild goose chases, a trip to Northern Ireland seemed like a good idea at the time.
I had met Leslie at a Caribou coffee shop (the omnipresent local equivalent of Starbucks) in Minneapolis. Leslie was a musician and a recent émigré from Northern Ireland. I ordered a caramel latte and we chatted between the hisses of the coffee machine. I described my book, The Cellini Masterpiece, to him and he bought a copy on the spot. A few days later I got a note from him saying how much he liked the book. That being music to my ears, I invited him to join me for a wee taste of Ireland in a local pub. It was appropriate not only because of Leslie's nationality but because Rick in the story is a confirmed Bushmills addict.
Although he preferred John Jameson, Leslie was more than pleased to accept Bushmills. We met at an upscale watering hole with a cherrywood bar, a piano tinkling in the background, and a bartender who parted his hair in the middle and wore a bow tie. The only thing missing was ferns. I should have been able to envision the prices, but I foolishly let the waitress seat us. Leslie was anxious to tell me about the John Hewitt Bar in Belfast, where a group of young artists, including writers, painters and musicians, hang out. He said I should go there sometime, that the Rebels would like to meet me and listen to me read my book; he was quite sure that I could get coverage from local news media. He told me about a reasonably priced B & B that was just across the street from a mystery bookstore called No Alibis.
Wood burned in my head as the wheels began to turn. It did sound worthwhile, and besides, the next time I went to London, I could take advantage of a cheap flight to Belfast.
The bar and mystery store seemed pretty good reasons to make a trip to Northern Ireland, but a possible trip to the Bushmills Distillery ... I was hooked.
I contacted the distiller and told him about my book, thinking there might be a commercial tie-in. He suggested I send a copy of the book to their public relations branch in New York City. I had already done that than a month earlier, with no response.
I probably would have put off the trip indefinitely if it weren't for the confluence of two other events. One was a super-low airfare to London on the web. The second was a breaking news story about a Maltese sea captain who had forced his Chinese illegal aliens to swim to the Sicilian shore instead of taking them there.
What a plot idea for my second book! Suddenly I had a reason to go back to Malta, though I had just been there a month earlier. I decided to go for it. Bad choice. Woody Allen explained the difference between a schlemiel and a schlimazel. A schlemiel is a person who goes around spilling soup. The schlimazel is the one he spills it on. In my time, I have been spiller and spillee more times than I care to remember.
I laid out an itinerary that included stops in London and in Malta. I needed to visit the British Museum and British Library and I arranged an interview with the young investigative reporter who unearthed the story about the drowned Chinese language students. I also penciled in two days in Belfast. I could change my return if I needed more time.
Unfortunately, getting there wasn't as inexpensive as advertised and I would have to be at Gatwick at five in the morning to catch my flight. The flight back was at an equally unpalatable hour, but I bit the bullet and made my reservation.
After wasting my time at the British Museum and the British Library, learning nothing, I was happy to learn that a tour of Bushmills had been arranged for my second day in Belfast.
I arrived in Belfast at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday morning. After I settled into my B & B, I visited No Alibis. The owner wasn't in and wouldn't be back until the next day. Okay. Time to check in at the John Hewitt bar.
I had sent five e-mails to Pedro at the John Hewitt without a response. Leslie had said that was just the way he was and that I was expected. I wasn't. Pedro had no idea who I was and said it was too late to arrange for a book signing or discussion in the next few days. I asked about the Rebels and he said they weren't around. I kicked rocks all the way back to my hotel.
The next morning I made another visit to No Alibis. The owner said he had sold the five copies he had bought and needed more. I was happy to sell him the ten I had with me, which I had imagined I would be signing at the John Hewitt. When I asked him about the Bushmills Distillery he said it was a three-hour train trip and that I had better contact the Bushmills for instructions using his telephone.
They told me I was expected, but since it was Friday afternoon everyone except the tour staff would be gone, including the distiller. ****! The good news was that they were sending a cab to the station as a token to an honored guest.
The cab was waiting. When I arrived at the distillery the tour manager gave me a ticket for a tour of the distillery that included a whiskey-tasting at the end. After all I'd been through, I couldn't think of a better way to end the day.
A wonderful stereotypical Irishman with a reddish moon face was my guide. He had me sample Bushmills and the other brands of Irish whiskey and I could actually tell the difference. Then I had a taste of other whiskeys, including Scotch and Jack Daniels. I already knew what they tasted like but I didn't want to argue.
Next came the Black Bush, a delightful blended whiskey that I had loved for years. "Let's try a few other things," Bryan said with a twinkle in his eye.
The next stop was the 10-year-old single malt. For some reason, my taste buds weren't as sharp as they had been before, but I nodded enthusiastically when he asked if I liked it. "Just stay here," he said. I had no place to go and he soon came back with a glass containing a darker-hued liquid. "This is twenty-five years old."
It tasted just fine to me."One more to go."
The last sample was a honey-colored single-malt whiskey that was the top of the line and bottled in extremely limited quantities. It retailed for somewhere around 125 British pounds a bottle. Regular Old Bushmills is a little taste of heaven in a bottle, but this was in a completely different universe. Certainly the cherubim and seraphim never tasted anything more divine. A warm haze blurred all thoughts about Rebels, John Hewitt, Pedro, and the 5:00 a.m. flight back to Gatwick.
Ireland had worked its miracles on me, even if I didn't get to meet the distiller and I still don't know if Bushmills wants to work with me. As I left, I got a personalized bottle of 10-year whiskey and a certificate of being an official taster.
And my trip to Malta? I could have skipped it, except I came home with some great ideas for the next novel. Oh yes, and I also got to meet the Catman of Malta. You'll have to read my next novel, Language School, to find out what that means
Friday, November 25, 2011
Top 10 Most Memorable Beers of the Year - 2010
As a contributor to Butter's Fine Food and Wine's food blog, I can't help but think that writing about beer for a well-known, high-end, gourmet food store can't be a bad gig. I get to try all kinds of beer from all over the world and hope that someday, the beers I enjoy the most, will pass the NH liquor bureaucrat's sniff test and that those bureaucrats will bless those beers onto the shelves of fine NH craft beer outlets. There is a bottle-neck bringing new beer labels into the state right now because of an immense cost to the brewery per label, but let's not go there today. Today, I'd like to focus on my Top 10 Most Memorable Beers of 2010.
Most brews that I am about to describe made the list because there was something memorable about the beer. It might have been a special moment that surrounded the beer or a flavor that left me wanting more. Regardless, there is something special to me about each of the beers on this list. I started cataloging each beer that I tasted this year by snapping a picture using Blackberry Smartphone and then uploading that picture to Facebook. Prior to that, I just used my memory. And well, after 40 years and hundreds of varieties of beer later, I just don't trust the old method as much as I used to.
There were several brews that deserved an honorable mention, like one of my old favorites- Pig's Ear Brown Ale from the Woodstock Brewery. I love that beer. I decided to cut it out only because I've tried it before and, for no other reason than familiarity, I removed it from the list. I decided to focus on the task and come up with my top 10 most memorable beers of 2010. If something is too familiar, it's just not that memorable.
Now why a top 10 list? Well that easy. You have 2 choices when the New Year comes around... you can either make a New Year's resolution or create a top 10 list. Seems that like this is what most people do. And since my resolutions usually don't work out, I decided that a making list would be a far better and more achievable choice than a making another resolution.
So, counting backwards, of the 87 some odd beers that I sampled in 2010, here are my Top 10 Most Memorable brews:
#10- San Miguel Pale Pilsner *** San Miguel brings back fond memories of pub crawling (aka cave hoping) around Madrid, Spain in the late 80s. I remember my father bringing back a case of San Miguel while on active duty Spain and I managed to sneak a sip or three when dad wasn't looking (not that he really cared, it was just fun to think that I was sneaking a beer). A year after his return, I managed to get myself onto the Spanish class travel club roster and luckily found a grocery store near my hotel in Madrid selling none other than the same San Miguel beer that my father had brought home a year earlier. The flavor isn't quite as good as the memory of Spain, but it's still pretty darn close. It won 3 gold medals at some European beer tasting, so I guess I'm not the only one that thinks it's good. It has been a favorite of the military stationed in Europe for years, as I learned after offering a San Miguel to one of my ex-military buddies. Come to find out, it's a product of the Philippines and not a product of Spain (something I thought to be true for 24 years). Oh well. It was great to get reacquainted.
#9- New Belgium Skinny Dip *** The name is as good as the beer. Skinny Dip has officially become one of my all time favorite Summer beers. It's impossible to buy it in New Hampshire at the moment but new distributors like the Craft Beer Guild are working hard to make it happen and soon all New Belgium beers will be in the state. So hopefully we'll see the likes of Fat Tire by the end of 2011. As for Skinny Dip, I can't wait for Summer! I picked up a case of this at a Brew Thru in the Outer Banks, North Carolina while RVing through the South this summer. A big cheers to Skinny Dipping in ice-cold waters (buckets of ice that is)! -
#8 Sierra Nevada Summerfest ** I bought this beer at a regular old grocery store thinking I'd try it, only because it was on my list of beers that I've never tried, but thinking it was just another silly summer beer. My theory on summer beers is that every brewery has one. Well, this wasn't any normal summer beer! It was excellent. It was light on the malt and lightly hopped and every bit as crisp as the label claimed. There's nothing better than a cold crisp drinkable brew on a hot summer evening after a hard day's work. Forget the fruity beers and the wheat beers... try this one next summer instead. -
#7- Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour *** Now this one was truly interesting. I picked this up at The Cheese Shop in downtown Williamsburg, VA. I've tried a few sour ales in my day and I wasn't particularly fond of any of them, mostly because they were all sour and nothing more. They had no balance. But this one was different. I put this beer on ice soon after the purchase and a couple of hours later, this beer couldn't have tasted better. It was sour and tart and finished a little sweet and the tiny bubbles (like champagne) made all those icy balanced flavors dance. It was delicious and oh so thirst quenching.
#6 White Birch Brewing Barrel Aged Tripel M1 * I've been a fan of Bill Herlicka's beer for a while now. I recently found a bottle of Bill's stout in my fridge from before he became White Birch Brewing (it's easy for a beer bottle to get lost in my fridge). I remember tasting this lost stout many years ago (and I'm angry that I missed one). That stout, as I remember it, was awesome! Well, Mr. Herlicka has outdone himself this time. While other breweries are racing to age their beer in Bourbon Casks, White Birch is mixing it up. This Belgium Style Tripel was aged in a Merlot Barrel (hence the M1 on the label), and if ever there were a beer that belongs at Butter's Fine Food and Wine, it's this one. It smells like a wine initially, but transforms into a nose of a Tripel (and a nice Tripel at that). The taste is the same way! Try this with chicken or a steak! It could possibly pair with more foods than any other beer know to man. It's extremely complex and versatile. Great stuff! Keep up the great work Bill!
#5- Berkshire Brewing Steel Rail Pale Ale * This is one of my favorite beer finds of 2010. When you walk into a golf course clubhouse in the early morning, about and hour before the charity tournament is about to tee off, and you see 2 of your old pals sitting at the end of the bar enjoying some suds for breakfast, you know you're in for a good day. Beer always tastes better for breakfast anyway. After having consumed my share of Steel Rail Pale Ale, and after enjoying a bunch of laughs with a group of great friends while hitting a golf balls all over the course, I knew that this day's consumption would lead me to a long time relationship with Berkshire Brewing. Two weeks later, after a few emails back and forth with Berkshire Brewing, I learned that NH Distributors had just filled their truck with a few pallets of Berkshire Ale bound for Concord, NH, and, shortly there after, four of the Berkshire Brewing brews made their way to Butter's Fine Food and Wine. I call that Beer Karma.
#4- Dogfish Head Punkin Ale * In a world filled with pumpkin style ale wannabees, this one sets the standard. For quite a while I thought that Shipyard's Smashed Pumpkin was at the head of the class, until I sipped this one. Dogfish Head Punkin Ale isn't head and shoulders above Shipyard, but it's clearly a better beer. And, everyone who has accepted my challenge to a taste test of pumpkin ales agrees with me. There's nothing too sweet or over done or over done about this beer. It's a perfect balance of everything you think a pumpkin-harvest-October-Halloween beer should be. And, you'll keep wanting another and another. I cannot say that about any other pumpkin beer. Most pumpkin beers, I'd rather not drink at all. Some, I'm one and done, but this beer... is perfect. -
#3- Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Island Creek Oyster Stout * This stout is a very rare and specialized beer. We may never see it again, being that it is part of the 100 Barrel Series. I can only hope that it somehow gets incorporated into the standard Harpoon line of beers. But, assuming that it won't, this beer was one of a kind. It's a really good stout, great roasted flavors, a little bitter finish but completely balanced, with a perfect body. Sounds pretty darn good doesn't it? But wait, there's more! (RIP Billy Mays). Harpoon added OYSTERS to the beer! Now that sounds a little funky, but, if you are an oyster lover, it's heavenly. You won't get a chunk of oyster as you sip, just a hint of oyster flavor. I can't think of much else better than sipping on an Island Creek Oyster Stout and downing about two dozen oysters at Jumpin' Jays Fish Cafe in Portsmouth. It's just a great beer!
#2 Samuel Adams/Weihenstephan Infinium ** I have to admit it. I had to sneak across town to get a bottle of this. It's fairly new and I did what I had to do to experience this beer. It was all worth the guilt of buying from a competitor. The very sight of the bottle is impressive- it looks like a fancy corked champagne bottle. The goal for this beer from Sam Adams was to join with Weihenstephan Brewery in Germany (a company with which they have formed an alliance in recent months) and combine 100 years of beer knowledge and brewing experience into this... "Infinium". I sat down with my friend AJ to sample this beer, and at first, I couldn't wrap my head around it. It was so complex and the layers of flavors kept coming and coming... I was dazed. I didn't know what to do. But I recovered and poured another glass to dissect it further. I finally came to the conclusion: this was perhaps the most complex beer that I've ever tried. WARNING: if you don't like complex beers, don't try this... you might pass out (not from the alcohol, but from the confusion). It's a near perfect beer that defines a new category, but don't try this alone. You're going to need someone to talk to in order to figure out the flavor puzzle. Clearly, this is one of my most memorable brews of 2010.
#1- Guinness Foreign Extra Stout * NUMBER ONE! OK, it's no secret. I'm a Guinness guy through and through. Anyone who truly appreciates beer usually is. If someone tells you that they like Guinness, that usually means that they have a love for beer, which means that they don't love beer for its alcohol or the buzz, but they love beer as a whole. I thought I had the world of Guinness all figured out. The Extra or the Draught... all were welcome in my beer fridge. Until I met Guinness Foreign Extra. What the hell just happened??!? Perfect just got more perfect?! It isn't right. But, it is! I sat down with Bruce, my long time friend and fellow purveyor of anything labeled "beer" (or Scotch for that matter), on New Year's Eve to try this new addition to the Guinness family (new to the US). We couldn't help but think that the taste was going to be nothing more than familiar. We poured it, and sniffed it, initially trying to figure out what exactly this "Foreign" label meant. The sniff, we thought was "sweet" like an imperial (and we're not big fans of Imperial- so we were a little apprehensive). But then, the moment of truth...the taste... it wasn't sweet at all. It was celestial- perfectly bitter and balanced and, as hard as it was to believe, it was better than the other Guinness' that we'd come to know and love. Perhaps the only thing better would be a pull from a fresh batch of Guinness at an authentic Irish pub in Ireland, but other than that, I don't think it gets much better. (Except for when my wife walked in with a case of Guinness Foreign Stout (true story) just as Bruce an I polished off the 4 pack). What a way to finish off a great year in beer!
Cheers! And Happy New Year everyone! -Butter's Fine Food and Wine Roving Food Reporter
P.S.- Please give "Beer Cataloging" a try for yourself in 2011... you'll be amazed at what you remember when you look back at 87 beers... not only about the beer itself, but about the people you were with, the places, the smells, even the weather. But most importantly you'll chuckle as you remember the good times, the abundant smiles shared with your friends and family, and the overall kindred spirits that were around as you poured that unfamiliar brew.
P.P.S- If you would like to become a beer blog contributor to the Butter's Fine Food and Wine blog, please email beerblog@buttersfinefood.com and let's us know what you'd like to do.
*- Denotes Beer that is currently sold or was sold at Butter's Fine Food and Wine
**- Denotes Beer that is available in the State of NH, but not yet sold at Butter's Fine Food and Wine
***- Denotes Beer that is not available in the State of NH (not yet anyway)
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Book 10 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (Chs 1-7)
Book 10. Classic Literature VideoBook with synchronized text, interactive transcript, and closed captions in multiple languages. Audio courtesy of Librivox. Read by Mark Nelson. Playlist for The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo - Books 1-11: www.youtube.com
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Thursday, November 10, 2011
Glasgow and the Outer Islands
You know there's something significant about a country when one of its endearing icons is men in kilts. Of course, Scotland is also known for whiskey, bagpipes, haggis and the breathtaking scenery with lochs, historic castles and mountains.As a holiday touring destination it couldn't be more diverse or ideal. The cities are rich in historic architecture with modern faces and the countryside ranges from craggy coastlines to dramatic highlands.
Scotland's largest city, Glasgow, is one of the finest examples of Victorian architecture and has reclaimed its fame as a centre of style in the United Kingdom.There's a real creative energy in Glasgow, which can be found in the windows of art dealers, in the fine restaurants or West End cafes. From museums and art galleries to designer boutiques and chic malls, this city offers the tourist a non-stop agenda for an urban vacation.
With the largest gay village in Scotland located in the heart of Glasgow's Merchant City area, the raw energy flows day and night. This neighborhood can easily be found to the southeast of George Square, a tourist landmark in front of the historic City Chambers. Here you will find approximately a dozen high quality gay and lesbian bars, clubs, spas, pubs and lounges within walking distance of each other.
The gay hub at the south end of the village (close to the St. Enoch Underground station) located at 11 Dixon Street is the Glasgow LGBT Center. This venue provides a wealth of information about the gay community and houses a gay bar and cafe. Here you can familiarize yourself with the community, enjoy home cooked food and reasonable bar prices served up by helpful and friendly staff. It's a great place to plan your foray into gay Glasgow. There are several traditional gay pubs and the Waterloo Pub at 306 Argyle Street claims to be the oldest gay bar in Glasgow. Always busy and packed, this piece of gay history is a good starting point for an evening of fun. Another popular pub is the Court Bar at 69 Hutcheson Street and here you can enjoy music from the seventies and eighties in a small, cosy, friendly pub atmosphere.
This also places you very close to the ohso-stylish Glasgow club scene that is not to be missed. Delmonica's or Dels as it is affectionately known, located at 68 Virginia Street, has recently been remodeled and is a triumph of glass, mirrors and vistas with frequent cabaret shows, karaoke and dance parties plus bar food served daily. Just around the corner is the stylish Polo Lounge with its leather and-oak ground floor gentleman's club appearance and three levels of entertainment pleasure. Downstairs in The Trophy Room, it's more of a mature crowd but kick up your heels and dance in The Club Room where everyone ends up late at night. These are just a few suggestions and Gay Glasgow has much more to offer those who are in search of a diverse and varied nightlife during their holiday. The local ScotsGay magazine is a wealth of local information and is readily available throughout the village.
Most Glasgow hotels and inns are gay-friendly and welcome the GLBT traveler as guests. The Art House Hotel is a large, classy 1911 Victorian terrace house in the heart of the village. Recently restored with striking new colorful design combining the original architectural elements, it boasts two restaurants. This trendy hotel is a little more expensive but worthy of the price for luxury and convenient location. In the West End two guesthouses are more modestly priced-The Glasgow Guest House and the Bellhaven Hotel. Both are restored Victorian-style houses with modern conveniences and only a short distance to everything Glasgow has to offer.
The City boasts one of Europe's finest public art collections and magnificent architecture from the thirteenth to the twenty-first century. For art-lovers the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a red sandstone palace of art, has recently re-opened after three years of renovations, with a range of upgrades and improvements. Over two hundred arts organizations make their home in Glasgow giving the city a vibrant arts community akin to any other major cultural European city.
Atmosphere is something the West End has in spades. The cobblestone streets such as Ashton Lane, with bars, restaurants and boutiques come alive at sunset and pulse into the wee hours with a soundtrack provided by street musicians. Shopping is an art form unto itself, with small boutiques and chic malls providing a canvas waiting for shoppers to leave their marks. Browse around Merchant City, Princes Square, Kings Court and the Victorian Village-just a few of the city's major shopping areas. With an excellent bus and subway public transit network everything Glasgow has to offer is nearby and easily accessible.
After experiencing the Scottish urban landscape you will probably want to head to the Highlands to enjoy breathtaking scenery of mountains and lochs. The sheer variety of content from historic castles and ancient distilleries, vast lakes, tranquil ferry rides to small town destinations provide relaxation and an escape from hometown pressures. With so many choices, you will probably want to plan your tour of the countryside before you leave home.
There are several well-planned excursions available and many have themes like Castles and Gardens, the Victorian Heritage Trail, the Malt Whiskey Trail and even Celtic Pride Tours for small groups of GLBT travelers. You can custom design your own trip or join an organized group of vacationers with similar interests. For the really brave, renting a car or motorcycle (BMW or Harley Davidson) allows the freedom of the roads but remember they drive on the wrong side and on the smaller islands the roads are only one lane wide, requiring considerable skills not learned in North America. Travel by rail and ferry is a popular alternative, allowing you to move freely around the countryside on your own agenda and at your own pace. Whatever your preference the rewards from the Scottish way of life are rich, plentiful and memorable.
My choice included travelling northwest along the banks of Loch Lomond via the eighteenth century village of Inverary to the ferry port of Oban heading for a few days on the Isles of Mull and Iona. Accompanied by a Scottish Blue Badge Driver Guide, Mike Hardie, this tour of the Hebrides outer islands revealed the history and mystery of these natural, unspoiled lands with their small populations plus abundant wildlife.
The castles Duart and Torosay plus the Iona Abbey were some of the finest examples of Scottish heritage which are still standing and functional today. On the Isle of Mull both Torosay Castle (almost 150 years old) and Duart Castle (over 600 years old) and still home of the Maclean Clan today, are occupied by their current bloodline custodians from family lineage. On the Isle of Iona the Abbey, which dates back to AD 563, is one of the most historic and venerated sites where Scottish Kings are buried.
Also, on the mystical Isle of Iona, the Findhorn Foundation operates Traigh Bhan retreat house for quiet contemplation, spiritual rest and renewal. Throughout the year, they offer exclusive gay and lesbian retreats for groups of six to experience the sanctuary and explore the island's natural beauty.
Back on Mull the small, thriving fishing village of Tobermory with its colorful painted houses is the setting for a BBC Television children's program and is the hub of the island. High up on a hill overlooking Tobermory Bay is the Western Isles Hotel, a fully restored Victorian mansion with spectacular views, fine dining and a lively bar at nighttime.
The village of Tobermory is a charming collection of small shops, restaurants and pubs with an energetic nightlife during the tourist season. Here you can sample traditional local cuisine including fresh fish (salmon, of course), kippers for breakfast, local game dishes including venison, grouse, pheasant and partridge, haggis (definitely) and desserts such as cranachan or cloutie dumpling. All accompanied by the largest variety of Scotch Whiskey ever available to the discriminating Robbie Burns fan.
If you're looking for a vacation, which combines the excitement and culture of a metropolis and the peace and tranquility of nature at its most rugged, then Scotland has everything you're searching to find. By the way, they also have some of the best and most challenging golf courses in the world. Set out to enjoy your own highland games and you'll return home from the experience of a lifetime already planning your next Scottish vacation.
In case you're wondering what is worn under a Scotsman's kilt the answer is nothing is worn-everything works perfectly, like brand new!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
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