London
https://photos.app.goo.gl/iBMFL5ZyuqFWqj25A
After meeting Vivienne at the Turkish Airlines lounge at Istanbul, full of pide and menemen, we boarded for London. The plane was ready to take off, when the pilot announced there was a ‘mechanical issue’, and we would taxi back to the gates.
Glad the plane malfunctioned just before takeoff, and not 1 minute later, a la Air India. We departed eventually 3 or 4 hours late (somewhat concerned). Not sure if they found a new plane, or if it was the same one with some duct tape. I didn’t want to know.
The next few days in London were pleasant, and completely lacking the extremes of Istanbul and Samos. London is ferociously expensive. My ears bled every time we had a coffee.
We found good coffee at Noxy Bros - you actually can get a good coffee outside Melbourne.
Most of a day was spent at Kew Gardens - a lovely stroll, with many summer flowers.
A highlight was the British Library, and their collection of old manuscripts. Seeing an original Magna Carta was quite a thrill, as was an original Turing text on Intelligent Machinery - the inspiration for Chat GPT et al. Would we have been better off without Turing? We’ll know in a few years (maybe - I’m probably a blue pill guy, unlike Keanu).
We queued at the Ginger Pig at the Borough Market for their famous sausage roll, which was nice but not living up to the hype. The market was hideously crowded - it’s developed into a bit of a tourist circus, alas.
We had dinner at the iconic Dishoom. No bookings are taken, and we arrived early in anticipation of a seat, only to find another massive queue.
I was hugely impressed by their client management software. A lady was walking along the queue with a tablet, interviewing diners, and sending people what appeared randomly into the restaurant. When she reached us, took my name, advised a wait of 20 minutes (which seemed implausible), then said to go the the door, and ask for seats A1 at the bar. We had a drink, the bartender assured us ‘they knew where you were’, and very quickly we were greeted by name and escorted to a table the moment one was free (15 minutes). Dishes arrived promptly.
The choreography was as impressive as air traffic control at Changi, in a restaurant almost as large. The food was pretty good, too, by the way. I left marvelling at superb curries and awesome software (they use a system called Aloha EPOS).
We did a few London Walks - one based on the engineer Brunel’s projects building tunnels, bridges, ships and railways, who Jeremy Clarkson nominated as ‘the greatest Briton’, on the basis Brunel built Britain, and therefore the modern world. Brunel came second only to Churchill in a nationwide poll. Another walk entered around Mayfair, where we saw so many expensive and exclusive shops for the world’s ultra-wealthy ($5-10k for an Apple Watch strap, anyone?), and houses of historic significance, including Spencer House at Green Park.
We were enlightened about a ‘men only’ club, Brooks’s, who eventually allowed women in as guests, but initially only wives of members.
When members sought to expand companion entry to their mistresses as well, it was allowed, as long as the mistresses were wives of existing members…
An interesting club - it featured gambling among members, and a 1785 betting book entry states “Ld. Cholmondeley has given two guineas to Ld. Derby, to receive 500 Gs whenever his lordship fucks a woman in a Balloon one thousand yards from the Earth.”
We don’t know if the bet was ever won, or how it was confirmed. The first Mile High Club?
Next, Scotland - Haggis, black pudding, salmon, venison, neeps and tatties….
We caught the train to Glasgow. A splendid city described correctly as an absolute gem of Victorian architecture, with so many stunning buildings. Famous for Charles Rennie Mackintosh & Billy Connolly, who said of Scotland: there are 2 seasons - June & winter. I soon learned he didn’t bullshit.
Any city that is home to these giants is a place of consequence.
Unfortunately, in the centre many buildings were empty, and an air of decline. I saw this in San Francisco last year as well. The sad exodus from CBDs everywhere brings a tear to my eye, as I lament the decline of thriving culture in cities as a global catastrophe (especially as I consider the empty small office I have in Melbourne that I haven’t been able to sell for the last few years post COVID. Not dissimilar to the decline of the Roman Empire, and local real estate values post Vesuvius - my personal tragedy is perhaps only exceeded by Nero’s).
I love the Scottish accent - it’s music I could listen to all day long.
Overheard in a cafe in Glasgow:
Canadian woman: “Can I have a latte with oat milk?”
Scottish barista: “Sorry, lassie, I cannae make ye a latte withoot milk.”
Mid afternoon, we saw plenty of quite drunk people of all ages, fortunately mostly jolly, and never saw any biffo. This is apparently normal here.
The Scots are very friendly, much more than the English. On the pavement as we stared at buildings we were regularly asked ‘Are ye lost? Can I help ye? Where d’ye wanna go?’
Signs here are mostly labelled ‘Polite Notice’ as a header, before the content (eg ‘Don’t Park Here’, ‘Risk of Death on Cliff’, ‘I’ll shoot yer dog if it’s not on a leash’, etc).
I’m a huge fan of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and was keen to see his architecture and design work here, his home town. After viewing some buildings in Glasgow, and a great exhibition at the Museum, we got a car and set off.
It was a little odd, while admiring CRM’s magnificent architecture and design, trying hard to be an intellectual aesthete, thoughts of Billy Connolly intruded constantly.
Connolly won.
Travelling through Scotland, if you take the remotest interest in local history, you inevitably become a thanatourist (I didn’t know what that was either - it’s travelling to places associated with death and tragedy, getting drawn in and ultimately emotionally involved with the overwhelming suffering that is such a part of this place). You become a ‘dark tourist’.
Every stone you trip over is a reminder of a thousand years of blood spilled on it.
You begin to understand where the black humour of the Scots came from. An extraordinary people.
ITINERARY for UK:
22/7/2025 Tue London Met Vivienne at Istanbul Airport. Next stop London. We had a nice apartment in Bloomsbury Evening arrival London. Wine bar snacks. Noble Rot
23/7/2025 Wed London Kew Gardens, wandered around Bloomsbury. Farmer J salads & tray?
24/7/2025 Thu London London Walks - Brunel walk, Mayflower pub, Borough Market tourist trap, sausage roll. Rolls from bakery for dinner
25/7/2025 Fri London Bloomsbury stroll. London Walks Mayfair Dinner at Dishoom, Covent Garden,
26/7/2025 Sat Glasgow Train to Glasgow. Cold, cloudy. Walked around centre, architectural. Rennie Mackintosh. Dinner Vietnamese Pho
27/7/2025 Sun Glasgow Kelvin Grove museum, lunch at Revello cafe.
28/7/2025 Mon Balloch Get car - Kia CEED manual Drive to Balloch. B&B. Owner had history in whisky/wine/hospitality Helensburgh, CRMackintosh house Dinner at Balloch Inn - Chicken, leek mushroom pie, salad with fish
29/7/2025 Tue Balloch Large Scottish breakfast.
30/7/2025 Wed Oban Drive & walks Loch Lomond & Trossachs Smoked salmon sandwiches, salad
31/7/2025 Thu Oban Drive to Glencoe, sightseeing, walks Fish & Chips - 3rd best in UK???
1/8/2025 Fri Oban Salmon sandwich, pseudo-pizza - rolls, ham, pastrami, cheese, tomato 3 Isles trip - Isle of Mull, Staffa, Iona (Abbey)
2/8/2025 Sat Fort William - Christina’s View Huge lunch en-route at Port Appin - Pierhouse Hotel (Michelin) Cullin Skink, pickled herring, lobster pie
3/8/2025 Sun Fort William Ben Nevis walk, boat wreck, Harry Potter steam train. Air fryer Cod from M&S, salad
4/8/2025 Mon Fort William Storm Floris - indoor day. West Highland Museum -very good. Pies from local bakery, Steak & black pudding, salad
5/8/2025 Tue Applecross
Drive to Applecross on the NC500 - an amazing start to the road trip. Foul weather, but it cleared enough now and then to allow some sights. On a clear day this would be one of the world’s great drives. A single lane for most of the road, but with frequent turn outs to allow passing. Short walk around bay. Cold, rainy.
Haggis & whisky for dinner, and a fish pie, scallops, crab salad.
Huge Scottish full breakfast (toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, black pudding, mushrooms, tomato)
6/8 Wed Applecross Inn Drove south as far as possible. Walked loop behind hotel, Afternoon walk to museum,
7/8 Ullapool Old Surgery Long beautiful drive to Ullapool. Cold, rainy, some nice views. Nice town, still cold. Walked around harbour. Great fish wrap at Seafood Shack, salmon bowl
8/8 Scourie Edrachillies Hotel Long drive from Ullapool. More awesome scenery, rain.
9/8 Scourie Edrachillies Hotel Drove south to do NC500 we missed 2 days earlier from foul weather. Small walk around harbour.
10/8 Halkirk Ulbster Arms Hotel Long drive from Edrachillies.
11/8 Halkirk Ulbster Arms Hotel
12/8Halkirk Ulbster Arms Hotel
13/8 Dornoch Castle Hotel Great whisky by Macdonald Bros.
14/8 Inverness Corbies Rest
15/8 Inverness Corbies Rest
16/8 Aviemore Dunroamin B&B Drove to Culloden Battlefield. Fascinating talk by guide about history. Museum v good. Loch Morlich in arvo - 4 k walk around.Sandwiches from M&S
17/8 Aviemore Dunroamin B&B Big hike up to summit of Craigellachie. Hard work. Haggis & Vension stew at Cairngorm Hotel. Warm beer, Abelour 12yo speyside.
18/8 Aviemore Dunroamin B&B
16/8 Edinburgh No 11 Hotel Went to Edinburgh Tattoo, after a nice Italian early dinner