Pictures of Flat

Due to a high volume of requests, I have finally taken pictures of the inside of my apartment and uploaded them to Flickr.

<- Here's a teaser.

For the rest, click on this link:

LINK (CLICK)

For the Love of Bacon & Cheese.

Anyone up for bladder stuffed with all of the throw away innards?"

Well, I haven't been up for it either...

Nor that black pudding rubbish...just the thought of curdled blood on a spoon makes my head spin and knees weak. 

But enough about the foods everyone seems to ask about!

What can I say about the food in Scotland?  I was excited to try the local culinary delights for about two days, and then I was desperate for a kitchen of my own to cook in.  Don’t get me wrong, I love fish and chips and a good mutton pie, but one’s body needs foods of more color and nutritional content.  My love for French fries (yes, "chips" here, folks) is all but gone at this point.  I must say, though, the ketchup is delightfully sweet! ;)

Aside from eating out, the food quality and availability in the supermarkets and smaller food sellers here is quite acceptable.  Everything seems much fresher and natural (lots of "organics" at non-organic prices) than back in the states – my stomach seems very happy with everything I have consumed here thus far (except for an Indian food buffet in Edinburgh).  The prices are reasonable once you allow your mind to accept the fact that you are now on the pound system and can no longer convert prices into dollars if you want to keep your sanity.  A bonus to being on the great continent of Europe is that you can get a great bottle of French, Italian or Spanish wine for less than 5 pounds.  Delightful!

As I was advised by my well-travelled and wisened friends...the Indian food is to die for here.  It is a life saver when one's palette needs spices.  Again, the kitchen is well-stocked with a variety of (cheap) Indian food to easily prepare and there are many Indian food restaurants and "take-aways" nearby.  Chicken pakora is my favorite midnight snack when walking home from a music show or pub.

On to two most important manners....

Bacon.  It is truly part of the meaning of life here.  It is deliciously salty, savory and comes in a variety of types…for this, I give it a short paragraph of its own!  One serving my be more like cooked ham (thicker, softer, less fatty), while the next is reminiscent of the crispy morning bacon we fry up back at home.  Indeed, at least one variety has been on my breakfast plate nearly every morning since I arrived, and the fridge is never without a package tempting one to mix it with eggs, add to a hamburger, or simply eat alone out of pure enjoyment.  It’s cheap, too.   There is a wonderful little farmers' market in my neighborhood on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month - its bacon possibilities are overwhelming :)  

Cheese!  My version of shopping in heaven would be not very different from what I encounter in the grocery stores here – shelves upon shelves of 100’s of types of cheese!  (Ok, perhaps a little exaggerated, but you get my point…)  I will never eat American cheddar again – if these Brits can do something right, it is making a well-aged white cheddar that makes WI or VT cheddar taste like calorie-wasted cardboard.  Again, it’s so cheap!  Then there’s Brie, Gouda, Manchego, Chevre…yes, at ridiculously low, imported-from-the-same-continent prices.  I scoff at your macaroni and cheese, America - this is mac'n'REAL cheese in the picture to your right!

Thank goodness I have to walk everywhere, and up many hills for that matter everyday, considering how much bacon and cheese my diet consists of J

Quiet Little Dowanhill

This is the cutest little flat you might ever set your eyes upon!  After four laborious days of calling and searching and viewing some rather despicable places, this charming one-bedroom came about, and an immediate “Yes!” was in order.  Set on the third story of an old Victorian building, it comes complete with very old-world charm: rickety wooden floors, armoires for closets, high ceilings with decorative crown molding, a little kitchen equipped with a vaulted ceiling and sun-lights that open with a pulley, a bathtub and sinks that have separate hot and cold faucets…simply lovely!  The neighborhood of Dowanhill in which the flat sits is about a ten minute walk away from Glasgow University campus, and though this means it is very near to the hustle and bustle of Byres Street (the equivalent of the University Drag in Austin), the neighborhood itself is very quiet and houses mostly young professionals rather than students. 

Now, if you will recall, I told many of you that flats here come furnished, and indeed they do….again, one must keep everything in proper perspective: old world flat = old world furnishings.  Yes, the items already inhabiting the flat have seen a many few years’ wear and tear, but they are in satisfactory condition.  Three trips to IKEA were had over the course of two days to make it more hospitable, I mean "homey" :)  There's also the matter of the heat only coming on for certain parts of the mornings and evenings, but don't fret - the space heaters are already in place, and each room has a door that can be closed to "trap" in the heat, as necessary.  The coolest part of the flat is that the bathroom is "upstairs" - literally up four steps from the livingroom.  It only has a bath - what a pity, one must work in "bath time" rather than those boring quick showers.  Oh, and it has stained glass windows.  I absolutely love it!