Duvel

I think you are referring to this picture. Will it restore your trust in authenticity if I share that these are sheep ..?

The next day we headed for arguably the most famous attraction on Skye, the Fairy Pools … It’s nice that all the natural treasures are free to visit. What is not free, however, is the parking. But - and I mean it - for that you get a decent parking space, plus a heated building with coffee corner and clean toilets. They are so cozy, they even got twinned. Pretty fair deal … We had to hike a narrow trail next to a river to reach the famed pools. It took quite a while and funny enough, a lot of people gave up before and returned 🤔 Heather in season … The actual Fairy Pool … What happens to kids jumping through the puddles ? On the way back we drove by the Talisker distillery. Their tours were booked out for the day, so I took an uninspired picture of the interior, bought a sampler, ordered a bottle of Talisker Port Ruighe with Amazon Germany and carried on … Just up the road was another highlight of Skye, the Oyster shack … I got the oysters … Mrs. Duvel opted for the lobster … Little one wanted mussels … A happy family returned to the tent for the usual evening entertainment and stories …

For reasons beyond my understanding we just had to visit the most northwestern tip of Skye. A leisurely 1h drive just brought us there and we enjoyed the (actually very nice) scenery. There were supposedly some puffins to be seen on the cliffs, but we were out of luck. A certain lazy 8 year old posing … We drove on to see Dunvegan castle, ancestral seat of the McLeod clan (anyone seen Highlander ?). Some interesting drinking utensils were on display. As interesting as the castle was, the true gem was the gardens. I have not seen so many flowers in blue as in this place … By now, the family was starved, so upon return to our castle I prepared linner … First, a little aperitif … For starters: smoked salmon patê … First course: local scallops … Palate cleanser … Second course: Angus beef … Dessert for me … And the first time of the soon daily ritual of fried dough balls with chocolate glaze for the rest of the family … After games and good night stories we enjoyed the sound of rain on the roof of our tent …

Coming up, my friend …

I have not seem salmon fish & chips in the places I frequented in Scotland. Their smoked salmon (plus some smoked salmon pate we had) was outstanding, though …

I think not. When I make mushy peas, I usually use fresh peas and mint, but I was told that authentic ones use dried marrowfat peas, that are boiled until they disintegrate. These were authentic 🤭

We decided to stay in Portree for the next couple of days to use it as a base to explore Skye. Just outside the camping grounds some highland cattle enjoyed a day in the rain … For our first day we had booked a speedboat trip around the (even) smaller neighboring island, which came to fame as Bonny Prince Charlie was hidden there after the crushing defeat at Culloden. Other than that it is known for seagulls and other amazing ornithological species that I can’t remember ’cause you are not allowed to eat them. I got a tiny bit seasick. We stopped at one island for a sandwich, but I was not in the mood to document that … instead do enjoy some impressions of a place somewhere in the outer Hebrides … Returning from the 4h speedboat trip with a sore behind and a quickly recovering appetite, we stopped on the way bach for fish and chips. Just lovely … Hake with curry gravy and mashed peas Some sort of fish cake Cuttlefish strips On the way back we crossed an old mining colony … Back to the tent we were are pretty done and concluded the day with some games and called it in early.

The next day we had a rather full program. In case it didn’t transpire so far: it was raining. I disassembled the tent in said rain and we drove on to see some waterfalls. My wife is a big fan of waterfalls … 🙄 In Scotland, the road does not exclusively belong to the cars … On the hiking trail to the waterfall there were some nice views to be had … Snacks in front of the waterfall of the day ! After the exciting waterfall we drove on to catch another ferry. On route, we passed the Harry Potter Hogwarts express. This time the ferry brought us from the main (is)land to a smaller one called Skye … In case you haven’t been on a car ferry: you need to disable your car alarm, otherwise the waves will trigger it. The guy parking behind me forgot that, and the poor staff tending the lower deck suffered for the three hour trip from his car alarm. I am pretty sure they made sure he’ll not forget it again … After some more hour we arrived in Portree, where we pitched our tent in the pouring rain (again). Just half an hour later, rain was replaced by a light drizzle and I prepared a batch of Cullen Skink, using some lovely smoked haddock we picked up in Portree itself. Just as an interesting side note: the daytime temperature of our arrival was 11 oC, one degree above what it is now in November 🤗

That alone is not sufficient information to assess the danger you are in: was it more of a Mars bar or rather a piece of sashimi ?

Please wait for future installments 🤭

Pinsa & movie night … My conclusion is that Pinsa is „just another flatbread“ and not some groundbreaking new product, using a dough made from wheat flour, rice flour and soy or chickpea flour (I used the latter), long cold ferment (48h) and they recommend sourdough (I used a preferment). Everything else is pretty normal. It is stretched more oblong than round (probably to differentiate it more from pizza), which was tricky for me because I am very OCD about round pizzas. But luckily, it was a Pinsa 😜 Mushroom and crispy bacon Artichoke and anchovy Chicken, chorizo and mushroom Crust was airy, chewy and a bit crunchy. Taste was good, yet the chickpea flour was noticeable (but not in an unpleasant way). The other two were not noticing there were not eating pizza, but that was also the fault of the exciting movie based on Michael Ende‘s „Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13“ …

The next day was intended to hike around the Glencoe National Nature Reserve. Emphasis on nature. A visitor on the camping grounds, seen on my way to brush my teeth in the morning … There was a bit of rain. Good for seeing spectacular waterfalls … Or spontaneously formed rivers … Or the impressive Three Sisters … Buuuut … with the right attitude, even rainy days can be sooo much fun ! Did I share that it was a constant 13 oC ? In August. Day and night … but hey - holidays ! Im the afternoon it cleared up a bit … Upon returning the tent was still standing and still dry inside, which I found to be a big plus. There was a kind of shed on the premises, that I decided to use for making dinner … Little one picked burger (lucky for me) and enjoyed the smell and most likely the heat emitted by the burner … “Glencoe Highland Burger“ 😝 No complaints, but with a little treat for the cook 🥳

Ok, let me fill you in on our “equipment”: The latest fashion are tents with inflatable beams. You attach a special pump and basically inflate the sceletal structure (I amsure there is a better English term for that) and the tent builds itself. Pretty cool. Disassembling is equally quick, but rest assured you won‘t get it back into its back … The tent withstands days of ceaseless rain. Guess how I know 🤭 Even better than the tent are the air mattresses. I was dreading sleeping on those, remembering the uncomfortable ones of my childhood. Boulderdash. Technology in this field has made so much progress, it is unbelievable. I bought two self-inflatable mattresses, each 1.40m x 2.00m x 12.5 cm. The basically have a foam core and when you unroll them, the foam expands and sucks in air through a valve which then you close. Thus, you have two cushion systems and I tell you (and everyone else) that I slept better on those mattresses than 90% of the hotel beds. No kidding. Plus - with the two mattresses our sleeping area was 2.80 m x 2.00 m, which is pretty good for two adults and one kid …

Ahh … Loch Lomond. Pretty much every German knows the melody of the namesake song it its most popular form by Runrig. However, the German version is the club anthem of the soccer club 1. FC Köln (that has a cult following), its lyrics sung in the local dialect of Cologne by the even more popular band Die Höhner … We headed to Truss, on the western shore of Loch Lomond to take a cruise and explore the little islands in the lake itself. The weather was changing rapidly and the scenery looked very different with the changing patterns. After returning to shore we drove further north into the highlands. The weather deteriorated with every mile … This was the last picture before it started pouring. We arrived at Glencoe National Park around 17.00h and the first time we had to assemble our tent was in the pouring rain. I got the feeling that the family was not up to a minimalistic meal from the camping stove, so I took them to Glencoe town and we went into the only restaurant open. It was crammed. After a relaxing drink at the bar, we got our table … Mr. Duvel: Fried Stornoway black pudding … Mrs. Duvel: Roasted salmon (very moist) with veggies … Little Duvel: Ribs ! Followed by the “rib flash” 🤗 It rained the whole night. Truly enjoyful when the Guiness forces you to a biobreak (and the toilet being like 500 m away …).

Leaving Edinburgh behind the following day, we headed towards Stirling Castle. A vast complex, difficult to capture in its entirety … I think that pink chandelier was on offer at IKEA once … Cannonball ! Castle with a view … My crest 🤭 And my job … Walking through the halls makes one feel like a king, so little one got his royal moment in the great hall … After the visit we continued our trip towards the Loch Lomond National Park and stopped in the town of Callander. Little one was famished and we decided to head for a fish and chips shop. Haddock - fresh and delicious … Squid - equally nice There were also some battered shrimps that somewhat didn’t get their picture taken. Maybe because little one inhaled them … After that we enjoyed a small hike through the surroundings. I felt a bit tired and we decided to stay overnight. Much to my surprise I learned that the local camping grounds do not allow tents to be pitched. You either come with your caravan or mobile camping unit, or rent a “barrel”. Luckily, they had a cancellation and we snatched it up.

The next day I overslept. The other two were kind enough to let me sleep and headed out to the city center aline, leaving me a message and some more relaxation time 🤗 I joined them just around 13.00h. The city center was bustling, certainly helped by the unusually nice weather … We looked out for a nice lunch option and found “The Last Drop” at the Grassmarket … First pint on the island … Oatcakes with smoked salmon Stovies And for @Shelby: Haggis, neeps and tatties … Little one wanted extra garlic bread 😋 After lunch we enjoyed the city center and little one was allowed to pick up a present for the holidays. He picked a Axolotl (from Jellycat - I love their toys, too) Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to see the castle (but will do so on our way back home) At night, nobody felt really hungry, so we made do with snacks again: couple of cheeses, bread & oatcakes (not pictured) and onion bhajis. And - for my first time: Irn Bru, the Scottish national soda.

That is correct. The ferry has a capacity of some 160 cars and because it is overnight travel (17.00h-9.00h) you have a cabin with bathroom. There is no kitchenette inside, but we heated the (homecooked) pasta in a heat resistant plastic bowl in the sink with very hot water …

The ferry ride was smooth, as was the arrival in the UK. First night we wanted to “ease in” and had found one of the elusive hotels in Edinburgh. This was helped by the fact that a week later the Edinburg Festival Fringe would begin, so naturally everyone wanted to be there at that time, leaving a few options for us. On the way to Edinburgh we passed Dryburgh abbey … And the nearby statue of William Wallace, looking over the countryside, searching for a decent actor to play him in biographical movies in the centuries to come … We arrived at the hotel and my day was done. Literally. The rest of the family - after enjoying the indoor pool - walked to a nearby supermarket to organize our first “dinner” in Scotland … there was definitely room to improve 😝 Assorted snacks … Cullen skink …

2 weeks before our departure the little one brought Covid home from school. Three days later my wife caught it and exactly one week before our departure date I got sick as well … Everyone recovered and my test showed a negative result the morning we started to drive to Amsterdam to take the ferry. I won’t lie - I was exhausted. Even driving seemed to tire me out. At the same time I was happy to be able to recover the next 2.5 weeks, which kept me going. We arrived on schedule, checked in and moved into our cabin (next to the life boats - safety first 🤗) … For the night - instead of exploring the giant ferry - we confined ourselves to our room, enjoying some homemade pasta with meat sauce and played some games before having a very quiet and relaxing time en route to Newcastle …

Prologue: With the decline of anti-Covid measures in Europe and the lift of travel restrictions, this summer looked like the perfect opportunity for a nice holiday. Little one insisted on going to Spain (which we declined because that was the only thing we’ve actually done in the last two years), I wanted to go to the Provence and my wife suggested Scotland. It took us quite a while to come to a conclusion (“happy wife, happy life”) and by mid of May we had finalized Scotland as our destination. Unfortunately, flight were rare and very expensive. Rental cars were not available (except for some options ~150 €/day, which wasn’t an option either. The destination Scotland seemed to drift away … Duvel to the rescue: as we usually drive to Spain, why can’t we drive to Scotland ? We found a car ferry from Amsterdam (4.5h from here) to Newcastle (2h to Edinburg) and would just use our own car - problem solved ! Happiness last for a few days, when I got my wife’s distressed phone-call in the middle of a meeting “There are no reasonable hotels outside of Edinburgh available in August in Scotland” … It was true - everyone seemed to go to Scotland this summer. Quitting was not an option anymore, so the next weekend we drove to the closest camping store and got the finest equipment available. Finally, everyone was happy: my wife got to visit Scotland (and took several “Outlander” novels with her), little one got an adventure trip with sleeping in a tent, and I got camping cooking equipment to enjoy the trip by doing what I like best …

Of course … Weeeeell …

Where to spend the real first summer vacations after the Covid hiatus - definitely not an easy question to answer. For reasons that might be disclosed later the Duvel family opted for Scotland. It was not an unanimous decision … Nevertheless, there is sufficient food content that makes me feel comfortable to share some parts of this trip with you 🤗 Stay tuned …

… aaaand how to get those beautiful pictures online 😜

Now we are talking - fantastic 🥳

The characters on the picture (though incomplete) say qiézǐ pídàn, the first word meaning eggplant, the second century egg. I have not found a recipe specific to this, but for the aubergine maybe you could have a look at the (usually cold-served) steamed aubergine dish called liángbàn qiézǐ (凉拌茄子), and then top it with the century egg ?