Monday, April 27, 2009

Here I go again . . .

Trip 2009!

I won't be having any THIS, but I hope to have some beautiful Skye!

23 comments:

  1. Woo hoo!

    LOL about the haggis. I think I'd skip that too.

    This is so exciting! So is Scotland what you've decided on? I think you'll absolutely love it. It's on my "someday" list too.

    Happy Planning!

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  2. Hi Annie, whoo hoo! I'm totally excited. It took me all weekend to finally decide. I was so back and forth between Ireland & Scotland & Italy! Isn't Haggis a far cry from a veggie pizza or potato bravas! Ha, ha!

    That's cool that it is on your list too. It has been on my list for a long time but with the poor exchange rate I just honestly couldn't afford it. I'm very excited to start reading more about Scotland. And I need to add that movie that you recommended to my netflix too. Thanks again for that recommendation. I'm thinking of flying into Edinburgh because I must see that castle. It so reminds me of the Prague castle at night! And then I'd really like to make my way up to the Highlands and the island of Skye. I've been a busy bee reading a couple of books and since I am off today, I'm making a trip back to the bookstore to get a couple more books.

    The only downside is I feel bad that I'm not going back to Italy this year again. I miss it so much, but I can't help my curiosity. Oh well, I should just count my blessings that I even have this opportunity to travel like I do. I feel so thankful and fortunate.

    Thanks again and have a great day today Annie!

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  3. Scotland?! Yay!!! I'm so excited for you! I'm going to enjoy reading about your planning, the resources you find and your itinerary. This is going to be so much fun!

    Ugh on the haggis, says she who has in the past eaten animal innards. I don't have the stomach for that anymore.

    Happy planning and Happy Monday!

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  4. Hi Maria, Yay, and I am so totally excited! I just finished reading Deborah's thread again and found some interesting info. And I just read David's notes on Scotland, so I think I'm on the right path to creating an exciting itinerary for myself. I just have to discpline myself not to want to do too many things. I have a tendency to do that when I'm excited...he, he!

    And yes, unless they have a vegetarian version of Haggis (and I'm not even sure that will do it for me still), I will not be sampling this Scottish delicacy! I will, however, have some scottish whiskey though.:)

    Thanks again Maria! Have a great day today!

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  5. I know what you mean about skipping Italy but really, the exchange rate is finally better for traveling to the UK and it makes sense to go for it while it's good!

    I think you'll love "Local Hero" - the scenery is so beautiful and you really get a sense of how lovable and charming the Scots are.

    And it will be cool to be in a country where they speak English!

    Have fun at the bookstore!

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  6. Hi Annie, I have to agree that the timing is probably good. I just wish I could do Ireland too, but I need to just concentrate on one place and slow it down as much as I can but still see the things that I want to see. Thanks for reminding me of the movie title. I will add it right now. I can't wait to see it. I'll know that I'll enjoy it.

    And you totally read my mind...I was just thinking that this will be the first English Speaking Country that I have visited since I was briefly in London way back in 2005. And although I love listening to other languages especially Italian, I have to admit that it will be an advantage to be able to communicate without translation. Very cool!

    Thanks so much Annie! AI will be so much fun to watch this week, because it is really getting down to the wire! I'm really hoping that Alison does good. I think Adam, Kris and Alison would be a great final three, but I think Danny might beat Alison. We'll see tomorrow night how they perform. Unless Matt does something really good, he could be next to go. I wish them all luck, but Adam is my favorite. :)

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  7. oooh-how cool is that! You'll hav to start writing with a Scottish brogue (is it a brogue?) ... Tough decisions! Happy Planning menehune

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  8. Hi Flygirl, yes, I'm going to learn to write with a little Scottish Brogue! :)

    Thanks for your comments! Have a great day. And BTW, congrats to your Red Sox on their Sweep!

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  9. Scotland is a most excellent choice, before we "found" Italy, we had a really nice trip there - my mother in law's family came from a village near Loch Ness, so we went to see it - congratulations on the decision.

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  10. Hi Marcia, thanks so much for your comments. It's really good to know that you like Scotland and how neat that your MIL is from there. It seems so different from Italy, but I enjoy learning and making new discoveries. I'm so glad I made an excellent decision!

    Thanks again and have a great evening!

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  11. I think Adam is my fave too although I was so impressed with Kris last week. Did they say what this week's theme is? If they did, I can't remember so that will be interesting too.

    Forgot to tell you that when I bought the movie "Local Hero", I also bought the soundtrack album...the music is so wonderful; it's by Mark Knopfer, the guy from Dire Straits. You might even recognize the music when you watch the movie cause it got some airplay for a while.

    Hope you have a great evening. I know you are so excited to have made up your mind! I think you made the right decision not to try to do both Scotland and Ireland in the same trip.

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  12. Hi Annie, guess what! Ellen DeGeneres is on and Lil and Anoop are on her show! Very cool! Anoop said that he was going to quit grad school and pursue his music career full time! He looks pretty good and seems very happy. He's going to sing later on in the show. Yay! And Lil looks very happy and seems to be doing well too. She and her husband just bought a town house and she is going to pursue her music career too! Is that not cool!

    I like Kris too! In fact, if Adam didn't win I would be happy if Kris won. But I hope that Adam wins! :) They have not announced the theme yet for Idol. I googled to see if I can find out what the theme is and couldn't find anything. They're really keeping it a secret. I'm still hoping for a "cool one" theme! :)

    I just ordered Local Hero on netflix. I can't wait to watch it! I'll have to check out the soundtrack on i-Tunes. Maybe they are selling the soundtrack there. I just might know the song if they had airplay.

    I'm so glad you agree with my decision sticking to one country. I think it would've been too much to attempt both. I remember I tried to see both Portugal and Spain last year. That would've been a mistake too. I'm trying so hard to slow myself down so I can get that deeper Slow Travel experience.

    Thanks so much Annie! I can't wait for AI tomorrow night! Have a great evening too!

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  13. Wow, great choice! I have always wanted to visit Scotland -- it sounds very cool and rather wild (maybe I've been overly influenced by the film Trainspotting!) But friends have raved; in fact, a very dear friend stayed in Edinburgh last year for two weeks of the Fringe Theatre Festival and just loved it! I'd love to see Edinburgh castle, and the grave of poor wee Greyfriar's Bobby.

    When will you be there? You must be so excited! I can't wait to hear more about your plans

    BTW, I have eaten haggis -- it's really not bad at all.

    Another BTW: I've always wanted to see Local Heroes. I think I'm going to have to put it on my Ziplist!

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  14. I say Woo hoo too!

    Scotland will be a lot of fun. Bill loves! Of course more for golf reasons than anything, but it is a beautiful country.

    And I agree, no haggis for me either!

    So when are you going? I am excited to hear all about it.

    Happy planning.

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  15. Hi Sandra, thanks so much for your comments. I'm pretty excited. It's good to know that your friend enjoyed Edinburgh! They say that Prague is the most beautiful City in Western Europe and I read that Edinbugh is also considered to be one of the most beautiful cities too. And they both have these dominant castles perched high up on a hill. And they both have an old town and a new town. What a coincidence. I can't wait to see for myself.

    So you've had Haggis! Maybe it is the way they prepare it that makes it taste not bad. Of course, now I'll have to see how it looks like when I'm there (although I still won't try it but more because I don't eat pork anymore and I was never a big fan of liver when I did). I might stick to maybe the fish and chips or something. :)

    I will definitely travel late fall but the weather concerns me if it is too late. My problem is my work schedule is a little busy all summer and early fall so it would be too hard on my co-workers for me to leave at that time. I probably won't take three weeks which is another reason I couldn't attempt both Ireland & Scotland. (But we'll see :)) As my plans develop, I'll definitely share with you all.

    Annie highly recommends Local Hero, so I also added it to my Netflix. I can't wait to watch it! Thanks again Sandra! Have a great day.

    Hi Candi, wow Bill would probably love either Ireland or Scotland for their golf. My sister and her husband also loves golf and they enjoy going golfing regularly. From all the photos I've seen and the information I've read so far, Scotland is very beautiful. I was surprised to hear from Sandra that she has tried Haggis and thought it wasn't bad. So maybe how they prepare it makes it taste okay.

    I'll leave in the fall some time and it just depends on work and when I can get a way for two more more weeks without causing a hardship for my co-workers. I would love to see the Highlands, so weather is a big concern for me making such a late trip. I'll be happy to share my plans as they develop. Thanks again Candi and have a great day!

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  16. That is so cool that you saw that interview with Anoop and Lil. I'm glad to hear that Anoop is going to pursue his music. He can come back to Chapel Hill and return to Grad School later in life. I read that he was working on his Master's degree in Folklore which is a pretty cool thing to study!Thanks for telling me about the interview!

    A Cool One night with the Cool One as mentor would be awesome! Adam would have a field day with those great songs.

    Have a good day and I'm so glad you put Local Hero in your netflix queue. I think you'll love it (and the scenery will really get you inspired about your trip!).

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  17. Hi Kathy!
    I have heard that (apparently) vegetarian haggis is becoming quite popular!

    And, apparently, they don't use lamb's tummies for the casing so much any more -- often (and in the version I had) they use the same old casings as are used for sausages. I realize that would be no comfort to you if you are a vegetarian!

    But you know, I think I'd still rather have haggis than a deep-fried Mars bar, another Scottish speciality.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep-fried_Mars_Bar
    To me, that Mars Bar photo cries out: "Ewwwwwww."

    That said, there will be so much good food in Scotland: scones and shortbread and real butterscotch and Scottish eggs.......and great Scotch!

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  18. Hi Annie, you're correct. I totally agree. Anoop can always go back to grad school, but he has to ride the AI wave and take advantage of his new found popularity. Hopefuly his career will take off. I hope so! Folklore is pretty cool!

    I would love to hear Adam's interpretation of Purple Rain or Kiss! :)

    I just got an e-mail that Local Hero was just mailed out today, so I should get it by this weekend! I'm looking forward to watching it and I'm sure that it will inspire me. I love pretty scenery! I can't wait! Thanks again Annie! Enjoy AI tonight...Looking forward to your recap tomorrow.

    Hi Sandra, LOL! on the deep fried Mars Bar. Wow! Ewwww is right! :) Thanks for that interesting link. It's so funny that it started as a prank and then it took off. I don't think I'll be trying the deep fried Mars bars, but I will gladly try Scones and other dishes. And can you believe that I have never had a scotch drink before. So I'll definitely have to try having some good scotch while in Scotland! :)

    I'm so glad that there is a Vegetarian Haggis and that it has become popular. I will definitely have to try it now!

    Thanks for all these tips on what to eat and what not to Sandra. Have a great evening!

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  19. Oh this is going to be so much fun to travel along with you to Scotland. I've wanted to go there but we're saving it for later. We want to get in the places of the world that are harder to travel to while we still can. :) Yep getting old is terrible.

    I think the food will be great in Scotland. I'm going to dig through my old Bon Appetit magazines. They had one of their special May travel issues on Scotland a couple of years ago. I'll see if what is in it and post back.

    I second and third "Local Hero" and the soundtrack. It is a wonderful off the wall special movie. Knopfler's sound track is also very good at capturing some of the local music along with a little bit of rock.

    Are you planning any outdoor activities? Hiking is supposed to be great. I think Deborah is going to do some. There might be some fall color depending upon how far into fall you go.

    You'll find it is great to go somewhere that speaks English. We noticed that right off when we went to South Africa - how much easier and more enjoyable it made our trip.

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  20. Hi Marta, thanks so much for your comments! I've had to put off traveling to Scotland, because of the poor exchange but I think the timing is right for me now and so I had to put off my Italy trip. I can understand doing the more hard places too. I'm hoping my good friends will be ready to do a trip to Peru to hike Machu Picchu with me soon. That's a trip that I have really wanting to do for a very long time too. So many places and so many things to do!

    I know nothing about the food in Scotland but I am game to trying anything (without pork or beef). I will want to try the vegetarian Haggis Sandra mentioned and also some other popular dishes. Well, except for the deep fried Mars Bar).That's so nice of you to see if you have that article. I appreciate it, but if you can't find it no worries. Maybe there is something similar posted on the net somewhere that I can find useful too.

    Thanks for your comments on Local Hero and the soundtrack. Annie speaks very highly of it too. I should be getting it in the mail tomorrow so I'm looking forward to watching it and downloading the soundtrack.

    Other than deciding on Scotland and Edinburgh and maybe an island I have made no other plans. The time of year that I usually travel will probably make it hard for me to do any outdoor activity but I'll have to research my options. Deborah's thread has been very helpful. She has such great travel tastes that I always find her topics interesting and helpful. She travels before me so I will be looking forward to reading how her trip went when she returns.

    I definitely think that visiting an English speaking country will be a huge advantage to me.

    It'll be a lot of fun learning more about Scotland and creating my itinerary. It's all very exciting and I will definitely post updates on my progress. I usually don't get started on my logistics until summer so I have time to start reading up on the history, art, culture, music and food on Scotland. Always the best part about trip planning for me. The least liked part in the logistics for me! :)

    Thanks again Marta! Have a great evening!

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  21. I am SOOOO excited for you! I have just been sending direct messages to my niece about Scotland. She has been twice - to Edinburgh and loved it!! My dad's side has some Scottish blood :)

    I had to check out the deep fried mars bars. I think personally I would try those before haggis...but my main food would be shortbread! I remember my sister (she went with my niece the first time) loved the steelcut oatmeal.

    So what made you choose Scotland? Has it been on your list for a while? Can't wait to hear more about your plans!

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  22. Hi Girasoli, thanks so much for your comments. That's very cool to hear that your niece loved Scotland! Thanks for sharing that with me. I think I will love it too. On my food list so far, Veggie Haggis, Shortbread, scones, Scotch :), and now steelcut oatmeal!

    My original original plans was back to Italy! But then the timing I think is right to go back to the UK and thought about Ireland & Scotland first, then Ireland only, and finally decided on Scotland. Not sure exactly what made me think to choose Scotland. I wanted to go a couple of years ago but it was too expensive and went to Prague instead. I'm a visual person and I guess the beauty of the country and I have heard that the people are so friendly. So I guess those two things inspired me! I've also been reading Deborah's thread and found it very interesting. It'll be fun to plan and I can't wait to get into it, but first I'm still in the learning about Scotland stage which is always my favorite part of trip planning! :)

    Thanks again for your comments G and have a great day!

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  23. Here's a comment I got from Marta!

    I found the issue. The food is pretty good looking - a lot of fish. They also talk about a strong artisan/organic food community so I think you can find good food.

    If you want to borrow the issue, send me an email and I'll mail it to you.

    Thanks so much Marta! Very kind of you. I'll send you an e-mail with my address. It will be very helpful and I appreciate your effort in finding the issue and offering to mail it to me, so I can take notes of the good info. I like seafood so it looks like I will love Scottish food a lot. :)

    Thanks again. Have a great day!

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It's me Trekcapri (aka Kathy). Thanks so much for visiting and leaving a comment.