Arrived in New York 2 and a bit days ago. Rocked up to our hotel, yellow tape across half the entrance, saying crime scene. They had to put us up at another hotel as they were in lock down all day.
Other hotel was only 2 doors down, so that was good. They gave us a complimentary breakfast also.
Have been to The Hard Rock Cafe, first time I have been to one. Times Square (so many lights, had a laugh as a note at our hotel says, use energy wisely, yeah right ).
Did the hop on hop off bus today, got off at Central Park West, for John Lennon Memorial and a walk through some of Central Park. Got back on the bus and just went round the city, which was really nice. Then took the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.
Doing Brooklyn, Little Italy, Soho etc tomorrow. Heading to Las Vegas the following day for 4 days. Then home .
Second day in Wengen and the fog had drifted in. It was our last full day and we wanted to go up the Schilthorn. We ended up going via Gondola to Murren and 2 more Gondolas to finally reach the top of Schilthorn. The Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed at the cafe on top and it’s a remarkably stunning place where on a fine day you can see for miles. Unfortunately today was not our day and the clouds just wouldnt clear. Had lunch at the cafe and a bit of a look around.
Woke up the next morning and wouldn’t you believe it the sky was clear but unfortunately we had a train to catch. One last view from our room and breakfast
Had to catch 4 trains to Geneva airport but the scenery was fantastic and a thoroughly relaxing way to finish our time in Switzerland. Was actually sad to be leaving
Geneva airport hasn’t changed in 20 years, still a dump and on arrival it was utter chaos as a few flights to the ME were soon to depart and the lineups snaked their way out of the terminal. Thankfully the Business class benefits kicked in and we were whisked through to the counter and soon found ourselves in the Swiss airlines lounge. Not a bad lounge but like most in Europe not a great F&B collection but saved by the Movenpick ice creams on offer. Now most will know that Business class on inter Europe flights is fairly average and makes our domestic BC look top shelf. Basically depending on how many business seats they sell they just set a movable divider up and the normal seats are used with the center seat free for more room. Can’t rave about the Swiss Airlines service enough. Was only a bit over an hour flight to London but the meal was fantastic and the hostess continually ensured our glasses were topped up. Very smooth flight to the old dart.
Quick transfer at Heathrow with enough time for a few drinks in the British Airways bar before boarding our flight to Aberdeen. Another short flight but the difference between the service on Swiss and BA was staggering. Picked up the car at Aberdeen airport and drove about an hour up the road to a small town called Forres. Chose the location as it was close to the Spey river area where plenty of whisky distilleries are.
Good to see Swiss Air have improved their customer service. I flew with them from Frankfurt to Zurich and I had a vego meal request. They gave me a roll with some kind of meat in it. I explained that I had a ‘special meal’ request of vego, the flight attendant grabbed my meal, removed the piece of meat and then gave it back to me. She said in English- it’s now vegetarian but in German she complained about me. Shame I speak German, I then answered in German. Funny, I got my meal replaced and a complimentary vino.
The following day we went for a drive through the area and visited The Glenlivet distillery. Was a pretty educational tour but as the driver I wasn’t allowed to taste but they you to pour some into tiny bottles to take away. Stunning scenery in the area and for memory I think there is about 30 distilleries in a 30km radius.
Like most I guess it comes down to the crew.
The FA we had was sensational and bent over backwards for us. The BA staff were all surly middle aged women who huffed and puffed at any request
Another night at Forres before hitting the road the next morning to the far north of Scotland. My wife’s Grandmother was born at John O’Groats which is pretty much the most Northerly point of the mainland. There is literally nothing in the town and nothing remains of the house she lived in but we had lunch at the local and there was some sort of local show on which had some pipers and local musicians
We had booked accommodation at a rural B&B at Lochinver which was about a 4hr drive away along some stunning coastal roads and plenty of 1 lane “roads” and I use the term loosely. Every 50-100m there were little overtaking bays were you can avoid the oncoming vehicles. I was glad we had an automatic vehicle as it was very hilly and windy and a lot of stop starting.
The B&B was a gorgeous little cottage that was well maintained and in a very secluded area. It was fully self contained and very cosy and at night you could hear a pin drop whilst lying in bed and gazing at the stars. Our host baked some bread for us and supplied fresh milk and homemade yoghurt and spreads for breakfast. At around $110 a night it was fantastic value and I’d definitely return one day
We had 2 nights at the B&B and as we had a substantially long drive to Edinburgh coming up we basically had a relaxation day and went for a walk followed by some small drives to some neighboring villages. Thoroughly enjoyed the highland air aswell as the peace and quiet
Nearly a full days drive down to Edinburgh with a stop at Loch Ness along the way. We encountered plenty of caravans along the way which held us up quite a bit so with lunch and a few stops along the way we arrived into Edinburgh in the early evening which coincided with peak hour. We chose an apartment right in the middle of the city so we could be close to the action. Unfortunately the area we were in had no parking so had to drop off the luggage and park about 2km down the road in a garage. It was festival time and the city was hectic but we were expecting it. Dinner and a fairly early night as the following evening we were booked in for the Military Tattoo which was the crown jewel of our trip.
Edinburgh is such a beautiful city but this was our first time there at this time of the year and it was just packed. Went for a walk around the city and had a few beers whilst soaking up the atmosphere.
For our once in a lifetime visit to the Military tattoo we decided to splash out and book a package deal. We had to meet up near the castle at 6pm where we were escorted through the crowds and into “The Whisky Experience” for dinner. We were seated in tables of 10 in an exclusive dining room and served a 3 course meal of Scottish produce and before each course we were given a whisky to go with it. Bottles of red and white wines were also included. The meals weren’t really to my liking as each course had 3-4 set samples and I only had 2 entree samples and 2 of the mains. The desert was great but all were very small portions. The whisky and the wines were great as was the people we were seated with. Coffee and sweets to round of the dinner before doing a quick escorted tour of the worlds largest whisky collection. Over 3,300 bottles of whisky!
We were then escorted to our seats which were in the absolute prime location and I was glad we shelled out the extra money. The show was absolutely stunning and one of the best events I’ve ever been to. I would love to go back one day I enjoyed it that much.
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