No, but the day is young!

It is a beautiful sunny morning here in Edinburgh. I just had breakfast and ordered haggis along with the other stuff I ate. I liked it! The aroma was pleasing, it looked sort of like a crumbly breakfast sausage with a dark tinge, had a delightful kick of black pepper, and although it had liver I couldn't taste that specifically.

I went to four pubs last night with Johnnie, the Greenmantle (water buffalo burger was delicious!), The Auld Hoose, The Bow Bar, and Maggie Dickson's. I tried several Scottish beers and liked them all, even the IPAs. I dislike intensely bitter beers, such as American IPAs. The one I liked the most last night was brewed by Innis and Gunn. The brew was just barely past the brink of bitter as opposed to sweet, so what was prominent with the hops was the floral quality. It was a smooth, tasty IPA.

Johnnie was hungry as we headed to our third pub, so he stopped in KFC, and they are weird over here! They have burgers, fries, and barbecued ribs. He was getting very drunk since he also had a couple of Scotches and he's a little fella compared to me. I had a sip of the two Scotches he bought and nope, it is still not for me. One was LaPhraoig and it had a powerfully intense smoky flavor that lingered on. It was like drinking burnt grass! Another he had, can't recall the name, smelled like kerosine to me and didn't taste much better. I do have some Scottish blood, but they can keep the whisky. I am just pleased and tickled that I like haggis.

LaPhroaig is probably the best example of full on peat flavor. I love it, but it is certainly different.

Yeah, Innis and Gunn brew some interesting beers, like IPAs aged in Oak.

Sounds like a blast man! Keep it up!

That was the beer I had, delightful stuff. I am off to shoot video with clear blue skies today and visit The Frankenstein, Jolly Judge, and Deacon Brodie's pubs.

Ed is living the dream. I recall Euro-mornings with great affection.

I may visit the castle and a pub nearby today since they are calling for rain after today. I had another nice breakfast and narrowly avoided disaster as I stepped outside the hotel. I looked down just in time to see a massive dog turd where I was about to step off the sidewalk. That is a thing to be aware of in Europe. They let their dogs have a shite pretty much anywhere.

Sounds like the punch line to a joke..

"What do ChiefsPlanet and Europe have in common?"

What a great day I have had so far! At the castle, a man in chain mail and traditional soldier garb was giving a demonstration on medieval warfare with pikes. He called on me to assist him and set for a charge of Englishmen on horseback. Then after having me go through some techniques, he called 20 others up and he had me help out getting them into formation. Next, I went to the Edinburgh dungeon and had a wild and fascinating journey into the past, both historic and scary. I was called upon again, this time by the Torturer and she demonstrated how various tools of the day were used on prisoners. The Willie Lopper was particularly nasty. I wouldn't have liked that one at all!

I think Imma' pass on "chick with willie lopper".

Just sayin'.

She tried to be funny and said she could only lop two inches off mine. I almost replied, "If you had some tits, maybe you'd have more to work with here!" It was all in good but weird fun, though. I was very pleased after the pike demonstration that I was able to do it. He had me crouched way down as he talked about charging horses and all and it did get my legs burning and I broke a sweat, but a month ago, I wouldn't have been able to do that stuff for more than maybe 30 seconds and my heart would have been going like a jack hammer. The chemo pills really shot my endurance to bits, but now I have recovered more than I expected to. That haggis must have boosted my red cells nicely!

Maybe you just need to eat more Haggis and down more pints!

I have been downing pints and my pants are getting tougher to button already!

Liquid bread!

Yesterday was sunny, by my standards even. Today is is overcast and gray, but I do not mind at all. I am here to soak up as many things Scottish as I can: the air, the cold, the warmth of the sun, mist and rain, the beer, the food, the voices, the music, the landscape, the trees and flowers, and the buildings. So, let it be gray today!

Aye!