So here are a few pics from the last couple of days, starting w/ my last night in Ed. More to come of course.

Hallmates Before dinner

Fran and Roddy

Ian and Rosie, obviously lost in conversation

Heather was practicing this pose all night

Sunrise Arthur's Seat

Siesta time in Santander central

Plaza in Santander - Good to see some flowers

Didn't feel like asking the fishermen to take a picture of me

One of the coolest statues I've ever seen.

Would not be doing this in the Firth of Forth

Cool Graf

So I went back to the room w/ a San Miguel and a baguette to chill and watch the AC Bilbao game...pretty long day and on to Bilbao tomorrow.

Like I said, the gug is beautiful

Some call "The Puppy" an art revolution. I call it adorable.

Funky Bridge

Afterclimbing the 206 steps, I laid out on the grass. Sunshine is still such a novelty

Park above Casco Viejo

I've got a lot more pics floating around, but it's dinner time. Pais Vasco (don't call it Spain) is fantastic, but I'm looking forward to Madrid on Thursday.

Had a few hostel problems here in Bilbao: the first one cost too much (though was lovely) and the 2nd was on a mountain a 10 minute bus ride away. Though Bilbao does have an excellent mass trans system (buses, trams, and a metro line), perhaps they should have spent less money on the fancy electronic displays and more on keeping the system running past 10 pm. I guess I´m spoiled by Ed´s 24 hour buses. So I took a taxi to the hostel last night and checked out this morning. I had another lovely day exploring solo, free to see eat drink and do whatever I wished.

First I went to the market, the largest covered market in Europe to pick up some strawberries, fresh cheese, tomatos, and a loaf of bread. I stowed the goods away in my messanger bag and paid a visit the the Basque Musuem. There was an excellent exhibition on King Tut as well as the permament displays of Basque history and culture. Did you know that their language is deritive neither of modern French or Spanish? In fact its origins or similar languages are completely unknown. Ever since Franco attempted to annihilate the Basque sense of independence or identity, los vascos have been a little touchy about the integrity of their culture. I´ve got some great pics of seperatist graffitti and propaganda btw.

So I took the metro to the beach in Plancia to enjoy my impromptu picnic, catch some rays, read my book (a history of ibiza, where I´ll be working on an organic farm in June), and generally relax...a little too relaxed...I fell asleep and got pretty burned. I know what you´re thinking, how could my bronzed scottish complexion possibly burn under the tender Spanish sun? C'est la vie.

So San Sebastian tomorrow. Then Madrid for a few days.
Let´s all be very careful out there

Santander was a very cute little beach town, and I was pleasantly surprised that my rusty Spanish got me on a bus from the airprot to the city center as well as directions to my hostel. As soon as I dropped my bags off, I changed into a tshirt and slipped on my sandals, not regretting for a second that I took them along. I had after all, been travelling south for hundreds of miles and the warm Spanish sun felt incredible on my pale Scottish skin. I took a walk down the boardwalk and got my first whif of the Mediterranean. I´ve been taking loads of pictures, and will post as soon as I find a cpu that allows uploads.

Yesterday when I asked for a ticket for the 10am bus to Bilbao, the clerk pointed to the clock and said "son las diez y media." Foiled by daylight savings time. No matter, one left in thirty more minutes. I explored Bilbao solo for the day, which reminds me a lot of Pittsburgh. I have no place in discussing the Guggenheim museum, what I believe to be the most beautiful building on the planet. I walked around el casco viejo´s winding streets, dropped in a few bars for pintxos (little delicious sandwiches), and ende dthe day basking in the sun in a park overlooking the city´s old town and industrial district. Around 7, I gave Ellie a call to meet up. A fabulous reunion. More later, and definitely pictures.

the quest - with no pictures

So my grand adventure officially started today - well, technically yesterday as I haven't slept since Wed night. My hall mates and I finished the term off right with a nice French meal at Maison Bleu. I had the goat cheese tartite, then proceded to break a 2 month fast of red meat, with a 100% Organic Scottish ribeye, bloodied and clinging to life. Well I guess you know the rest of the story...cheap thursday night drinks, the jazz bar, dirty pubs and chip shops. A friend and I were walking back to my dorm around 6, with the sky slipping from black to blue, when we decided to climb Arthur's Seat to watch the sunrise. "You two are up early," a jogger commented. "Up late," I said, and loosened my tie, an Allison tartan. It was a fitting farewell to my city and friends. Bye Ed, I'm going to miss you.

So tomorrow morning: wake at 630, take the tube to liverpool st station. ride the stanstead express to stanstead airport, fly to Santander. Explore solo. Stay the night. Sunday, train to Bilbao. After that, your guess is as good as mine.

Miss everyone, comment trinket requests/addresses for postcards.
paz afuera

On behalf of everyone here at Tomasutra I'd like to personally apologize for the dearth of recent updates. Essays, clubs, a best friend and the expense of AA batteries has been keeping the team away from their devoted work. It's been a great couple of weeks, absolutely packed with trips to the zoo and the modern art museum, pub crawls, slam poetry competitions, and unfortunately Scotland rugby's deterioration in the Six Nations tournament. But hey, we can still beat England. The weather is still...cold...and dark...but we have gotten two gorgeous snowfalls. The harsh weather has only benefited Scotland's brewers however. I was a little disappointed in the beer selection when I first arrived here. Most of the bars serve the national lagers, Tenents, Carling, Foster's etc. , just as you can expect American bars to mainly carry our big three. The same goes with the small corner grocers. But since then I've thoroughly explored the city, I've discovered some excellent pubs and tap rooms along with a few deli's and merchant's that are dedicated to supplying Edinburgh with delicious selections of ales, stouts, and lagers.

Golden Promise
Orangic Lager
Caledonian Brewery

The last surviving brewery in Edinburgh, you can never go wrong with a Caledonian brew. Most respectable pubs keep the 80/- and the Duechers IPA on draught, but I've only found the organic in bottles, though frankly, it doesn't matter. One of the lighter beers I've reviewed, it's also one of the few that I've bought three or four times. This beer is crisp and delicious, but its defining characteristic is its utter cleanliness. The barley tastes like it was rushed from the field to the masher. After drinking it I wanted to bask in the non existant sunshine. The label says it's suitable for vegans (isn't most beer?), and Randall, let me know what you think of this one. It's one shortfall is the lack of the dynamics that I enjoy in this climate, but nevertheless, this one's a winner. 4.5 battle axes.

Fraock
Heather Ale
Williams Bros. Brewing Co.

The stalwart of the Williams Bros. line, Fraock is full bodied and teeming with subtleties. What's this I taste, rose petals? a little sage or thyme coming through there in the end? Definitely peaty. After the third or fourth sip I swear I tasted apricots.
Heather ale has been brewed in Scotland for four thousand years, and Williams Bros. claims that it's the oldest style of ale still brewed in the world, though I don't know if any Egyptians, Turks, or Syrians would disagree. Whatever the case, the heather renders a magnificent flavor, one that apparently threatened the British enough to actually ban its production in the 18th century. Its subsequent resurrection and resulting national pride is a slap in the face to the tories. 5 Battle Axes.
Sidenote: I love the label art. Inspired by the Picts who ruled Scotland until the 9th century, it acts as another symbol of Scottish solidarity and histroical recognition. When you drink this ale, you know where you are.

Ebulum
Elderberry Black Ale
Williams Bros. Breweing Co.

A very smooth and delicious beer. Strong mocha flavor, but not too overpowering like the Brooklyn Brewery's Chocolate Stout. Coming in at 6.5%, this ale boasts an impressive content, as most U.K. beers hover around 4.5%. It also has a distinct rasberry finish that really lingers around the palate. The druids used the elderberry for medicinal purposes, and this particular recipe was taken from a 16th century record of domestic drinking in the Scottish highlands. I probably overchilleld it, but it was still absolutely delightful, and gets my highest rating: 5 Battle Axes.





Alba
Scots Pine Ale
Williams Bros. Brewing Co.

After my first few weeks here, I often joked about the lack of malt liquor in Scotland. Well I think I found the closest match in this ale, and unlike in the states, I can't get forty ounces of it and pay in dimes. The 7.5% content is the only thing going for this ale, as it tastes like a pine cone soaked in ammonia. No wonder the vikings liked it. 1 Battle Axe.









Williams Red
um...Red Ale
um...Williams Bros. Brewing Co.

This is one of the few beers reviewed that I would drink in virtually every situation: hitting the pub after work, paired with fish and chips, or partying in a club (though good luck finding it). Medium bodied and rich and full in flavour, not much is lost when not from the cask. I really enjoy its light pepperiness and balanced hops. The bottle claims toffee and bannana hints which I haven't picked up on tap or in the bottle. A good example of a modest and skillyfully crafted Scottish beer. 4 Battle Axes.






Grozet
Lagered Celtic Ale
Williams Bros. Brewing Co.

Another one of the Williams Bros. historic Scottish ales, attributing this recipe style to 16th century Scots monks. Grozet is auld Scots for gooseberry and the fruit is added after the initial fermentation process. The result is smooth and slightly sweet behind more general earthy tones. Somehow though this beer wasn't really my style; maybe I'm drawn more to the strength of one or two varities of hops instead of the diverse blend of spices, malts and hops present here. But still, an impressive product. 4 Battle Axes






Scottish Oatmeal Stout
Broughton Ales Limited

Considering the amount of oats the Scots consume, I'm surprised I haven't seen more oatmeal stouts around (and where are the potato beers?), so I was a little disappointed when this one fell short for me. It just tasted generic and lacking any distinct or interesting qualities. Their Black Douglas is a much more valiant effort. 2 Battle Axes.










Organic Lager
Samuel Smith Old Brewery

Though full of complex earthy flavors, I think Samuel Smith's tried to do a little too much at once with this brew. The hops come across raw and a tad too harsh. It definitely achieves the cleanliness that you'd expect from an organic, but I think Caledonian has the right idea with going simpler; it is a bottom fermenting lager after all.
I might give this one another shot in the coming weeks, but Samuel Smith's oatmeal stout and nut brown are still my favorites from this outfit. 2.5 Battle Axes.







Classic Choice Fruit Beer
Kriek and Frambois Ale
The Belhaven Brewery

Lindemans framboise lambic this is not. A very bitter ale who's fruit flavors just never get off the ground. The difference between Lindemans' delightful products and Belhaven's confusing and unpleasant one probably lies in the type of hops and quality of fruit. Scotland's great for a lot of things, but not fresh fruit. They should leave this one to the Belgians. 2 Battle Axes.








Bear Ale
IPA
Traquair House Brewery

If this were a wine, my Dad would describe it as inoffensive. It's a tasty brew, medium bodied with a few hints of nuts and wheat, but it certainly didn't knock my socks off.
At least there's a little bit of history to it. Apparently the grand Bear Gates that guard the road leading to the brewery have been closed since "Bonnie" Prince Charlie (the exiled Scottish Stuart who unsuccessfully claimed the British throne and was subject to one of the worst and last Scottish defeats at the Battle of Culloden, in April 1746) walked through them in 1745. Prince Charlie's name will forever be sung in Scotland. This beer will not. 3 Battle Axes.




Dark Island
Dark Ale
Orkney Brewery

The Orkney Islands lie on the most northern tip of the Scotland mainland, in what can only be a very intense and harsh environment. The Orkney Brewery's ales absolutely reflect this (brewers of the Fredericksburg favorite SkullSplitter). Swarthy and almost mystic, the overall taste of this ale is downright sinister. I had to turn the bottle around on my shelf because I swear the label began to glow and emit a hellish and horrible rumble. I reccomend it, but keep some holy water on hand. 4 Battle Axes.






The Red MacGregor
Dark Ale
Orkney Brewery

Named after our hero Rob Roy's family clan, the Red Macgregor packs a stunning punch of hops. Very similar to Dark Island in body, a lot more subtleties emerge from this one. I'd love to make it up to the Orkneys this summer, I hear it's like peering over the edge of the Earth; I think I'd like to have a pint of this with me. 4.5 Battle Axes.









Well that's it for now. It has been a real pleasure sampling just a small portion of Scotland and Northern England's breweries, and is certainly a seminal part of the culture here. I'm embarking on a rather extensive eastern European adventure next week, and I'll do my best to keep this site posted. Peace.