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+--- Thread: Off for the week-end. (/thread-20591.html)
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- winoweenie - 09-08-2004
Heading to Vegas for a long week-end with CB. I'm confident that with Jackie back the inmates will stay in line. Have fun guys and play fair. WW
- winoweenie - 09-11-2004
Aborted the trip as CB woke up Thurs with lower back pain. As I'd made some appts I went on what's called the River Run (Kingman, Laughlin, Bullhead City, Lake Havasu City, and Parker) and returned home yesterday late. So far it looks as if all of you behaved well. WW
- hotwine - 09-11-2004
Hope the CB is felling better. And sorry to have missed your call the other day.
We're preparing for a trip to the UK.... leaving Tues, will return about the 25th. Going to Edinburgh for the wedding of one of our former exchange students, then down to London for a few days before heading home. Trusting all to remain sane & sober.... (yeah, right).
- Drew - 09-11-2004
I love London, Gill. There are tons of wine bars in the city and one that we like, if you're near the banking district is:
The Altruist Champagne Bar
37 Bow Lane
London EC4M 9AY
tel: 020 72483298
Have a great trip!
Drew
- hotwine - 09-11-2004
Thanks for the tip, Drew.
We visted there several times in the '70s (and were married there in '75), but haven't been back since. We're looking forward to seeing the sights this time (but NOT looking forward to the food.... the Brits were terrible cooks back then, must assume they still are today).
- quijote - 09-11-2004
For the most part, avoid the pub food in London-it has a reputation for not being fresh or tasty.
If you like ethnic food, the best food in London is in the many Indian/Pakistani and other Asian restaurants in the city. Middle Eastern restaurants also tend to be good there.
- Drew - 09-11-2004
London's such an international city that the food is great! We had very good meals including the pub food (we had insider info on the best pubs in which to dine). We found the free pubs to have the best ales and food.
Drew
- Bucko - 09-11-2004
Have a great trip Gil!
- winoweenie - 09-12-2004
Have a ball Gil....Stay away from the water. [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]ww
- hotwine - 09-12-2004
Thanks, guys. Yeah, I remember what W.C. Fields said about water.....
- hotwine - 09-26-2004
Returned home on schedule; wonderful trip, delightful food & wine in Edinburgh and London. Incredible! Now we get to work through a two-foot pile of dirty laundry (and in my case, weeds equally high in the front yard). More later.
- hotwine - 09-26-2004
Drew was right about the food in London: like night and day from what we experienced so long ago. Whereas previously we nearly starved due to the sorry food and worse service, the difference this time couldn't have been more extreme: the food was wonderful and the service courteous, efficient and NICE! Can't recall how many times we were told, "How nice to see you Amercicans back among us. We've missed you!" We never had a bad meal in the 10 days' time. Can't recall all the wines.... a Sancerre, several Bordeaux, at least three Pinot Grigios... all wonderful. A Grahams Port was served with ICE by a hopelessly ignorant third world barkeep in Edinburgh, but when the mistake was noted by other staff it was removed from the tab without asking.
Hotels: the Macdonald Holyrood in Edinburgh is across the street from the new Scottish Parliament building; rated 4-star, it's worth it, although the lobby and bar are a bit cramped. Still, it had spacious rooms and very courteous service. "Arthur's Seat", the massive remnant of a long-dead volcano, was framed by our window. The hotel was the location of the reception for our former exhange student's wedding, so it was an easy two-block walk from the 18th century church where the wedding took place to the reception. The wedding was formal with pipes and kilts and lasted from 2 PM on the 18th until 1 AM the next morning. Lots of great food, wines and (of course) whiskeys (burp).
A few days in London were spent at the Jurys Kensington on Queen's Gate at Brompton Road. A 3-star, the room and bath were very cramped. Although the lobby and restaurant were more spacious than the Macdonald, the tiny room and bath will eliminate it from any further visit we might make. The location, though, was excellent.... about a 15 minute walk south of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Restaurants and shopping were all within easy walking distance.
Travel: British Airways B-777 from Houston to Gatwick and return, BA B-737 from Gatwick to Edinburgh, British express rail from Edinburgh to London, all superb and highly recommended.
Aside from the hotels, we stayed three days with a Scottish couple in Edinburgh, parents of another exchange student we hosted 10 years ago... the most delightful people in the world. The mom met us at the airport, fed us lunch and sent us off to bed to recover from jet lag, then served up a fabulous formal dinner for us that evening. Her husband introduced me to his favorite whiskey, the Glenmorangie 10-yr-old single malt, single fill, the "Cellar 13"; I was fortunate to have selected that one for him at the duty-free shop in Gatwick, so the gift was an instant hit. And what a magnificent malt it was! Picked up a liter for myself on the way back.
Easy travel, absolutely delightful people.... and we can't wait to go back.
- Kcwhippet - 09-27-2004
Welcome back, Hotsie. Sounds like a wonderful trip. Haven't been to London in about 12 years or so, and it sounds like things are doing just fine there. Ah, single malts - one of the current open bottles is a 10 yr. Glenkinchie Lowlands Edinburgh Malt. It's a wonderful light aperitif style, not at all like the 12 yr. Caol Ila, a huge, peaty, malty monster.
- hotwine - 09-27-2004
Thanks, KC. Sounds like the Glenkinche is very similar to the Glenmorangie.... very light, with a faint whisper of honey. Certainly the finest I've ever tried. Have never been a fan of the big peaty monsters. Host's son-in-law gave me a water tumbler of his favorite at the reception, a peaty behemoth that he calls kryptonite for its affect on his Superman father-in-law; I downed it, but slowly. Its name was muddled by his thick Highland brogue, something like "Lavulie". Powerful stuff.
- winoweenie - 09-27-2004
Sounds like a boistrous bunch of great party animals to me. Single malts are my 2nd love. My favorite as of this writing is the Highland Park 12-year-old and my gift to me for Xmas is a bottle of their 25-year-old. Velchommme back dere Hotsie-Poo. WW
- hotwine - 09-27-2004
Danke, WW. Good to be home.
- hotwine - 09-27-2004
Found the kryptonite mentioned above at Spec's online - Lagavulin 12yr old malt, 115 proof, 750ML, $171.09. Mercy.
- Innkeeper - 09-27-2004
Sounds like a great trip Gil. Wouldn't you know, while you were gone, someone asked about Texas Wine!!!
- Georgie - 09-27-2004
So glad you had a wonderful trip! What fun! Glad to have you back, cowboy.
- Kcwhippet - 09-27-2004
Wooo, Hotsie! That Lagavulin you found is the cask strength model. They dilute Scotch to 40% (80 proof) for general release. Caidenhead and Gordon & McPhail (as well as some of the distillerie, themselves) release a number of cask strength versions from various distilleries and they're generally more expensive than the regulars. The cask strength I like best is the Gordon & McPhails's 12 year Rosebank. You really have to add a touch of water to mellow them out enough to be appreciated.