Where haggis is galore and the boats are very tempting.
I remember Fort Augustus as the place where we had a very, hearty Scottish breakfast. Finding somewhere to have breakfast was a bit of a challenge for us, not because we were picky, but because we wanted to have something good, filling, not too extravagant but not too cheap, traditional and tasty. Ok, maybe we were a bit picky. And because we were constantly on the road, we didn’t want to stop by a gas station or those rest stations where you have to pay 6 euros for an energy bar or just munch down a McMorning.
Which is why I wanted to share some photos of our Scottish breakfasts here. Lo and behold, the heaviness. The VisitScotland website explains that a typical Scottish breakfast consists of a link sausage, bacon (more like ham), eggs (usually more than one) potato scone, cooked mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, baked beans, buttered toast or butter served separate and black pudding. It’s like eating rocks, but I have to say it’s a great way to stay full when you’re traveling. The scone is a very interesting texture (it’s crispy and chewy at the same time), the bacon, sausages and mushrooms I enjoyed and yes, I even finished the black pudding.
스코틀랜드의 별미는 아침식사. 처음 먹었을때 너무 헤비해서 반도 못먹었는데 여행이 끝나갈 무렵에는 싹 다 먹어버리는 수준까지 도달. 일단 너무 헤비하고 느끼하기도 했지만 일단 먹고 나면 점심 시간 이후까지 배가 고프지 않다는 장점이 있다. 그래서 티와 간단한 샌드위치와 디저트를 먹는 것이라고. 주재료는 소세지, 햄을 닮은 베이컨, 계란후라이 (1-2개) 감자 스콘, 구운 버섯, 구운 토마토, 콩, 토스트, 버터 그리고 우리 모두가 기대하고 겁먹었었던 블랙 푸딩. 사실 생각보다 나쁘지 않았다 블랙 푸딩은. 우리나라 순대 같은 느낌.
Breakfast aside, the little town of Fort Augustus was lovely. It’s famous for the Caldonian Canal, which connects the east coast at Inverness with the west coast near Fort William. It’s oddly fascinating and mesmerizing to watch the water fill up one side and then go back out the other. I’ve seen a similar type of canal before in Petite France in Strasbourg and I was actually on the boat experiencing the entire routine.
While I was watching the safety guards throw the thick ropes back and forth and the men and women, young and old, wearing their bright orange life jackets waiting patiently for the water to fill up, R and G were busy talking about the boats, the yachts, how much some were and how much time, money and effort you would have to spend to purchase, maintain and later sell. Boys will be boys.
Fort Augustus는 Caldonian 운하로 유명한 곳이다. Inverness의 동쪽 해안과 Fort William의 서쪽해안을 잇는 중요한 운하로 일시적인 벽을 올렸다 내렸다 하면서 물의 높이를 변경, 배가 오갈 수 있도록 했다. 모두들 신기해서 옆에서 구경하고 있는 상황인데 두 이탈리아 남자들은 요트와 보트를 보면서 이건 얼마겠네, 저건 너무 싸겠네, 이런거 하나 정도 있으면 유지비가 어느 정도 들려나, 팔려면 어느 정도 가격으로 팔려나 등의 이야기를 나누고 있었음.
Inverness is considered as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland. It’s currently known as one of Europe’s fastest growing cities, and apparently the happiest place in Scotland, according to a survey. I didn’t stay too long so couldn’t really tell if the city is in fact the happiest but all of the people I’ve interacted with during my stay (reception, waiters, strangers walking down the street, police, construction people etc) were genuinely friendly.
Fort Augustus에서 조금 떨어진 Inverness는 스코틀랜드 고지라고 불리는 Highlands의 수도 정도로 쳐주는 도시다. 유럽에서 무서운 속도로 발전하고 있는 도시 중 하나라고. 또하나 재밌는 것은 스코틀랜드에서 가장 행복한 도시로 뽑혔다는 것. 개인적으로 얼마나 행복한지 확인할 길은 없었으나 우연히 만나거나 마주치거나 이야기를 나눠본 사람들은, 예를 들어 리셉션, 웨이터들, 공사장 사람들, 경찰 등등, 적어도 이 사람들은 굉장히 친절했다는 점.
Inverness College is located in the heart of the city, and holds a crucial part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, a federation of 15 colleges and institutes in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Thanks to the college, there are numerous bars, cafes and snack places that are hip, affordable and good. If you don’t want to eat at a McDonalds but still don’t want to pay a fortune for a meal, try searching for a university or college. There’s bound to be a place that will fit your needs.
어느 도시나 그렇듯, 대학이 있는 도시는 뭔가 더 활기찬 느낌이다. 이곳 역시 그랬는데 Inverness 대학 근처는 물론 곳곳에 재밌는 펍, 카페, 레스토랑 등이 많아서 여행객이었던 우리는 고르는 재미가 솔솔.
One night we went to The White House, which was a local Scottish place with a bit of a modern twist. For example, you can try the “oven baked chicken breast stuffed with haggis and wrapped in smoked bacon.” It’s what I ordered and it was impressive.
(While haggis is more of a pudding made with sheep’s heart, liver, lungs, onion, oatmeal, spices and pushed through the sheep’s intestine or sausage casings, black pudding is more of a sausage and its main ingredient is blood. This sounds very unappetizing, but it wasn’t so bad. Really.) Excellent food, great cocktails and chic atmosphere. Another place that was recommended was Mustard Seed, a lovely little local place that had quite a fan base. We weren’t able to try because there were no seats, there was a very long waiting line and we were deadly hungry, but we felt so sad we couldn’t make it.
The city is located along the River Ness, which flows from the northern end of the famous Loch Ness. It’s quite a city, with a college campus, several bridges and a great view of the houses lined up, trees and the mountains far, far away. It’s a bit of waste of energy to even type the environmental point of Scotland because (sigh) it’s breathtaking everywhere. Even where there’s nothing but sky, hills and green.
전통 스코틀랜드식의 식사가 부담스럽다면 조금 더 모던한 곳을 찾아보는 것도 좋은 방법. 기본적으로 먹어봐야하는 것이 해기스 haggis 그리고 블랙 푸딩. 이름은 그렇지만 블랙푸딩은 더 소세지 느낌이면 해기스야말로 푸딩. 해기스는 양의 심장, 허파 등과 양파, 오트밀 그리고 갖은 양념을 섞어 양의 창자에 넣어서 찐 음식인데, 우리나라 순대보다 더 푹 퍼진 느낌. 그냥 다같이 넣고 끓여서 만든 스프나 푸딩 느낌. 반면 블랙푸딩은 주재료가 피인만큼 색도 까맣고 맛이나 느낌이 우리나라 순대와 가장 비슷. 두 이탈리아 남자들은 처음에 겁을 먹고 손톱만큼 먹어보더니 조금 괜찮아졌는지 조금씩 먹기 시작. 반면 순대에 익숙한 나는 가장 먼저 공략했던 메뉴가 블랙푸딩.
- Inverness
- Visit Scotland-Inverness
- The White House
- Mustard Seed
- Victorian Market: an arcade of souvenir shops and cafes. (I was a bit disappointed, so if you don’t have time, you can even skip it.)
- St.Andrew’s Cathedral
All photos by rachelsanghee. June 2014.