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Istanbul: Things, Lots of Things, Mostly Edible
Friday, April 18, 2014 at 12:51AM 
The markets, shops, and bazaars of Istanbul are full of a kaleidoscopic array of things . . . lots of things . . . like these wonderful tea sets. We bought that very purple-tasseled one right there.
Beautiful things: Turkish tea sets.
We spent seven days in Istanbul, and I believe we spent half of our time snooping in shops and market stalls.
There were myriad things to look at, buy, and of course, photograph.
Lamps, lamps, lamps. These shops made us continually recalculate our baggage weight! Should we buy, or not. We didn't get any of these . . . this time.
There were some very interesting shops in Istanbul . . . like this quill pen shop. You don't see these too much any more.
They have nice soap in Istanbul.
Very nice, and aromatic, soap. We bought several different scented bars.
Woven and knitted things outside The Grand Bazaar.
A Turkish flag hawker hidden in his wares.
There was no shortage of trinkets at the trinket shops. These are made for tourists, although I saw plenty of Turks purchasing these trinkets too. An exploitation of cultural iconography.
Traditional Turkish blue glass 'evil eye' bobbles were everywhere in Istanbul.
The trinket shops were interesting, but the GOLD SHOPS were, well, dripping in gold like some potentate's secret treasure room!
The variety of things for sale in the bazaars was incalculable.
15th century Head Shop! Also the only merchant using white light to show his wares . . . they stood out like a fire in the night.
Need to dress your harem dancers? No problem, there's a shop for that.
We spent some time perusing the fabric shops. We brought home a nice tablecloth for the kitchen table.
I bought the Black Harley-Davidson Istanbul t-shirt here. Cool.
It was the spice shops, and The Egyptian Spice Market of Istanbul, that really had fascinating 'things' . . . .
Spice shop array.
The Egyptian Spice Market of Istanbul (Mısır Çarşısı), selling spices, nuts, potions, teas, powders, and dried everything since 1660. Amazing.
I spoke to the owner of this shop who said his family has held this exact location in The Spice Market since 1660, 355 years!
Dried fruits, some stuffed with nuts (my favorite), and mountains of nuts (my favorite) we fantastic! We brought back a niece selection of these.
Figs stuffed with walnuts . . . I cannot imagine anything better to eat on this planet . . . OK . . . maybe durian or mango and sticky rice . . . but these are right up there!
I took way too many walnut stuffed fig photos. These are but a few of the really good ones. Notice the walnut stuffed dates nearby: also yummie.
These walnut stuffed dried apricots were also marvelous. The snackage here was astonishing!
A strange twist: right in the middle of the spice market was what looked like a wedding dress shop. Complete incongruity! A strange dream.
Nuts and dried apricots, dates, and figs. Wow. Just WOW. These constitute 74% of my normal, everyday snackage.
The displays in The Spice Market were works of edible Art.
Dried whatnot . . . perhaps some kind of flower petal for tea-making.
Olives! The Olives . . . . were . . . to . . . . DIE for!
Fancy some tea? The tea stalls were fantastic and brought about thoughts of ancient ships bringing these, and the spices, to Istanbul markets for further distribution throughout Europe.
Beautiful sage tea. The color!!!
There were candies of every imaginable hue in the Bazaars, but it was the Turkish Delight shops and stalls that had the corner on satisfying the globe's sweet tooth.
Enjoy this slide show of the edible things of Istanbul!
If I take a lot of diabetes medication, I can get away with trying a little square of Turkish Delight once a day. And did.
At a Turkish Delight shop on a cloudy day in Istanbul.
Each of these different types of Delight are ridiculously delicious. The slice off a piece any size you want. Nice.
The Delight shops were every five or six shops apart . . . calling out to you to submit yourself to a diabetic collapse.
As it turns out, there are all kinds of delights in a Turkish Delight shop. Some sell good coffee and baked baklava-like things . . . crazy sweet with honey.
These will kill you with sweetness.
Every 50 meters there is a shop like this with stacks of baked and assembled and rolled, and coated delights.
Baklava-ish temptations. They know how to make desserts in Istanbul, that's for sure.
A stack of pistachio-filled baklava rolls. Oh My God!
I got a headache just looking at these.
If there wasn't enough honey IN YOUR Baklava, you could buy more and spread it on yourself! Incredible.
We were very happy when we found the fresh fruit stands and shops. Pomegranate and orange juice is very thirst quenching . . . .
. . . especially after a really good Turkish pizza(!) made with twisted cheese:
Twisted Turkish cheese. Mighty fine.
Turkish Efes beer is not too bad. Not bad at all.
Dr. Jeff Harper
Not everything im Istanbul is edible or found in the Bizaars:
Grand Bizaar door.
Of course, I have to photograph old doors and windows, as is my custom.
The toilet at the coffee shop was upstairs.
Straight ut of my camera!
I was stopped in my tracks at this art gallery displaying a two meter gold plated giant conk shell. The sayig, You don't see THAT every day," came quickly to mind. Art.
I would also be stopped by archectural detail.
A 3rd century Crusader bell.
A Bysantine inscription at the Aya Sofia. Things.
An old heatng radiator . . . brought back a strange memory of my childhood in Frankfurt, Germany in 1955.
The city was filling up with flowers . . . as the International Flower Festival was only weeks away.
The tulips were in full bloom in all the parks.
Many of the non-edible things from Istanbul . . . in a slide show:
Although we met many, many wonderful and helpful Turkish people, the one bad THING about Istanbul were the taxi's that tried to cheat us. We made this guy stop on the highway and let us out when we discovered he was adding charges every time he shifted into 3rd gear! Unfortunately, it left us with a bad feeling about Istanbul.
Small Town Scotland: Inverurie and Montrose
Saturday, March 15, 2014 at 2:50PM INVERURIE
Another nice sunny winter Saturday in Scotland. What to do? Let's go for a drive. We had never taken the 16 miles of road from Aberdeen to Inverurie, so today seemed like a good day to do it. Inverurie is a 15th century market town that really took off when a canal was dug in the River Don from Aberdeen in 1806. It has become a comuter town for Aberdunians.
Inverurie has a charming triangular central square dominated by this WW I Memorial to the soldiers from the town who died in the wars of 1914-1918 and 1938-1945. Lest we forget.
We poked around some shops on the square . . . The Dairy was nice, but the cafe had already sold out the days' meal-of-the-day. Dang.
It is late enough in the winter for gardeners to start to contemplate taking the risk to-plant-or-not-to-plant.
We walked up the main shopping parade in town and found a nice restaurant and had a fine lunch (I had the Balmoral Chicken - roast chicken stuffed with haggis slathered in peppercorn sauce, Prince Charles' favorite!).
After lunch we walked back to the car, but stopped in a sporting goods and a luggage shop first.
Small, frumpy, Inverurie bar. We didn't go in.
The road leaving town toward Aberdeen. Small, clean, charming.
They have a gospel church there too. I love the winter sky in Scotland.
We said good-bye to Inverurie and were glad we visited. We want to come back and take some time on the River Walk.
MONTROSE (Angusshire)
Another nice Saturday, another Saturday Drive, a 20 mile drive . . . this time south down the Coastal Route to an adjoining shire and the port town of Montrose, a somewhat down-at-the-heals village set in the most extraordinary geographic setting between the mouths of the North and South Esk rivers, just in front of a wildlife preserve and estuary. Nice church too.
Church doors have a kind of power . . .
Downtown Montrose shopping district.
A very interesting mix of architecture, unlike Aberdeen. This looks more Dutch than Scottish. It was a busy shopping day in Montrose.
Local Hero, Joseph Hume. He "was commissioned as a surgeon to an Army regiment, and was able to take up work as interpreter and commissary-general due to his knowledge of Indian languages." Cool! He learned Hindi, just like me! He was also a poet and radical parliamentarian. Nice to see a statue of such an interesting guy in a small town city square.
What? A Bakery! Let's have a look. Some nice local specialities. We bought an Apple Tart to eat later [far right - it was only ok].
We also bought a loaf of the Oat Bread [top shelf]: it had a crust as hard as concrete and weighed nearly 30 kilos [an exaggeration]. It was, however, extremely delicious.
The TRUE TEST of modern small town economic development is it's capacity to provide a drinkable double latte. We found this 15th century vaulted cafe off the main square and administered the aforementioned test. It passed. A passable latte . . . although a little weak.
The cafe also had the usual display of what could have been 'home made' chutneys, syrups, compotes, jams, and jellys. We already have these in excess cluttering our refrigerator. Nothing new here, keep moving.
Yes, Montrose has a Chinese restaurant just like every single town in Scotland! My wife had just returned from Hong Kong so was not in the mood to complicate her memories of the gastronomy there.
Another commemorative and honorary statue . . . I didn't catch this fellow's name . . . .
Some dilapidation here and there . . . disappointing. Time to head out of town, find the port, and on to the estuary.
It was a wonderful day with fantastic winter light.
A view back across Montrose Basin to the old town. "At one time Montrose was Scotland's second largest exporter of salmon; and mussel cultivation gave it the largest mussel beds in the country during the 19th and early 20th centuries." There is a live webcam of Montrose from across the estuary if you want to see what it looks right now.
Low tide on Montrose Basin . . . . a beached boat.
We pulled into the Montrose Basin Wildlife Reserve to ask what to see in the area. The map provided the answers . . . go to The Bridge of Dun.
The view from the Reserve's Visitor Center Observation Deck was nice . . . and lined with bird-watchers chatting among themselves. I heard one say, "Isn't that a ring tail twitter finch, just there?"
The Bridge of Dun is a Category A Listed Building . . . without a Wikipedia page! I did find this, "Three-arch stone bridge, completed 1787 by Alexander Stevens."[citation] The bridge is said to have been the only way to cross the South Esk River, so the Leard built this elaborate toll bridge to enhance his fame. My battery died within seconds of taking this photo, so other than iPhone shots, I have nothing to post of St Vie village and beach, where we went next. We had a great day out.
The Tattie Hols* Road Trip: Inverness, Loch Ness, and The Highlands
Friday, October 18, 2013 at 12:32AM
The Tattie Hols were upon us so we decided to take an extensive road trip North and East. The Tattie Hols date from a time when the schools would close so the children could help bring in the potato (tatties) crop. The Scots still take this holiday (hols) and so does my school. We drove north out of Aberdeen and stopped at the Baxters roadside attraction. It is a factory store of a company that makes shortbread and baked goods. They had an "authentic" old village there for tourists.
Yes, there was a "Christmas all year" kind of shop there too . . . .
ELGIN:
This is more like it: the fabulous ruins of the Elgin Cathedral (c.1224). . . and perfect light.
We had a tee time in Inverness, so I did not go in to explore . . . it's only an hour from Aberdeen. I'll be back.
Fantastic.
INVERNESS:
We finished our golf game and made it to our hotel just as a magnificent sunset burst across Inverness.
We checked into the Winston Guest House in Inverness.
The Winston Guest House was a wonderful old building.
After a world class pizza (who knew you could get such a great pizza in Inverness, Scotland at Zizzi's) we walked back to the guest room to see the Inverness Castle (Caisteal Inbhir Nis) fully lit. A castle has stood on this site since 1057, but the current red sandstone structure dates from 1836.
Last night's sunset was good, but this morning's sunrise over the Inverness Castle was GREAT!
Inverness Castle is beautiful at any time of the day.
Inverness is a good town to just stroll around in . . . this church was just around the corner from our Guest House.
Wonderful detail . . .
Old Inverness was just across the Ness Canal.
A path ran along the canal at Inverness . . .
. . . where beautiful castle-like homes sprouted among the vegetation for miles.
LOCH NESS:
Our first view of Loch Ness was impressive.
Even if there were no "mystery" surrounding Loch Ness, it is a wonderful place to visit.
I watched the waves for awhile and saw the occasional "compounded wave" . . . larger than the others . . . and took this photo of it.
I enlarged (cropped) the above wave image and, lo and behold, there's Nessie! I did not enhance this photo in any way other than cropping. Isn't that a large fin-like protrusion along side? Could those really be demon eyes on The Loch Ness Monster? No, not really.
We were not the first people to visit Loch Ness.
If there ever could have been such a thing as the Loch Ness monster, this is what it could have looked like, if there could have ever been one, which there couldn't have been. Great photo op though.
The ruins of Urquhart Castle stand on the shores of Loch Ness. There is archeological evidence that the first castle or fort was built on this spot in the 560s. The current castle ruins date from the 11th through the 13th centuries.
Urquhart Castle is THE archetypical castle ruin.
A trebuchet stands in front of Urquhart Castle, a reminder of the many sieges that took place here, and the cause of the present state of destruction.
Beautiful artistic workmanship on this medieval weapon of mass destruction.
Urquhart Castle ramparts and the remains of the castle tower on the shore of Loch Ness.
Dr. Jeff Harper
Well, I seem to be able to add a follow-up, but not to be able to add any more photos, or comments, to the posting above. What's wrong with SquareSpace, my web site host? I am not happy!
The interior of the gate at Urquhart Castle.
For all you Dungeons and Dragons fans . . . this is the real deal.
An autumn view of Loch Ness from Urquhart Castle.
The National Trust Of Scotland often provides "residents" of castles dressed in period costumes . . like this old Highlander . . . although I think he may have been an original resident!
Portrait of an old Scottish Highlander.
Even though it was a dark and dull day, there were good views from within the castle.
We took the narrow passageway up the main tower for a look.
Not for the claustrophobic!
The view from the stairwell across Loch Ness was a marvel of mystery.
The view from the castle tower confirms why it was built where it was . . . literally, commanding views.
Splendid castle ruins.
We stayed in the lovely village of Drumnadrochit along Loch Ness.
These cottages were built in the 1820 on the Drumnadrochit village green.
We stayed in the lovely Bridgend B&B, built originally as the Drumnadrochit sheriff's office and jail!
The Bridgend B&B was nestled in a forest along a stream. This is the proprietor's cottage.
Our room looked out onto the Drumnadrochit village green.
Staying in a B&B is always a treat . . . and I do not just mean the quaint period decor . . . the breakfast was vast and tasty!
A warm summer and early fall allowed flowers to continue to bloom into October in Scotland this year.
Like most towns in Scotland (and the rest of the UK and Europe, for that matter), like Drumnadrochit, have a World War I monument commemorating the dead of the village. Several of the Urquhart family members are listed here. This list must have included a large percentage of the men from Drumnadrochit.
Flowers for the war dead.
You could satisfy your stuffed Nessie purchasing desire in the quaintest of places.
The competition for Nessie curios sales must have been intense: Nessie emporiums battled it out with amazing displays, like this otherworldly display with the surrealistic ceiling and floor distorting mirror configuration. Innovative, yet kitschy.
The otherworldly display with the surrealistic ceiling and floor distorting mirror configuration allowed me to indulge my own passion for oddball self-portraits (oddball in the sense of photographic composition only).
We barely got out of Drumnadrochit when we saw a sign pointing up a small road to a "pottery." We turned in. It was a very small road that climbed up the ridge above Loch Ness. Along the way there was much to see. Like much of this road trip, the day was dark and overcast, but not raining. It is a new kind of photography for me after so many years in the tropics. I like these dark scenes.
After several miles on a road not much wider than our car, we came to this idyllic potters cottage in the forest.
We walked in . . . the sign said to do so.
We needed a ceramic pot for our wooden spoons at home . . . .
. . . and it looked like this was going to be the place to find the perfect pot (and support some artists at the same time - always a good thing), er, ceramic pot.
As it turned out, the pottery was also a cafe! What luck. We enjoyed some baked goods and cups of tea while admiring our new purchase (on table above)
An innovative idea: build your greenware shelves around your wood stove to quicken the initial drying.
We could have lingered there all day chatting with the several potters who came in and introduced themselves. It was good to hang out with old hippies still living the hippie credo, but we saw a sign pointing to a nature walk, and wanted to get going. I loved this hanging sign:
The anatomy of Death
Is When and How
The Lasting Kiss of Life
Is
Here and Now.
Our walk in the damp hills above Loch Ness was magnificent.
The trail we happened to take was very beautiful.
The trail was very clearly marked.
Once in awhile the trail would take us into a meadow with views of the Autumnal tree line.
At other times the trail took us into deep, magic places in the enchanted forest.
It all seemed like a setting for a fairy tale.
After our forest walk we drove back over a ridge overlooking a valley leading from Drumnadrochit.
If you have read much of my blogs you know that I have a fascination with corrugation and dilapidation, especially in one place. Rounding a corner I hit the brakes when I was this decaying stone farm building.
The surfaces, patterns, colors, and textures were too interesting to pass by.
The crude artistry of the stone work was incredible.
The weather was constantly changing: throwing patches of bright sunlight on the colorful hillsides above Loch Ness
We drove towards the southern end of Loch Ness to the town of Fort Augustus.
The southern end of Loch Ness at Fort Augustus joins the Caledonian Canal which connects it to Loch Oich.
As rain clouds approached, we took one last look at Loch Ness.
Loch Ness is one of the world's most famous places. Many people come here to indulge their hopes and fantasies of seeing the very last dinosaur. These intrepid souls braved the rough waters of Loch ness in their inflatable Loch Ness Explorer. We called out to them, "Any sightings?" "No," came the sullen reply.
The old Fort Augustus Abbey, formerly a Benedictine monastery, faces the Caledonian Canal. It is in the process of being turned into a hotel.
Swans on a blustery Loch Ness at the Caledonian Canal.
The Caledonian Canal locks at Fort Augusts were very picturesque.
Calidonian Locks leading to Loch Ness in the background. Very quaint, old world scene. Lovely.
Before heading back up Loch Ness to our new B&B, we stopped for a bite and a brew in a traditional whiskey bar. Yummy.
Queen Victoria's Jubilee must have been a HUGE occasion throughout Great Britain because you still see these monuments all over the country commemorating the occasion. Talk about immortality!
Fort Augustus had it's own WWI memorial to those who lost their lives. Talk about mortality!
I was going to take a photo of a cute old chapel until I realized it had been converted into a discount woolen shop. We went in and I purchased an attractive red felt vest. The little chapel/shop was soon crawling with mainland Chinese tourists! I love to see Chinese tourists . . . it's good for them to get out and 'join the world.'
We drove back to Invermoriston, a little berg along side Loch Ness known for its waterfalls, and followed the signs . . . .and discovered this amazing stand of trees. No, I did not enhance the color of this photograph!
Yoo and I were nearly in tears at the beauty of this place.
We arrived at last at the falls viewing point to discover an old stone resting gazebo.
The view up the chutes was spectacular.
A photographer's dream shot!
The wonderful Craik Na Day B&B in Invermoriston.
Craik Na Day B&B was very quaint and the welcome and service was excellent. Sisters Manda and Lindsey were warm and hospitable . . . and a lot of fun. Deconstructing a TV food cook-off show one evening was one of the highlights of the trip! The sisters recommended we spend the next day on a "beautiful drive" up the highway A887 from their front door all the way to the Isle of Skye. Sure, why not.
We woke very early in the morning for our drive up the glen. There strands and wisps of mist licking the hills across the glen from our B&B. Fantastic!
It was an extraordinary beautiful morning. The mist had just lifted on the glens and everything was covered with a thick covering of dew.
A scene from an 18th century painting.
From the moving car these looked interesting . . . but when I pulled over . . . .
. . . a photographer's dream . . .
. . . back lit dew bejeweled spider webs. Astonishing!
This coldcrisp morning was turning out to be an epically beautiful road adventure.
Autumn reflections!
The road eventually left the verdant Glen Moriston and headed into the high mountain passes toward Loch Cluanie.
At Loch Cluanie we were at the highest point along the pass.
At the far end of Loch Claunie we would begin the descent through Glen Shiel and down to the sea level Bridge of Skye.
At the far end of Loch Claunie we began a decent through rugged Glen Shiel.
It was a gorgeous morning and we stopped often to gaze upon the natural beauty in stunned delight.
Extraordinary beauty.
Glen Shiel is a famous place in Scottish history; many famous battles took place here.
There was much to see along the glen, not least of which were the old walls webbing the steep slopes.
The views constantly changed as we headed down towards Loch Duich at sea level.
We eventually reached Loch Duich to be greeted by calm waters and amazing reflections.
Loch Duich is actually a sound connecting to the sea.
Rounding a bend in the road we caught our first glimpse of what we had come to see: Eilean Donan Castle!
WOW!
Eilean Donan Castle is one of the most famous castles in the world, and an icon for Scotland itself. Founded in the 6th ot 7th century, the castle was continuously rebuilt until it nearly vanished in 1912 when a major fund raising and rebuilding effort began. Because the castle played such a major role in Scottish history, it was not allowed to vanish.
If Castle Eilean Donan looks familiar it is because it has been seen in so many Hollywood movies (Bonnie Prince Charles, Master of Ballantrae, Black Angle, The Highlander, Entrapment, The World is Not Enough, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age).
No, not a Hollowood set . . . a real Scottish castle.
This was the only building on Eilean Donan that had a roof in 1912.
We bought our ticket and went for the tour.
There were so many great photos to be taken here, however, I wished I had been there at high tide to take a photo of the castle reflected in the sea. Maybe on our return trip from The Isle of Skye.
The views from the castle were almost as good as the views of the castle!
The views in all directions were exceptional.
Although the castle seems greatly impregnable, in fact it was easily bombarded by ships in the sound.
There are courtyards inside the castle. The National Trust of Scotland supplies guides and security personnel dressed in period costume. A nice touch.
Imagine you only had a sword and a bow and arrow . . . .
Photography is strictly forbidden inside Eilean Donan Castle.
If I had been allowed to take photographs inside the castle, this is what I would have chosen to shoot.
Another photo worth taking would have been the castle kitchen. Wonderful view.
It was time to move on further down the road. There was still the Isle of Skye to see.
The tide came in while were inside . . . . a special place . . . I know will be back.
30 minutes later, and after a fine lunch, we arrived at the magnificent Sky Bridge, considered one of the most beautiful in the world.
We drove across the Skye Bridge and stopped at the small town of Kyleakin which had a fine little harbour and view of the Dunakin Castle (also known as Castle Maol) ruins.
The Castle Maol dates from the 15th century.
Ah, Scotland! What a beautiful country.
We turned around and drove back over the Sky Bridge for our B&B. We vowed to return to the Isle of Sky for a complete exploration one day soon.
We were equally amazed at the mountain glens on our return drive. The afternoon light was fantastic.
We had been very lucky with the weather. Only days later this pass was covered by the first snow storm of the year.
Early the next morning at our B&B I noticed fingers of cloud creep up the glen through the forest.
What a visual treat.
A cold Autumn morning in the mountain glens.
We headed on to our next destination, The Scottish Highlands, via Fort William. The city fathers of Fort William thought it would be a good idea to convert the old high street into a walking street. The plan did not seem to work: the by-pass seems to have left the town behind. About 1/3 of the shops were closed and for lease, and another 1/3 were selling tourist trinkets. To bad . . . it could have been a very quaint village.
A cemetery right down town, a couple of Fort William teens stopped for an ice cream. Make yourself right at home!
We took the A86 up through the highlands toward Aviemore.
This road is also known as the Distillery Road.
Although I am not a whiskey drinker, we stopped at several distilleries along the way.
At the Aberlour Distillery (1826) we bought some gifts.
There were a number of roadside attractions, like this bakery administration building (!).
The main attraction was the scrumptious countryside.
All along the way, in every tiny village, there were tea rooms (and Chinese take-away!). We would often stop for tea and scones. Yummie.
At nearly every stone bridge we would stop and get out to look at the streams.
We stayed at the Ravenscraig Guest House in the outdoor sports Mecca of Aviemore. The place was full of rock climbers, mountain bikers, and canoeists.
Aviemore had a fine old train station.
We had several fine meals at the old Cairngorm Hotel in Aviemore.
We drove home the next day through the gorgeous Aberdeenshire hills and farms . . . we were only two hours from home. The weather had cooperated throughout the seven day road trip . . . . until our last day while driving home. It was a perfect week in a remarkably beautiful place.
Drum Castle and Gardens, Aberdeenshire
Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 6:28PM 
While cleaning the house and putting away some of our shipment, I happened to look out he window and was amazed at what a beautiful day it was. There may not be too many of these left before winder arrives, so my darling wife and I dressed up for a trip to the countryside, and Drum Castle. First we stopped at the amazing Mains of Drum Garden Centre and had a cup of coffee and a brilliant scone.
A 'Fairytale Sky'.
Drum Castle, founded in 1325. I couldn't tell which was the front and which was the back of this castle. It didn't matter.
Drum Castle.
Castle architecture is a lost art.
Architectural detail on the new section of Drum Castle.
These castle features are fascinating to me. Although the light was not great . . . it kept peeking out from behind a cloud, then disappearing again . . . until . . .
I was at last rewarded with some bright, clear light from behind those scrumptious billowy clouds.
A lovely day for a Scottish castle wedding . . . and the perfect setting.
The woods around Drum Castle are not 'natural,'per se; they have been planted over the centuries with interesting and rare trees and shrubberies. I have no idea what these maroon-colored treed were . . . .
There was a stand of these; each seemed to glow maroon from the inside.
We did not go inside the castle . . . we had come for a walk in the woods. We followed the signs leading us through the forest to the gardens.
The gardens were old and well maintained.
The gardens were an enchanted place.
One can imagine all sorts of forest creatures loitering around this pond when the humans are nowhere near.
Parts of the castle walls enclosed other gardens.
A castle gate enticed us inside the formal gardens.
The inital impression was of a formality in design. But the wildness of Nature filled every circumscribed space.
The clinging vines covering the castle walls were beginning to turn the colors of Autumn.
I think I am going to have to keep coming back here every week for the next month to see the entirety of the Autumnal transformation.
I was in a continuous swoon! Having spent the last seventeen Autumns in the tropics, I realized, all at once, the immense beauty of Fall colors in the far northern latitudes.
On the verge of Autumn.
All around the castle garden walls, a riot of color.
There was so much, nay, too much to see in this magnificent garden.
There were amazing beddings of furry white ground cover.
Nature uses her devices over and over again; fur.
Bright, optimistic white burst.
The gardener here had quite an eye for impactful arrangements, I'd say.
End of summer fruiting.
Abundant rose hips.
A Drum Castle rose.
Beautiful flowers and bedding, all surrounded by high walls festooned in Autumn colors. A beautiful day.
Pure Beauty.
There are many garden spaced separated by high castle walls . . . and garden gates.
Many of the flowers were beginning to decay in the remnants of the summer light.
The last autumnal floral array . . .
A red splash on the castle garden wall.
The light alternated between bright direct sunlight and the muted, flat light of a cloudy day. It was a real challenge.
You can't miss with white flowers on a dark background.
There is a beauty in roses, and their hips.
These are 200 year old gardens . . . planted and replanted over and over again.
I love these thick planted beds: the colors and the complexity.
We are only weeks from regular frost here in Abedeenshire . . the impermanence is palpable.
These dense planted extended the length of one wall . . and the sun shone one them all at once . . . I was breathless once again.
Incredible.
My compliments to the garden architect.
We crossed paths with the wedding party and their photographer several times in the gardens.
Every turn revealed new vistas.
There were waves of flowering plants . . . .
. . . . . hedges of flowing plants . . . .
. . . . all the last flowers of summer.
It was getting late . . . .
. . . . the sun was getting below the tree line . . . .
. . . . I had to reluctantly admit it was time to leave.
We walked out the path we entered on . . . but . . .
. . . but now the path seemed mysterious in the gathering gloom. We walked faster towards the castle.
The shadows in the forest grew longer, deeper. I would not want to be out here in the dark.
We were glad to see the castle again.
Last light at Drum Castle.
I watched the sky all day, appreciating the giant structures there.
Aberdeenshire Day Trip: Around Banchory
Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 4:03AM 
I decided not to spend the whole wee-end in my office . . . especially when the weather was still good. We headed out east on North Deeside Road . . .
Our destination was Banchory, about 30 miles west of Aberdeen. When we arrived we took a small road toward the river because we had heard that the salmon were jumping. But, when we arrived at the River Feugh, we could not resist going in for tea and scones at The Falls of Feugh Restaurant. Yummy.
Such a yummy place indeed.
The river Feugh was a fast and rocky stream.
We stood on a bridge and some old local people told us that today there was only one large and one small salmon trying to make it up and over the rapids. We saw the large one make a great leap . . . but fail.
Our next destination was a farm store that had been recommended to us in the area. We took to a country lane dotted with wonderful cottages here and there.
Several people had been talking to us about the charms of the rural farm stores. Finzean Estate Farm Store was nondescript on the outside.
But on the inside it was a food photographer's dream!
The low, flat light was perfect for capturing the subtle shades and shifts of light.
Yes, I have to say it, a veritable cornucopia!
I was taking so many photos of the vegetables that I actually drew an interested crowd of onlookers!
We bought parsnips, hot peppers, and garlic.
I love to photograph vegetables. What's wrong with me?
Just give me a cabbage and some good light . . . .
. . . and I'll even shoot in black in white, in spite of the color!
They had more for sale than food . . .
. . . lots of honest, simple items.
We left the farm store and went on down the country lanes of Aberdeenshire. I love how people name their homes.
We drove deeper into rural Aberdeenshire and were rewarded with a blanket of yellow ferns along the road.
Blue grey light on the white beech bark above a carpet of yellow.
It was a perfect day to be in the forest of Abedeenshire, Scotland.
I have never seen this yellowing fern array in my life. Very beautiful!
We have equipped ourselves with the perfect road trip vehicle: the VW Taureg AWD 2.0 Diesel . . . 50+ MPG!
We meandered around on the small Aberdeenshire country roads until we came to the Potarch Hotel. We went in had had a wonderful lunch.
After lunch we walked fifty meters to the stone bridge over the upper River Dee. It was a perfect end-of-summer day.
A perfect day for some fly fishing on the River Dee.
Aberdeenshire on the brink of Autumn.
We followed a nearby sign pointing to a "Forest Walk." We thought we were going to be walking in the wilderness, but instead the path followed the road, albeit a wooded road.
There were some very sweet cottages along the way.
I love these old walls being reclaimed by Nature. There is know way to know how old these walls are . . . perhaps from Medieval times.
One of the great things about forest walks in Europe is coming across a vestige of some older era . . . slowly dissolving back into the earth.
Although it was the fifth day of Autumn, there were still a few summer blooms hanging on.
The proverbial late bloomer!
Summer's end: time to disperse seeds.
There were some fine large mushrooms pushing their way up though the overgrown forest floor too.
These black mushrooms looked positively DANGEROUS! I was scared to get too close.
A forest is a living thing: it takes life from parts of itself when they die.
We saw these red "berries' everywhere, but knew, somehow, that you could not eat them. How do we know this?
Evidence of a job well done.
We left the beautiful Aberdeenshire forest rivulets, flowers, and treed behind . . . .
. . . and bid farewell to our little friend the inch worm (he better hurry: winter is coming!), and drove to Banchory.
We arrived in Banchory in late afternoon under greying skies.
It was a Saturday and lots of people seemed to have driven out from Aberdeen for the small town charm.
We did a little shopping ourselves in this butchery that seems little changed from its 1921 origins. We bought the perfect mint sauce for lamb.
One last look around town to discover this marvelous flower shop before driving home. We only put 30 miles on the odometer. There is so much to see that is near to Aberdeen. We are really loving exploring the city and the region. Fortunately we are having one of the driest and warmest summers anyone around her can remember. We plan on taking advantage of every minute of it.
