The Highlands

July 2009
"So who is Julia and where is the Dee Valley?" those who read the prior post may wonder. After I graduated from high school, my older sister and I studied (sometimes) in Tours, France, where we became friends with a delightful English student, Julia. The photo shows us as 3 Friends in France. Carol faithfully stayed in touch with Julia through the decades that followed.  So when planning this trip, I asked if I might come see her and stay at Tigh-Na-Geald, her Bed and Breakfast in Aboyne, a charming town in the Dee Valley of the Eastern Highlands.  They had raised their family there while her husband worked out of the nearby port of Aberdeen for a company bringing oil out of the North Sea.

Julia picked me up at the Stone Haven train depot and, instantly the years peeled back, leaving us young and best friends again.  Then followed three delightful days.  We watched a movie at the community center film festival; chatted over breakfasts and afternoon herbal teas; watched the intense Wimbledon match between  the US and UK; drove through the Dee Valley and hiked at Loch Muick (prior post); bought water in Ballater where royals shop near Balmoral; attended the centennial celebration of Julia's local Anglican church; met Julia's friends; went to a garden opening and to a friend's castle gardens (check upcoming post); ate a delicious organic lunch at Finzean's in the countryside; and enjoyed a luscious evening and delicious patio dinner, ending with sweet berries and English cream.  And through all this, Julia kept up her demanding hostess duties for her B and B guests (by reservation only).

For part of my visit, Julia also had a lovely friend, Isobel, stay with her, and we took a healthy constitutional (walk) early Sunday morning by the local castle and through fields to see a small pre-historic rock circle whose history and purpose are obscured in the distant past.  I also enjoyed a stroll across the town green, which has been the home of the Aboyne Highland Games since 1867, to have an evening pub dinner along the Dee River.

Perhaps it is finally time to address the issue of English and Scottish food.  I first went to London in 1964 and remember nondescript breakfasts and boiled foods.  Things had not improved much when I returned a few years later.  However, I definitely noticed a change for the better this time. Throughout my trip, I consumed fresh natural vegetables, hearty substantive breads, tender and tasty fish and meats, and scrumptious ice creams and desserts, all delivered with pleasant presentation. In the shops, there were countless types of creams and cheeses and healthy fresh produce. I even found good "fast food" in the train stations, which I grabbed for many a lunch--my favorite being a tomato and white "mature" cheddar cheese sandwich on a crisp baguette.  If feeling a little homesick, I'd also queue up for one of Mike's American style cookies. It was a good thing I also did a healthy amount of walking.

There are those who try to tell me that the Highlands are gray and cold and rainy, but I will always remember blue skies and warm sunshine.  Although we packed those glorious days full, the time went too quickly.  As Julia was needed for a tennis meet on the morning of departure, I took the bus (much nicer than US buses) to Aberdeen to catch the train down to Edinburgh.  The Highlands were beautiful, but the real treasure was a re-discovered friendship that will not again be neglected.

Click link for slideshow: Aberdeen to Aboyne
Music: Donald Black and Malcolm Jones, 6/8 March, Rough Guide to Scottish Music
More Information: http://www.royal-deeside.org.uk
Tigh Na Geald Bed and Breakfast