Reports from distant regions and special events

London is...

... expensive!

No desire to brave the crush on the Underground? Understandable after the surgery – but the transfer from the airport to Hotel B+B Belgravia will set you back £103.
Then add tickets for the hop-on/hop-off bus: another £98.
That makes a total of £200 gone – and that’s before we’d even had one pint.

Think beer in German pubs is expensive? Here a pint (0.568 l) costs £7 (about €8.40).

Welcome to London! 🍻

...exhausting

London at 30 °C? Normally science fiction, but this time reality.
The muggy air turned every step into a peak athletic performance.

At the hotel, the next test awaited us: our room on the 5th floor — right under the flat roof — in 30 °C heat!
And the best part: no elevator and no air conditioning! 🎉

So: suitcase 1 up five flights — down five flights — suitcase 2 up five flights — and then collapse 😵.
After I’d caught my breath and changed out of my sweat-soaked shirt, we pressed on: grabbing something to eat was urgently needed after missing breakfast.

Destination: the supposedly sensational market hall at Victoria Station. Unfortunately, we only read half of it: the hall is next to the station, not inside it. Result: fast food instead of gourmet fare — and at KFC, no less. Well, we thought it used to be pretty decent. Only: what ended up in the bag was a disgrace. Half-cooked, lousy meat — the half went straight in the bin. (“Finger lickin’ good” quickly became “keep your fingers away!”)

At least some culture after that: our first bus tour, the Orange Route through north London. We passed several landmarks, including Buckingham Palace (we even waved at Charles 👋), Piccadilly Circus, and Kensington Gardens, to name just a few.

In the evening, salvation: a great pub called The Rising Sun. Friendly service, really good food, cozy atmosphere — exactly how you picture a London pub.
Then back to our very own sweat lodge on the 5th floor… 🥵

Day 2

Immediately after breakfast, we hijacked one of the hop-on/hop-off buses again. What worked in our favor was that our ticket went unchecked on Day 1, so its 24-hour period didn’t start until 10:00 AM. (A real bargain maneuver – Scrooge McDuck would have been proud!)

This time we went on the "Blue Route" – passing all the landmarks you find in every London calendar. The end of the line: the Tower. From there we set sail on a Thames boat trip that took us right past Parliament and Big Ben. Conclusion: Day 2 = pure tourist! 🎡

The downside: my feet were already sporting four new blisters. So for the ride back we opted for the deluxe version: a rickshaw. (Expensive, but at least I didn’t have to hobble or crawl back to the hotel.)

That evening, brimming with anticipation, we returned to The Rising Sun. But then the shock:

• Heike ordered "Slow cooked Caribbean style ham hock." Sounds like tender braised ham hock with Caribbean spices… What she actually received was a cold corned beef packet with exotically spiced jelly. 🌴🤨

  

• And I wanted my beloved chicken wings from yesterday again, and even got a special offer: today 3 for the price of 4. (Inflation hits even chicken wings!)

Luckily, Heike saved the evening gastronomically: at the Italian delicatessen there was sausage, ham, and red wine – and so the day ended in true style with a hotel-room picnic. 🍷🥖

Oh, and British Airways made us wait again for tomorrow’s check-in. Online check-in? Not possible.
"Book remaining seats at the airport" – now that sounds like an exciting gamble… 🎰

🛬 Day 1 in Edinburgh – Arrival & First Dramas

Taxi back to Heathrow: “only” £90 – practically a bargain by London standards. 🚕

British Airways: Online check-in? Still: not possible! 🤦
At the terminal we ended up with only a middle seat and a window seat — 11 rows apart!

Our trolleys? We had to check them in — voluntarily.
Only: that was buried in the fine print we read too late.
At least in Edinburgh they were the first off the belt.

We’d booked a £17 return Airlink ticket for two — luggage-friendly buses linking the airport and city centre. Compared to London taxi fares, it felt like hitting the jackpot.
First stop in Edinburgh: the pub The Fox and Faun. 🍺
One must set priorities!
Aside from great food, tasty drinks, and friendly service, we could even see our hotel door from the pub window. ;-)

Destiny Apartment – The Malt House

Spacious, chic, modern – almost too good to be true. 🏠

But only almost, because reality soon caught up: “double bed” here meant a queen size. For us more like “cuddling under duress.” 🛏️

Even worse: only one duvet. For us, this is totally unacceptable! We were told over the phone there was a wool blanket in the closet — a wool blanket?! When it's 28°C outside?!? 🥵
Another linen sheet would cost an extra £15 per night!
And this in an apartment costing almost £1,000. We were speechless! 😡
Further staff support or goodwill? Not included in the price!

Our solution: dismantle the sofa, repurpose the sheets — DIY sleep culture at its best. 🛠️

Likelihood of recommending: zero percent! 🚫

Holyrood Distillery

No — not Hollywood, but Holyrood 😉.
And the tour: an absolute dream!

Only one other guest in attendance — practically our private distillery for the day. 🎉

What makes this distillery special is their willingness to experiment — not with barrels, but with different yeasts, barley varieties, and malt roast levels. They achieve unique flavor profiles in remarkably short time.

We sampled 5+1+1 drams — including three “New Makes” That’s what they call the fresh spirit before it matures into whisky in the cask. diluted to 40%. It was astonishing how flavorful these young bottlings already were.

I could go on and on at this point, but I’d hate to bore anyone who isn’t a whisky aficionado.

In the evening we finally had F&C at the F&F — meaning: fish & chips at The Fox & Faun. 🐟🍟

🎶 Day 2 in Edinburgh – Tattoo & City Exploration

11:00 AM: Hop-on-Hop-off tour. This time officially checked — tickets at the ready. 🚌

A circuit around the city — and Edinburgh feels like a Harry Potter set, only without the CGI. 🪄

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

In the evening, the highlight and actual reason for this trip: the Tattoo! 🥁

WOW! What can I say… insanely packed but flawlessly organized! No jostling, no pushing, no grumpy visitors or security — everyone just wanted to have fun.

Bagpipes, drums, dancers, fireworks — a goosebumps-inducing program. 🔥

Only downside: at the start, the sun was still hovering just above the horizon, and we were facing east…
For those who aren't familiar with cardinal directions: the sun was shining directly into our faces...
But after half an hour, we could watch the show without squinting. ;-)

Just in time for our personal highlight: every year we watch on TV, but this year finally live — the Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland!

Where high-skilled precision meets art and comedy!

I even made a video of it — but at 272 MB even compressed, it’s too big for this page. Check YouTube or similar for highlights…

It was the Tattoo’s 75th anniversary, and the organizers went “back to the roots” — no Caribbean dancers, no rock solos — just military bands playing music. The only novelty: for the first time ever, a Storyteller who introduced the theme “The Hero Who Made Us” between performances.

The atmosphere: unbelievable. And we were right in the middle of it. 🤩

Later we wrapped up the day back at the Fox & Faun with a pint (or two) of beer and some wine.

🥃 Day 3 in Edinburgh – SMWS The Vaults Both SMWS headquarters in Leith/Edinburgh and the name of the series of the oldest single malt bottlings from SMWS & more Whisky

Who would have thought that right after yesterday’s highlight, the next adventure would already be knocking? But let’s take it step by step:

Shortly before 11:00 AM we wanted to board the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus again. Heike was eyeing the “long” (orange) route, which costs a whopping £54 instead of £18 — so I reluctantly dug out my wallet. But you’ve got to ask, right? At 10:55 AM the guide offered us a “Grand Ticket” for just £25 — only a £7 upgrade. Five minutes before our original ticket expired, the next 24-hour adventure began. 😁

The orange tour was indeed extensive — including detours to suburbs like Leith. Leith?! That rings a bell… right in the heart of Leith sits the home of the SMWS!

The Exclusive Whisky Club SMWS
Read more

Anyone who knows me knows: I’m a devoted single-malt enthusiast and have been a member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) for years. The Society was founded in 1983 in Edinburgh and has since established itself as a pioneer in independent bottlings. Officially, SMWS is a club offering members exclusive whiskies at attractive terms. Unofficially, it’s a highly decorated independent bottler Independent bottlers buy casks of single malt directly from distilleries, let them mature further — often in special cask types — and release them under their own label. , purchasing casks from around the world, categorizing them according to in-house flavor codes, and releasing them in strictly limited editions.
As a member you benefit from:

• exclusive early access to new releases,
• discounted bottle prices,
• the opportunity to purchase or share casks,
• invitations to regional and international tastings.

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And the best part: this original birthplace of SMWS (The Vaults) was only a five-minute walk from a bus tour stop! I didn’t need much persuading to get Heike on board that we absolutely had to drop in. 🤣

And “The Vaults” lives up to its name: an atmosphere straight out of a gentlemen’s club, with deep-pile carpet you could practically sink into. Plus a whisky shelf so vast it defies bottle-counting:

I couldn’t resist sampling two drams despite the early hour:

• A Caol Ila: Sea Monster for hire
• A Glen Scotia: 1970's Movie Dram

Yes… the SMWS has a knack for naming whiskies in the quirkiest ways. 🙄

When we finally tried to move on, I practically had to pry Heike out of her armchair with an oversized shoehorn — she found it that cozy!

In central Edinburgh there’s also an SMWS Member Room at 28 Queen Street — I’d earmarked it on my agenda anyway. Since Heike was already fired up in Leith, guiding her here was a breeze. (She still won’t drink whisky, though…)

I started with a simple dram (though “simple” at SMWS is a very relative term), until Heike pointed out the flight options: 3-, 4-, or 5-flight in ascending quality tiers. I opted for the priciest 3-flight, aptly named The Vaults.

Three bottlings — all over 30 ( ! ) years old :

• The “entry dram” was again a Caol Ila (12 Y): Two kinds of puffer
• The main 3-flight included:
  • Linkwood (30 Y): Understated Opulence
  • Balblair (33 Y): Espresso Romano
  • Another Caol Ila (33 Y): Petals serenading Seaweed

A fitting finale to our days in Scotland’s capital!

Day 1 in Dublin

🚌 Airlink, Upper Class & Excitement

We took the transfer to the airport again via Airlink — cheap, convenient, luggage-friendly.

This day could’ve been called “Upgrade!” At check-in we only wanted our boarding passes verified, since our tickets for an Airbus A321 showed seats 2H and 2K. Odd — A321s usually only go from A to F…?
A quick glance from the staff, a knowing smile: “All good! You’re in Business Class.”

Well, we’ll take it. We’re not ones to complain. 😇

The seats didn’t look like Business Class at all, but more like First Class — see for yourselves:

• Enormous legroom with a fold-up footrest for full flat-bed mode.
• Seat with a massage function (see the arrow in image 5!).
• Huge touchscreen – endless entertainment options.

The first time I ever felt a flight was too short. ✈️

At the hotel, the next upgrade: At the RIU, we were treated like regular guests and upgraded to a truly generously sized room – perfect for catching our breath after the previous hiccups!

🍻 Madigan’s – reunion with a Flutter of Nerves

Then the slightly nervous march to Madigan’s. The anxious questions running through our heads:

• Does the place even still exist?
• Does the food still taste as good?
• Is the atmosphere still “like back then”?
• And above all: Are Dave and Jacky (the manager and our super-friendly server) still there?

Relief upon stepping inside: everything as always – a new menu, but still plenty of delicious treats for us.

Day 2 in Dublin

⛪ Glasnevin — beautiful, serene, monumental

Today we finally wanted to put into practice the tip from Tatjana My dear Tatjana gave us some important and interesting travel tips for our 2019 trip, which I’ve included on my pages with her permission. Click to view. and visit the Glasnevin Cemetery, where many influential figures of Dublin/Ireland are buried.

The taxi driver looked at us puzzled: "What do you want to go there for? That's the last place I'd go..."

Me: "This 💡 IS exactly the last place you will go!"
After that, the mood in the taxi was good!

But without a guide it was less enlightening than we hoped, though the multi-meter-high Celtic crosses are truly impressive:

And then there was this one inscription — beautiful and sad at the same time:

🍺 Gravedigger & Illusions

Our stay at the famous pub Kavanagh’s (Gravedigger) lasted roughly five seconds. The atmosphere: gloomy. The cleanliness: let’s say… historic. I didn’t even want to touch the bar. Onward!

Then the World of Illusion — sounded like the awesome 3D museum in Madeira, but it didn’t come close. 44 £… tuition fees.

So back to Madigan’s to smile away our frustration. We also ran into Jacky there — bubbly, warm, and happy to finally speak German again (okay… at first more English 😉).

Day 3 in Dublin

🌊 Howth — Sea, Seagulls, Numb Fingers

A trip to Howth, the pretty coastal village in the northeast of Dublin. With the DART (suburban train), a return ticket for about 30 minutes each way costs only £5.20 — totally fair.

But… wow, was it cold! Three days ago it was 30 °C, now felt about 20 °C colder, plus drizzle and a nasty northeasterly wind. Heike immediately bought a sweater. Took a few token photos, waved at some seals — and then hurried back to the warmth.

👋 Farewell in Green

In the evening, of course, one last visit to Madigan’s — a last time, a last dine, and one last pint.
Unforgettable for everyone was when I squeezed into a ‘slightly’ too small shirt at Madigan’s – and, with Jacky’s heroic help, somehow squeezed out of it again. The laugh of the season! 🤣

And finally, an almost emotional farewell with Jacky and Dave.
Dublin, we’ll see you again! (Maybe at Dave’s retirement party 😉)

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