The group was meant to be in Kraków and Lublin, Poland, during the period 10-14 January, but a COVID-19 risk assessment led to postponement. In a bid to do something at the start of the year, the group went to Perth and Dunkeld in Tayside.
Day 1: Tuesday 11 January 2022
Day 1 started at 7.15 am in The Marksman pub, one of Leith's finest. Iain and Philip survived a pint each, before heading to the Dreaded Spoons™️ near Waverley for the breakfast assembly of the group. There was just enough time for a quick whisky before getting on the 9.36 am train to Perth. The first order of business was to scope out the tourism options, find postcards, and then... oh, yeah... have a drink in the Dreaded Spoons™️. At this point, plans diverged. Angie, Jonathan, Philip, and Rui embarked on a walk along the banks of the mighty Tay, but not before taking a look in Touch of Poland, one of the best Eastern European food shops we've seen in the UK. They also visited the Balkan Food Shop, lured in by the exotic-looking 'blue drink' alongside the wine and brandy, which turned out to be antiseptic liquid. The riverside walk included many thought-provoking sculptures, such as Vertex, Insight, Bench Mark, and Bin.
Iain stayed in the Dreaded Spoons™️.
The walking group then headed to the Black Watch Museum, for a detailed investigation of the British Army's most famous regiment. Along the way, they witnessed a particularly tense moment in the Pétanque World Championship Final between Monaco and Scotland.
Iain stayed in the Dreaded Spoons™️.
After reconvening at the Royal George Hotel, and a brief rest for walkers and drinkers alike, there was time for a visit to one of the convenient shelters on the left bank of the Tay, constructed as if for the purpose of outside drinking. After a completely legal visit to the American Shelter, it was time for dinner. Finding a decent restaurant in Perth, on a Tuesday night in January, is easier said than done. There was an 80% vote for a non-Dreaded Spoons™️ restaurant, so instead we ended up in The Sandeman, which turned out to be just like a Dreaded Spoons™️, but with a different app.
Iain enjoyed The Sandeman.
After a thoroughly depressing dinner, we moved on to a cocktail bar, which was slightly more jolly. To end the day, we walked back along the Tay, but we definitely did not have a nightcap of whisky and Romanian brandy, and so we did not have to hide from the Polis.
Day 2: Wednesday 12 January 2022
Day 2 started with a good cooked breakfast and weapons-grade percolated coffee at the Royal George Hotel.
Iain went home.
Angie, Jonathan, Philip, and Rui returned to Touch of Poland, to stock up on hard-to-find goodies, including Kofola, and then took the train to Dunkeld and Birnam. The plan was to walk to the Hermitage, to see the waterfall from Ossian's Hall, and to take in the scenery along the Tay. Again, no whisky was drunk at any point along the trail. After a good 5-mile trudge along the trail, and some ice-skating in parts, they returned to Birnam for tea and cake, before taking the train home.
Perth and Dunkeld were not as exciting as Kraków and Lublin, but at least we got out for a trip before the chaos of the new semester kicks in. The trip has also inspired plans to make future visits to, say, whisky distilleries in the area, when the weather is a bit better.
