Week Forty Three - The Amazonian Adventures

Well we made it and for those of you who are not on Facebook, believe it or not I am connected to the wifi writing this 80km deep into the Amazon - ridiculous.  In fact also featuring heavily here are MasterCard, Visa, Nescafé, Johnny Walker Black and a few other household names - thankfully no McDonalds but rumour has it we're having chicken nuggets for tea!!!

The journey started with 60 hours in total without leaving airport complexes so it was quite a culture shock to first see South American civilisation at Iquitos.  The only way to get here is by plane or boat and it acts as the gateway to the Amazon.

As for the journey it was always going to be eventful - it is me we're talking about after all.  Alli had to do at Glasgow Airport was check my bags through to Santiago and collect all my boarding cards.  Not so easy - first stumbling block despite asking the very question a month ago - things have changed when you transit through America so you have to go through immigration and customs and I didn't have a visa.  Having logged onto the website to get one electronically added instantly it turned out the entire visa system was going through routine maintenance (a reasonable thing at 3am on a Sunday US time).  Anyway eventually it was sorted.

Heathrow to Dallas - I am not being disrespectful here but I was seated next to a lady who needed a seat and a half and who was very loud - picture gogglebox and the two friends who always have the pot noodles in front of them!!

So after a crushed ten hours it was US immigration - why was I taking so long to get passed? Why did the guy keep going on about my famous name and asking so many questions about my family etc after I had told him that Lord Snowdon was with an O and not an E?  Ah that would be because he didn't recognise the name for that reason but because the surname is the same as the US whistleblower currently exiled in Russia - not so funny.

Other than that it was only the incident of a gate change to another terminal on the Dallas Santiago leg that had me almost missing the flight - in the last handful to board.  And by handful I do mean 5!!

And so it was Claire and I met up and started our joint adventure together - not renowned for being any less full of calamity!!

So we jumped on a plane the next morning to Lima then onto Iquitos where we met our guide. After initial Buenos Dias welcomes his first question was whether we knew where we were staying as the company owns three lodges and the one we were in was not to be confused with the one that had air conditioned rooms and a swimming pool. Ours, he was very clear, was the place another 40km upstream with ltd electricity, no air con only cold water, and certainly no pool. Yes we were aware we answered confidently but felt somewhat disconcerted when the guides spoke to each other in their native tongue and were laughing when the blue rather than green tags went on our luggage.  That feeling was underpinned when the other 6 American tourists waved us off as they stepped off to their luxury accomodation wishing us luck with a look of pity on their faces.

40km later we switched to a tiny wee boat to take us up stream to where we were staying and it is fab and authentic if somewhat primitive (that said we went to the third venue and ended up v grateful for our upgraded private bathroom with proper toilet!!).  It is called Explorama Lodge and covers quite a space housing anything up to 100 guests (there were four of us on the first night and three of us for the next two nights).  There is a fully stocked bar, a dining room where we eat with the staff and local workers, basic rooms and hammock house.  

The first afternoon was all about settling in then after dinner our guide Roberto took us out on a canoe down stream to where our stream joins the Amazon to enjoy the sounds and limited sights of the jungle by night.  Bed was 8:30 and to be fair we were ready for it and slept well under the safety and security of our little tented villages called bed surrounded by mosquito nets (just as well given what was on the top of them the next am).

So day one proper on the Amazon and we headed out on a speed powered canoe upriver for the morning.  We were very lucky on the dolphin spotting front - pink ones which are unique to the Amazon and grey ones as well as vultures, stunning butterflies, and an array of other local wildlife.  We the. Went further up river for a spot of piranha fishing using rods made of sticks and very bloody meat for bait.  Great fun though perhaps not the most fruitful fishing expedition ever - I caught one but yanked it out the river so quickly it went flying through the air on my hook and then freed itself on the other side of the boat.  Claire equally had a few near things.  Thankfully Roberto caught four which were promptly cooked and served to us for lunch - quite tasty with lime juice but I wouldn't want to be reliant on it to fill me up.

Whilst lunch was being prepared we sat at hammock house and watched two different types of monkeys coming out of the trees and climbing around us to get to the huge bunches of bananas which are left hanging for them - so cute.

That afternoon was a visit to the local Indian community through the jungle.  We spotted a number of fungi and small frogs along the way but there are not that many animals about - apparently the humans wearing mosquito repellant puts them off coming by.  At the Indian village we were invited into the meeting hall and were presented with the whole community dancing for us then asking us to join in - we had no choice but basically it just meant slow jogging in a circle for 3 mins - not even as challenging as the Gay Gordon's!! As the pictures show these are small people (honest) and I have to say Clsire and I did feel a bit like Charles and Camilla!! After the dancing it was poison dart blowing competition time which again we had to take part in - actually easier than you'd think to blow that hard!! Having made an obligatory purchase from the market they had quickly assembled (complete with free poly bags) we took the short cut back - turns out they live five mins from our place and it wouldn't surprise me if they'd returned to normal clothes and a McDonalds when we left!  They didn't but there is a bit of a sense of this being a touristy place where they try and find any reason to get money from you.  The guide looking after the lovely lady Jack from NZ who we met here on day 2 is eyeing up her white plimsoles to be left - so much so he's asked her where the laces are and took her on a walk yesterday that would avoid the shoes getting muddy whilst the rest of us were almost ankle deep.

That night was another hike into the bush in search of blooming tarantulas which thankfully after finding one Roberto was happy to come back to base as were we - way too many creepy crawlies in the dark for my liking.  

Day three and we were all up and out at 6am for a 1.5 hour boat trip up the Amazon and round to another of the Explorama locations to do the canopy walk along the top of the tree line (Jack worked out it was the equivalent of 10 storeys high and certainly one of those occasions when you don't look down too often!

After lunch we then went to the botanical gardens and had a consult with the local shamin for all our ailments.  Once again all his lotions and potions were for sale and the poly bags were on hand.  I'm actually not that cynical about it - he performed a ritual on Claire, myself and another of the group to increase our energy levels and I can confidently say that after it I did not sleep a wink passed 2:30am today - nothing to do with the massive rainstorm all night.

The last stop of the afternoon was at the giant water lily pads and local sugar cane rum factory which is basically a wee hut on the side of someone's house. That said the rum was very clean, smooth and fresh to drink and of course there was a certain sense that purchase was obligatory.

The thing about out here is that it is roasting and humid.  You have no choice but to sweat freely which makes the cold shower joyous even if you only feel clean for 2 mins before you apply the deet again.  When you go into the jungle at night you come back all hot and sweaty again and none of us felt like doing that on our third night so we convinced our guides that an evening in the bar after dinner was far more agreeable.  And so it was that Jack, Claire and I had a wee night off.

And so to today - we've been to the local clinic which includes examination rooms, a laboratory, a dispensary and a dentist.  This is funded by various agencies but not the government who only set things up in towns which leaves the rural communities of the Amazon pretty much abandoned.  the one here was set up by an American doctor who spends six months of the year here and trained some of the locals to be able to man it in the other months.  Needless to say Nurse Hitchcock was fascinated.  

Next Roberto tried to fulfil my one ask - to see a sloth - and we managed it thanks to our captain of the canoe for spotting one hiding in the trees.  Amazing.  

Our last stop was a local village of 250 residents which was a real eye opener to how these communities work - they have shops to trade with each other, a governor and three policemen etc.  I found it strange cos you would think that in a community of that size you would all commune together and trade as one with the outside world instead of which its all very much individual families making their own ends meet.  Today there was no school as it was a day where all the kids and non working residents clean the village - something that happens twice a month.  It is a very friendly and innocent community which is bucking the trend in at it is growing and not suffering from everyone being attracted to the bright lights of the city.

And so that is us.  We have now to ourselves then lunch (it was Jack's turn to go fishing today and thankfully she was more successful than us so catfish is on the menu).  After that we take the boat ride back to Iquitos where we have a night in a four star hotel to get clean, reorganise our bags and grab some dinner before the early morning flight back to Lima to join our 21 day trip through Peru (which we've only just discovered is mainly by public bus.....read the small print!!).  Jack is doing her trip slightly differently but on studying her itinerary I am somewhat disappointed to discover that Machu Piccu is the proud owner of a five star hotel!!!! Can you believe it - we're going to spend four days trekking to get to somewhere that has a five star hotel - I ask you.  Anyway that's a while away yet.

Whilst writing War and Peace (sorry) we have...

...HUNG OUT AT...the Amazon (still can't believe it)...

...WINED ON...no wine yet but have discovered Pisco Sours.  Pisco is named after the place it is made and is effectively a distiller wine almost like a clear brandy.  A Pisco Sour as we made Julio the barman show us last night is 1 part fresh lime juice, 1 part sugar syrup, 1.5 parts Pisco, third of an egg white (to be fair it would be easier just making three at the outset as it would be rude to have the chicken go through all it has to produce an egg where only a third of the White is used - oh and they taste amazing), two cubes of ice, blend then pour the frothy mixture into a glass and serve with one drop of angostura bitters and some decorative lime.  Stunning and clearly only drunk as it was so refreshing...

...DINED ON...beans in many varieties, bananas in many varieties, wild cucumber, fresh and del monte pineapple, star fruit juice, chicken, beef in coca cola, catfish, oh and yes piranha.

So we're off on the boat back to some mild form of civilisation in a place that's been described as a hot and steamy jungle city for the night.  The next week is all about journeys into the Peruvian heartland which I'll share in due course (and maybe more concisely).  Until then have a good week or so.

Week Forty Two: Brace Brace - South America we're on our way

So roughly eight months after booking my cousin Claire and I are heading off to South America tomorrow (hence the slightly early post this week).

There was a conversation the other day as to whether this was a holiday, a trip or an adventure?  I think it is a cross between a trip and an adventure - I certainly don't expect to come home rested and revived (my definition of a holiday).

I am embarrassed to say I have done very very little research about what we are doing, where we are going or what I want out of the trip - all I know is that I have about 28 hours in airports and on planes from tomorrow which is plenty of time to work it out with my trusted guidebook!! (as an aside have you ever noted there are certain types of books you just can't commit to kindle - fiction yes, some factual yes but cook books and travel books for me still have to be physical things you can flick through).

Scarier than the fact I've done no research, have no plan and haven't even thought about learning any Spanish - Claire is actually the one holding all the trip documentation - challenging my parameters and I haven't even left the country yet - only joking darling cuz - well I say that but as soon as I meet you at the airport I want them (actually for once no I don't - it will be nice for The Concierge to not be the one in charge of proceedings for a change).

So as I sit on the cusp of departure (after a very manic fortnight of running around to get both The Concierge and my other venture under control before I leave) I am excited to be undertaking such a huge adventure, looking forward to experiencing it with my cousin and Gareth when he joins us but also filled with a little bit of trepidation at the same time when it comes to such activities as walking the Inca Trail at altitude with freezing temperatures at night and camping.  Hazel McKellar can you believe that after all those years of homesickness on guide camps I am now out there having these adventures?  Here's the list of what we have to take and can you believe I'm not taking make up (scary thought I know) and other than outdoor gear only have one nice pair of shoes, a dress and a cardi with me for evenings.  The rest is all camping trousers, t-shirts, thermals and walking boots etc.  PS the ticks on the list are now meaningless - I do have all I realistically think I need.

So what is in-store for this first week of the trip.  Well we meet (hopefully) at Santiago airport on Monday - me flying in via Heathrow (with a two hour dash between terminals) and Dallas and Claire with a lovely direct flight from Auckland arriving an hour later - will we both get there on time?  Will we meet each other?  We'll soon find out.  Our first night is spent at the airport hotel as we have to be up and checked in at 3:30am for two flights to get us to Iquitos and a 50 mile boat journey down the Amazon to Explorama lodge for four days of exploration of the Amazon.  We then head back to Iquitos and Lima ready to join the next leg of our trip exploring the Inca Heartlands.

Rather than reel off all we are doing in our first week I have attached the pictures of our itinerary.  Other than the malaria threat, the insects/spiders etc etc I'm really looking forward to this part of the trip and do find it somewhat surreal to say that on Tuesday I'll be in The Amazon!!  I'll not give away any more of the itinerary at the moment but will impart it week on week in the hope of engaging you and sharing this trip with you.  Subject to wifi connection the blog will continue throughout.

So wish South America luck - Claire and Gillian are on the way - and the first point of success is meeting each other at the airport - watch this space as there are bound to be a few tales and memories made along the way.

Whilst running round like a lunatic in preparation and not sleeping I...

...HUNG OUT AT...the virtual office of The Concierge getting everything in order before leaving...

...WINED ON...something every night to calm the nerves.  The most notable wine of the week was this one - a stunningly velvety Negroamaro full of vanilla and dark fruits - beautiful.  There was also Kung Fu Girl Riesling from Washington State which was great with food but got slightly sweet on its own...

...DINED ON...a lovely Italian dinner this evening with la famiglia at Volare in Newton Mearns.  It was a lovely meal with the kids and mum and Stuart and Jane and I enjoyed a dish reminiscent of one of my favourites but slightly different; Panciotti con Melanzana e Scarmoza; pasta parcels stuffed with aubergine, smoked cheese, fresh basil and parmesan served with a tomato and basil sauce, rocket and parmesan shavings - yum yum yum.

So that's me but one last thing before I go - a huge thank you to everyone who has made going away possible for someone who is trying to be a bit entrepreneurial and set up a couple of businesses at the moment.  Special mention to mum, Edele, Stuart, Jane, Claire McCulloch, Mrs Sandler, others I won't mention to do with 'the other business' and Kirsten at clarkston.com.  You and others are all doing their bit to allow me to go away and I am very very grateful.

Looking forward to sharing The Amazon next week.

G xx

Week Forty One: Military Precision

Wow what a week in Miss Snowden's life - it was all go go go.

I had to move out the house so visitors could say.  Pretty straight forward I hear you say - well not when you won't be back before you run an event, have some client work to manage and will be away to South America before you get back into the house.  Not only that but things had to be co-ordinated to hand over the management of The Concierge whilst I'm away, co-ordinate the changeover of the house so on and so forth.

And so it was that lists were invented to manage the lists which managed the to do lists of the lists that related to each thing that needed done!!  That is when you realise you are actually pretty skilled at focusing on the minutiae of planning for events especially when the next time you see your house will be mid December.

I won't bore you with the details but basically I am now living like a nomad with my car chockablock with everything from food stuffs to fairy lights, gazebos, clothes, paperwork and so on.  Its like having a little mobile home / office.

A few more days of living all over Glasgow and Ayrshire then I'll be jetting off to South America - more on that next week.

In the meantime the highlight of this week was most definitely organising and helping run the launch of Glam Glass Back Lane Studio.  Owner, Gill Chesnutt (with the support of her team - husband and sons) has done an amazing job of having a vision for what she wants from the studio, worked to build a great space for to work from whilst not overwhelming the family living space.  

With a dedicated creative space; in addition to making the production of her beautiful glassware so much easier; Gill is now able to offer half and full day classes for those interested in learning how to make glass products as well as hosting parties for children (and no doubt adults) - something just a little bit different from other parties and events.

Neither Gill, the family or I anticipated how successful the open weekend would be.  A combination of friends, family and customers old and new came together (despite the weather) to make it not only an enjoyable event but one of those occasions where you are humbled by the support, encouragement and generosity of all. The event exceeded all expectations (not least my estimations of how many cases of Cava we'd need - oops sorry) with all the hard work and nervous energy in the lead up to it worthwhile.

Gill has thanked many people involved in bringing the day together but I, as The Concierge,  responsible for organising the event, publicising it and making it go smoothly would like to also thank a few people.

Firstly Kirsten at clarkston.com for her help in publicising the event on the Facebook page. For those of you who live in the Southside you will no doubt know about clarkston.com but I'm not sure if you know Kirsten does it over and above her day job.  It is a great Facebook page with lots of insightful information about what is going on locally and connecting residents and local businesses / tradespeople.  Kirsten is to be commended for pulling this together as it really does make a difference.  Here's the link to clarkston.com - https://www.facebook.com/clarkston.community

Secondly I'd like to thank Gregor and Lewis for all their help in the entertaining, catering, and supplies side of things - your help was invaluable.

Check out the Glam Glass Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Glamglass2) for more information on where you can admire / purchase Gill's glasswork as well as hear more about her classes.

Check out my website at www.theconcierge.org.uk if you'd like help organising an event or any other aspect of your life and remember gift vouchers are available at a special festive rate - what a great Christmas present (I'm not biased).

In amongst the logistical nightmare called 'My Life' this week I have...

...HUNG OUT AT...The Caro Emerald concert at the SSE Hydro on Friday night.  I wasn't sure how this would go as its a big increase in size of venue for the wonderful Ms Emerald. However, testament to her talent and to the flexibility of the Hydro space it was an amazing, vibrant concert with a tonne of atmosphere.  If you haven't ever listened to Caro's music I can highly recommend it - great for doing backing singer moves to also...

...WINED ON...lots of Cava given how much I'd over ordered for this weekend - and how selfless of those who stayed back on Saturday to do their bit to aide the rectification of that miscalculation...

...DINED ON...a beautiful meal at The Finnieston prior to our Caro concert.  I went with my dear friend Ev.  Over the years our love of food and wine has led to us having the perfect formula for the perfect meal - one entree between us, a mains each and a dessert between us - that way you get to try three courses without over-indulging.  Our meal was absolutely stunning; an entree of The Finniestons Own Hot Smoked Salmon with Pickled Cucumber, Miso Creme Fraiche and Sourdough Crostini; mains of Grey Sole with Brown Shrimp Butter and Hake with Salsa Verde, Roast Veg and of course chips; dessert was Date Sponge, Toffee Sauce and Homemade Ice Cream.  Oh how yum it was.  I do really love the Market Fish option at The Finnieston - you choose which market fish you'd like with which finish and two sides of your choice for a very reasonable c.£16 - stunning.  Check out their menu if you're to be convinced to visit - http://www.thefinniestonbar.com/pdf/Finnieston_Bar_Menu.pdf

So there we go - the nomad is focused this week on managing her multiple to do lists and getting ready for the trip of a lifetime - more of that next week.  Until then have a great week.

Week Forty - Class In A Glass

I start this weeks blog with a reminder about how much I love my country and particularly the city I call home - Glasgow.

Throughout the many weeks of writing this blog I have waxed lyrical about the beauty of Scotland from the West Highland Way, to Crail and St Andrews, Pitlochry, Islay so on and so forth.

I have praised Glasgow for the magnificent Commonwealth Games, for being an economic powerhouse, for being somewhere I am very very proud to call home.

Except on occasion a wee bit more class wouldn't be a bad thing - or would it?  Is it our lack of care about what people think, our disdain for the tall poppy and our "I am what I am" mentality that makes Glasgow the great place it is?

What, you may ask, am I waffling on about.

On Saturday I attended The Glasgow Wine Festival hosted and organised by The Wine Palate.  Before I go on I'd like to say the event itself was great and the organisation and quality of the wines commendable.  A success all round.

The setting itself was amazing - the Trades Hall in Glasgow which I haven't been in for a number of years and often forget how grand it is.

The wines being presented were plentiful (over 80 wines to sample), beautiful (more of that below) and a great range including some classic premier crus, unusual grape varietals and some really innovative concoctions.  All available to try.

The event was very well attended with over 400 people.  And that is where things become a bit less classy.  Four hundred Glaswegians in a room with free wine on offer.  That is only going to go one way and as the afternoon progressed we accelerated at pace to that destination.

It all started with people jostling each other out the way to get into the booze and once you had a spot near the wine there was no moving to let others in.  Then there were the exclamations of 'is that it' as a tasting sized sample was dispensed rather than half a bucket of vino.  Oh the looks of disappointment nae disbelief.

The afternoon progressed, the crowds came and went, the sampling continued with great enthusiasm, the pronunciation of the names of the wines and grapes left a lot to be desired but it was lively and full of chat.

As the temperature rose the party started to move to one of the beautiful side rooms.  Another grand affair where the pianist played some great background music.  Well that was until there was a bit of encouragement from the now tipsy Glasgow crowd looking for a wee bit more interaction.  Before we knew it the pianist was transformed into a cabaret act blaring out his best Robbie numbers amongst others.  And in true Glaswegian style everyone joined in for a good old sing song and a wee swaying dance in the chair.  Funnily enough when it was confirmed to the pianist (now singer) that he was way too loud he cranked it up even further.

If that wasn't classless enough I couldn't believe my eyes at the next event to unfold.  A group of six women entered the room, sat at a table and pulled out their sausage rolls and multi bag of Walkers crisps and Wotsits - I mean I know cheese and wine go together but there are limits.  

Then I made a fatal mistake.  I left the room to go back to the main event for another sample of wine and by the time I came back the canapés had been delivered.  Now I am used to people walking round offering canapés and on this occasion it would have been wise.  Instead the canapés had been placed on a table in the middle of the room and what ensued can only be described as a feeding frenzy at a zoo.  It was horrendous.  Forget others it was everyone for themselves, people leaving with cupped hands full of treats.  Others well aware they were having more of their fair share and trying to surreptitiously leave the room by stealth with their haul hidden behind their backs.

Thankfully it was an afternoon event - I hate to think what would have happened later in the day.

They always say that one of the great things about the people of Glasgow is that they can laugh at themselves.  Sometimes, and Saturday was one of those occasions, you just had to stand back and laugh at the situation and the behaviours.  It was a typical Glasgow twist on what could, in other cities, have gone too much the other way - a wine snob fest.  

All I could think about throughout was that People [DO] Make Glasgow - and long may it continue that we do it our way with little regard for the proper way.

Whilst cringing but admiring Glasgow at its best and thoroughly enjoying The Glasgow Wine Festival hosted by The Wine Palate, I...

...HUNG OUT AT...whichever table of wines was quietest at any point in time...

...WINED ON...many lovely and some unusual wines.  The particular standouts were:

Sparkling: Mooiplaas Duel Brut NV, Stellenbosch, South Africa - dry, fresh and refined          with a definite hint of toastiness

Quaffable White: Los Haroldos Torrontes 2013; Mendoza, Argentina - light, quite fruity and easy to drink

Classic White: Domaine Laroche Chablis 1er Cru 'les Vaillons Vielles Vignes' 2009; Chablis, Burgundy - complex with intense fruit flavours of pear and spice with a long finish.  The vines that make this wine are over 33 years old

Something Different White (and overall winner of whites by far): Cazes 'Le Canon du Marchal' Organic Muscat-Viognier 2013 (Biodynamic); Rouisillon - medium bodied tropical fruit flavoured wine with a refreshing but long finish.  This is basically Yum in a glass

Something Different Rose: Cleebronn Pinot Meunier Blanc de Noir 2013; Wurttemburg, Germany - a faint pink with lively palate and creaminess.  Beautiful and elegant

Quaffable Red: Route du Van Dolcetto-Shiraz 2012; King Valley, Australia - bursting with berries, juicy, smooth and very moreish

Classic Red 1: Bodegas Felix Callejo Vina Pillar Tempranillo Roble Ribera del Duero 2010 (also referred to as 'that one'); Ribera del Duero, Spain - full red with cinnamon, cherry, cedar and blackberry and a slight hint of liquorice.  A very smooth full wine

Classic Red 2: Fontodi Chianti Classico 2009 (Organic); Tuscany, Italy - full bodied Chianti with spiced strawberry, dark cherries and blackberries

Something Different Red: Hochar Pere et Fils Red, Chateau Musar 2009; Bekaa Valley, Lebanon - this was a really good wine with plums, prunes, dates, figs and sweet spices.  Something special

Dessert in a Glass: unfortunately the one dessert wine had run out by the time I got to it so instead I had to 'make do' with the luscious, velvety, pungent (in a good way) Valdespino Pedro Ximenez El Candado NV; Andalucia, Spain - full of dried fruit, figs and chocolate.  A perfect end to a great presentation of wines...

All the wines mentioned above are available through The Wine Palate website at www.winepalate.co.uk

...DINED ON...nothing cos it had all disappeared in a flash.  Just as well we'd had a wee pasta lunch at Carluccios ahead of our tasting experience.

Three Wine Men - be warned.  When you next come to this fine city be prepared (with lots of wine for big measures and even more canapés which should be handed around.  Oh yes and a suitable sing a long band).

Until next time...

Week Thirty Nine - Heaven Revisited

In week twenty one I declared Islay as heaven on earth.  Well I have been very fortunate this week to revisit heaven under the guise of The Concierge.

One of the commissions I have taken on was to organise an escorted four day tour of Islay taking in all eight of the distilleries and the sights and sounds of Islay if time allowed.  No mean feat when they are operating almost in winter hours.  However we did it.

I have never been to Islay in autumn.  Whilst the weather was still great on the trip it is amazing how the scenery changes from the summer - still plenty of green grass and blue seas and skies but there is an extra sense of the place being slightly barren as the majority of the landscape has turned a russet / brown colour and the trees are going the same way.  

I have only become a regular visitor to Islay in the last four or five years but it is a place I have fallen in love with and relished being able to show my guests around.  That said the distilleries (other than Bruichladdich) were a new experience for me.  Part the reason guiding a tour round them is so easy to be the sober driver of is because I really cannot find an affinity with whisky.  The aroma, the palate....I just can't do it.  

That said I did accompany my guests on a couple of tastings and tours and the process of making the whisky is just as fascinating as that of wine for me.  If you ever find yourself on Islay and even if you don't like whisky I would recommend doing one of the tours just to get an understanding of what goes on - it is truly fascinating.  Bunnahabhain is probably a good one for that as you get to see a slightly different perspective of the process and stills than in others.

You would think that visiting all the distilleries on the island would become a bit repetitive with the exception of the taste of the whisky however my guests all got something slightly different from each visit which I had made sure was a mix of tours, premium tastings, plain old visits etc.  Each distillery has its own unique story to tell and the surrounds are generally stunning (both internal and external).

Given it takes a good half hour to get anywhere on Islay (courtesy of some interesting single track roads) there wasn't a lot of time to take in the other sights and sounds of Islay. We did squeeze in a walk along a very quiet but beautiful Machir Bay, seal watching at Portnahaven, a visit to the Kildalton Cross and a meander round Port Ellen where we witnessed a fisherman bringing in fresh scallops from Lagavulin ready to be housed in creels until they are needed.  Fascinating colours.

So other than shaking from alcohol withdrawal on the way back to Glasgow, my guests have told me the trip was a great experience.  A good balance of different experiences at the distilleries with some interesting side trips along the way.  They enjoyed everything about Islay; the landscape, the weather, the beaches, the historic sites, the local cuisine, and of course the whisky.

A great experience all round.  So remember, should you want to visit Islay and get the best out of it - whether that does or does not include the distilleries, then The Concierge is happy to put an itinerary together for you to make sure you get out of your trip what you are looking for.  We can also provide fully escorted tours so you can all sit back and enjoy the distillery experience without the need to appoint a sober driver.  

More trips will be offered in due course and if you'd like The Concierge to research and book any trip for you then please just get in touch.  

Whilst on Islay we...

...HUNG OUT AT....mainly the distilleries of Islay (of which there were some firm favourites with my guests as far as the whisky experience went) and Port Charlotte Hotel which was filled with visitors from around the world, an open fire and local musicians - everything you expect of a Scottish island pub.  We also visited The Lochside Hotel in Bowmore for a wee dram on the way home one day.  They have an amazing array of just about every whisky available on Islay presented in the most impressive bar...

...WINED ON...I cooked dinner on the first night and worked with Pieter at Cross Stobs Bottle Shop to make sure I had the perfect accompaniments to go with that meal.  We started with a beautifully refreshing yet fruity and slightly sweet sparkling from McLaren Vale and Coonawarra called Syn followed by a crisp, peachy cava Sumarroca Reserva.  To accompany my starter of Baked Figs, Walnuts, Cambazola and Camembert Pieter took a bit of a gamble which more than paid off - Bonarda - a slightly sparkling (frizante) ruby red wine that was full of autumn fruits - blackberries, dark cherries.  A perfect match.  With our Tom Kitchin lamb with french vegetables we had Ondarre Rioja Reserva which had hints of spice and vanilla on top of full fruits of blackberry.  And to top it all off (if that wasn't enough), to go with our stewed plums with orange and cinnamon, chantilly cream and palmiers we had a dessert wine called Elysium Black Muscat which was very deep in colour and luscious on the palate.  And then we were stuffed!!  All the wines are available from Cross Stobs Bottle Shop website or by visiting the shop in Barrhead - worth a wee trip to check out their array of less well known wines.  Pieter is always happy to oblige with help in choosing the best wine for you...

...DINED ON...the answer should be nothing after all that but it wasn't.  Islay is renowned for its local seafood, beef and game and we tried it all this weekend.  The two standout meals were the seafood platter at the Lochindaal Hotel in Port Charlotte which is renowned and should be part of any visit.  Due to a slight muck up there was not enough lobster for our platter so where else but on Islay does the owner run down to the pier to bring out the biggest lobster I have ever seen - you don't get fresher than that.  On Sunday night we had dinner at The Bridgend Hotel which was as stunning as ever.  Starters of grouse with blackberry jus and goats curd cheesecake went down very well followed by stunningly succulent venison and local steak.  Simply presented meals bursting with the most amazing flavour.

So the wonders of Islay have been revisited and will be time and time again - one of those places that has a lot to do but the joy and relaxation in coming back time and time again is doing the same things each time.

Until next week....

Week Thirty Eight - Let Glasgow Flourish & Go Pop

On the first Thursday of every month I attend a networking and speaker event at The Corinthian run by Dunning Creative Sparks.  Sometimes the topics are more relevant than others and this week was one of those real standouts.

From the minute the speaker; Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce; started his talk I was captivated and found myself for the first time ever more or less writing down what he was saying word for word.

Stuart was keen that we spread the word of what he was saying so hopefully he will not mind me regurgitating the key points of what he said here.  Don't ask me to point to the sources of the statistics he quoted (they were on the slide) but take it as a spirited provocation aimed at refocusing our perspective of our great city and clarifying what is next for Glasgow after this amazing year. 

Glasgow is a global economic powerhouse was the provocation that was Stuart's starting position and he made it his job to justify that by virtue of ten key points.

By way of context he pointed to the fact that for many years we have been living with an attitude that Glasgow was and is going through a post industrial regeneration.  This is indeed true but by virtue of the points he made his view is that it is time to throw off the shackles of a city trying to find itself and accept that we are a city that has not only found its place in the world but is very clear on its identity and is the envy of many.

So what are these ten points:

1.  We are big - we rank number twenty eight of the forty largest cities in Europe.  Within the UK we are the fourth largest behind London (which should almost be discounted as a country in its own right!!), Birmingham and Manchester.  By comparison Edinburgh is the fifteenth largest UK city.  We are bigger than Lyon, Turin, Amsterdam and Dusseldorf and nearly as big as Brussels.  This makes us a huge player particularly in an environment where large businesses are refocusing their investment into cities rather than urban developments and also makes us a magnet for attracting talent which is a major driver of inward investment.

2.  We are skilled - we are the second most skilled large city in the UK and we are pretty bright.  We retain more of our talent than Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool (i.e. people stay here after they've finished their higher education here).  We're only beaten by London.  That said one of the step changes we make to be even more skilled and bright is to develop in the field of vocational education.  25% of those in the working population have no qualifications and many of them are out of work.  Already the new super colleges are making inroads into this and if we can change this dramatically then it would revolutionise the extent of inward investment we receive.  We need to match aspirations of this part of the community to education.

3.  We have a reputation for strong leadership - we are very apt at bringing all stakeholders across our communities (civic, academic, business and political) together for the common weil regardless of their differences to make sure that we work together to deliver challenging projects (e.g. the Commonwealth Games) or to tender for investment.  We are the only city in Scotland to have secured a First City Deal which has secured us government funding to the tune of £1.13bn to improve our infrastructure.  By working across their boundaries these groups have now secured the development of the rail link from the city to the airport, the completion of the Clyde Waterfront development and to redevelop Greenock's waterfront to significantly improve cruise liner facilities to name but a few.  This is an attribute which is hard to achieve, hard to prove but when you have it it is a huge benefit to you.

4.  We have a diverse economy with six key industries in which we excel - low carbon; financial and business services; life sciences; engineering, design and manufacturing; higher and further education; tourism.  The creative industries and the food and drink industry could also have been clear contenders as we excel in those too.

The remainder of Stuart's points of proof relate to how we take that diverse economy and excel even further - we don't need to look for another Commonwealth Games to bolster our economy; in fact the chances of getting one are very slim as they really don't come along that often.

So in terms of what we have to do next - focus on those six industries using the talent we have at our disposal.

5.  Low Carbon Industry - we are the renewables capital of Scotland, have a developing new area of the city where many of the associated companies are basing themselves and focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our city to act as a low carbon demonstrator and city of good practices which we can sell to the wider world.  Not only that but we have secured the oil industry annual conference from Aberdeen for the next ten years.

6.  Financial and business services sector - Glasgow experienced the most significant growth outside of London in this sector from 2000 to 2008 i.e. before the whole thing crashed.  We rank 75th in the world leading financial service sector cities which is significant given Edinburgh (which we'd all acknowledge as being the financial services capital of Scotland) is also in the 70's.  This growth and its impending post crash return has led to many physical changes taking place in the city landscape.  For the first time in a very long time commercial property developers are investing in speculative city centre office development - a suggestion they think the economy will continue to flourish.

7.  Life Sciences - the Glasgow Bio Corridor (from Newhouse to Irvine) houses 36% of the Scottish life sciences businesses - something we always attribute to Dundee.  We have a specific strength in the field of medical device development.  The growth in this area is supported with 22,000 students studying in this field with an annual graduation rate of 5,000 per annum.  The opening of the South Glasgow Hospital next year (the largest critical care hospital in the UK and one of the largest in Western Europe) is attracting companies, academics and clinical research facilities to our city.  Numerous clinical research projects are due to be housed out of Glasgow - bizarrely our reputation for ill health is critical in attracting these research programmes so there is a mixed message.

8.  Engineering, Design and Manufacturing - we want engineering back at the heart of Glasgow - currently we have 800 businesses employing 22,000 people in Glasgow and we are still the biggest contributors of Gross Value Add to the Scottish economy.  We have 9,000 students in this field and a new city centre Technology Innovation Centre opening next year which will bring together all parties (academia, research, business etc).  Strathclyde University has set itself a highly ambitious agenda on the world stage and has been awarded the contract to run the strategy for the National Physical Laboratory on behalf of the UK. 

9.  Higher and Further Education - we have the largest student population in Scotland (130,000 students).  Our universities and colleges are reinventing themselves and Glasgow Caledonian University is acknowledged as a great example of how to turn a polytechnic into a modern university distinctive for its inclusivity and its expansion to having campuses in London and New York.  The challenge for this sector is that mentioned earlier - especially for the 'super colleges' - to determine how to match the aspirations of that 25% of the workforce who have no qualifications with courses that can aide their development and our ability to attract inward investment.  We also have a couple of jewels in our crown - the Royal Conservatoire and the Glasgow School of Art which in the coming months will pull on our strength of working together to rebuild itself.  Not only is the education aspect important but education is a business in its own right - the development of great quality student accommodation has contributed to our economy significantly in the last few years.

10.  Tourism - business tourism is one of our strengths - outside of London we attract the most conferences in the UK and even then we only come slightly second to London which is a huge achievement.  Leisure tourism is the one we need to crack to make a step change to our success.  The Commonwealth Games have been huge in this - not least as the most entrenched views of what Glasgow is and what you'll experience when you get here are in the South East of England.  Forced to come here if they wanted to enjoy the Games (and they did come) then perceptions of what Glasgow is has notably changed and our challenge now is to capitalise on that and secure these visitors from England in revisiting our city.  An increase of 300/400K visitors to Glasgow per annum would represent success in this field.  We are continuing to see great investment in this area with the Burrell Collection due to receive £40m of investment, Kelvinhall being redeveloped, the success of the SSE Hydro which is now the third busiest concert venue in the world, the associated regeneration of Finnieston which now houses two Bib Gourmand establishments (Ox and Finch and The Gannet) - and lest we forget a couple of years ago you wouldn't have gone out your way to visit Finnieston.  We are a UNESCO city of music with 130 music events per week to choose from.  We are in the top ten sporting cities and have the European Swimming Championships, World Gymnastic Championships and the football coming this way.  Hotels are reporting the highest occupancy rates ever and Glasgow airport has seen increasing footfall month on month for the last 18 months.  Buchanan Galleries is about to go through another £300m investment and Queen Street station is being redeveloped.

So that was Stuart's justification for why he considers us to now be an economic powerhouse.  As for the question of 'what next?' well two things which roll of the tongue but are no doubt difficult to achieve and certainly a long term challenge - improve the vocational skills of that 25% of the workforce and exploit those six industries at which we excel.

It was a great talk - really making you lift your head to think about your city on a world stage and also enlightening about what is going on or planned for our development.  These sorts of insights always fascinate me.

Whilst marvelling at the economic powerhouse that I call home I...

...POPPED UP at Glasgow GinFest and Section 33.  The Glasgow GinFest was run by the Gin Factory in the Barra's Art and Design Centre and brought a range of twenty seven different gins to try including some more unusual versions (see GINNED ON below).  

Section 33 is a company which caters at street food events, weddings etc and has taken on the challenge over the next few months of hosting six pop up restaurant events in six iconic locations throughout Glasgow with profits going to the food banks.  The first of these events was in the Southside and, despite having been launched a month or so ago, we only found out on Thursday where the venue was - The Govanhill Baths - yes we actually had our dinner last night in the swimming pool (shallow end if you were wondering).  I'm going to cover the Govanhill Baths in next weeks blog as we were given a rare treat on the way out last night - more to follow...

...GINNED ON...my favourites at the ginfest were Rock Rose (for the bottle as much as anything ) described as berry sweetness with juniper undertones, zesty yet full of berry sweetness, long and smooth and best served with orange; Jensen's Old Tom - huge root hit, ample musk and spice, sweetness on the nose yet a dry palate, best served with rosemary; and my favourite of the night was Warner Edwards Victoria's Rhubarb - smooth and earthy with an exquisite fruity balance of sweet and sour.  It was yum and really did taste of rhubarb...

..DINED ON...one of everything on the menu in the picture below at Section 33 - no I'm not that much of a glutton - we all shared!!  It was all beautiful tasty slow cooked food.  Stand outs were the Venison Mole Empanadas and the Basil and Olive Oil cake with Strawberry Ice Cream.

What an amazing couple of events - testament to how brilliant, energetic and edgy my city is - can't wait for the next Section 33 event.

And before I go - a big Happy 40th Birthday to my cousin Claire in New Zealand - hope you enjoyed your wonderful surprise of all of our ugly mugs popping up on your screen on Saturday morning - what a treat (haha).

Until next time - have a good week.