When you've got a weekend to spare, a few extra dollars and a party invitation... what do you do? Well, you pack your bags and fly to Perth, Scotland, of course!! - "For a weekend?" we hear you ask. "Yes indeedy! With eddys galore! (more on that later)

The aim of our trip: The view over Aberfeldy from the Bunkhouse.

Erik discovered he was rapidly approaching the big Three O, and a party was in order. We received the first invitation to the party back in August - ample time to hunt down good flight deals. We found ours with British Airways through Heathrow to Glasgow. Only thing was that we had to get to Boston where BA would pick us up. Flying domestically is hardly ever a good deal from little Ithaca, so we jumped in Yogi and drove across New England to Boston's Logan Airport. Actually, we set off from Ithaca in a convoy: Hild in Yogi and Rob in Cab (Cabernet Sauvignon), which is David's Mercedes. We dropped Cab off at Albany Airport where David arrived in from Phoenix. He took Cab back to Ithaca and we continued on to Boston after a night in a small hotel in Albany.

We arrived in Boston with plenty of time to take in the city atmosphere. Since Boston is what it is at the moment: one big construction dig-out, we parked Yogi in the long term parking at the airport where he was to spend 4 nights all on his own. Then we surveyed the airport check-in area and how to make it to down-town. With a choice between road, rail or water, we went with the latter. It was perfect. A little water taxi man picked us up, ferried us across (no one else in the boat) and instructed us in how to use the two-way radio on the jetty to call for our return ride. It was just the right way to do it. Definitely our normal choice if we ever were to live in Boston.

So we hopped on the plane and flew to Heathrow for a short transfer to our plane to Glasgow. Nothing happened, which is normally good when you are flying around the world. Before we could gather our senses and adjust to European time we found ourselves staggering towards the luggage carousel - only to be intercepted by Erik and Hans, his dad. We were lucky to have them pick us up. They shipped us off in the car through the usual Glasgow rain to Perth. Britt, Erik's mum, greeted us and even organised for the sun to appear. While we normally are quite polite, we blamed jetlag and found a bed for 40 winks. It was perfect so we had enough energy for the exertions to come.

The next day Erik's sister and nephew, Anne and Finlay, showed up with the "Passion Wagon" (real name adjusted for appropriate web-ethics...). We packed up two huge cars with food and stuff to drive to the cabin for the weekend party. It was a lot of fun driving around on the narrow Scottish roads - reminding us of Norway in many ways. Soon we were driving past this distillery and that. Rob, Erik and Hans discussing vividly the various brands zooming past us. Our final destination was the Bunkhouse on Glassie farm in the hills above Aberfeldy.

We can tell you that the Bunkhouse is great. As it happened we were the only party there that weekend, but it was big enough to house lots of people. Soon all the food and stuff was loaded into the kitchen and the rooms were divied up. Poor Rob and Erik had to share a room with the mother-of-all snorers: Hild. Little did Mark and Naila know that they would also have to sleep in that very same room. The early risers: Hans, Britt, Finlay and Anne, were put in a room on their owns. And finally the remaining party-goers joined and got the room above the kitchen and living room. We were joined by Fiona and Richard as well as Cathy and Chris - and a couple of little persons, which meant lots of fun for Finlay. The late arrivals got the enjoyment of listening to the goings-on in the living room even after they had gone to bed. And my - what goings-on! There was tonnes of eating, drinking and playing.

Erik, Britt, Rob and Hild went to the Aberfeldy distillery. We enjoyed hours of entertainment - both educational and fun. We learnt about the history of the distillery, how it was built by John Dewar and how his family carried it on - hence the famous Dewar's whisky. Apart from the elaborate exhibit of items from the process like lots of bottles of different single malts used to produce the famous blend, there were decades of Dewar's commercials and bits of artefacts to spice it all up. At the end of the exhibit we even got to make a crack at sniffing out the flavours of different blends. For the exercise they provided little bottles of flavours such as 'pineapple', 'floral' and 'seaside' just to mention the most hilarious - for uneducated people like ourselves. To these people it is no laughing matter, I'm sure. It was all so much fun that we didn't mind too much that the distillery part was closed for maintenance. We even bought a few bottles of the Aberfeldy single malt.

Birthday-boy and Anne cutting the cakes. Quick - it's about to explode with all them candles!!!	Hild and Rob eating the cakes. It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it...

Mark and Hild playing table-curling. All concentration here - in the rowdiest game of all. Especially when Britt won!	All action on the twister sheet - from the front. Mark in charge. Naila, Britt, Erik and Hild fighting it out!	All action on the twister sheet - a less flattering angle... Naila and Erik in charge. Britt, Rob, Hild and Hans creating a domino effect!

With all that indoor eating and drinking going on, we made sure that we stretched our limbs up and down the Scottish hills. But first there was the energetic main attraction of the trip: river-rafting with Nae Limits!!! (see www.naelimits.com). Well actually, because there wasn't enough water in the river we went river-ducking! And that's where the eddys come into play. For the un-initiated Hild was told that duckies are not cute feathery things with beaks, but a cross between a Canadian canoe, a white-water raft and an inflatable kayak. If that isn't enough to scare you away, you're a bit like Hild. With one part ignorance, one part group-encouragement and a pep-talk from Biscuit-the-duckie-guide (real name Rich T.) Hild also decided to join the motley crew on their trip down the rapids (which weren't all that rapid according to the more seasoned participants - such as Anne, Dave and Richard).

Now the eddys - that was about the only thing that stuck to Hild's (and Rob's) brain during the two-minute crash-course in how-to-handle-yourself-in-your-duckie-course. An eddy is that bit of the river where the water - after rushing downwards - suddenly turns to the side and starts running back upwards.... sometimes on the right of the river, sometimes on the left (just ask Biscuit for directions). It is where you can catch your breath and regain composure after having: A) gone backwards over a weir (a definite no-no performed not-so-elegantly by Rob and Hild); B) tried to surf those rapid waves (we watched in awe as Dave and Biscuit showed off); C) used all your energy in clattering your teeth in the not so warm October river water; or D) completely missed the end-point of the trip (paddle faster Hild). Needless to say Hild and Rob's best friend on the trip was Eddy the eddy - conveniently waiting on nearly every corner of the river.

Spirits where high, higher than the waves when the party of duckies finally pulled onto dry land far away from their starting point. We balanced the duckies on our heads and scrambled up the handy steps to find the 4WD car waiting for us. With Biscuit climbing up and down and over the car the duckies where soon secured for the drive back to the Nae Limits headquarters in Dunkeld. We were cold and sweaty and quite pleased that we'd all survived and enjoyed the exertion - and that we took the group photo before we started the trip... ho hum.

Duckies going to the river Tay. Back from left: Mark, Erik, Richard, Dave Middle from left: Hans, Anne, Naila, Hild Front: Rob - beached...	Everybody 'helping' to pack the duckies onto the 4WD. Biscuit climbing the car. Rob and Hans balancing a duckie on their heads. The rest of us - watching...

On one of the first day on the Glassie farm Erik, Rob and Hild explored the nearby fields and becks and animals, in fact... We even played a bit of chicken skipping from slippery rock to slippery rock. Luckily there were no accidents. It was way too cold for that. Falling into the beck would probably have lead to instant hyperthermia. How those sheep survive in the cold and bitter wind, we'll never fully understand. Maybe it has something to do with those woolly coats they have. We didn't go too close to find out though. They had big horns, bigger than the Norwegian sheep.

Hild and Erik off to explore Glassie farm.	Erik and Hild playing chicken across Glassie beck. Hild, why aren't you skipping??? eh???	Rams grazing at Glassie farm - view over Aberfeldy.
A trek from the Bunkhouse to Loch Glassie.	Part of the trekkers to Loch Glassie - The sun even came out. Naila, Erik, Hild and Rob	Hild, Mark and Rob at Loch Glassie.

One day Britt, Hans, Erik, Rob and Hild went to the Birks of Aberfeldy. We saw the rock where apparently Robert Burns sat when he wrote the song of the same name as the park... As it was drizzling with rain we didn't sit down (and weren't inspired to write beautiful lyrics) - in stead Rob just posed in front of all the waterfalls we came upon (see below). Hans was inspired to pick some delicious-looking mushrooms, though. In the end we had to pass on eating them because little critters had gotten to them first... doh!

Left: Rob at one of the many spectacular waterfalls in Aberfeldy. Right: Hans showing Hild the catch of the day: mushrooms. Sadly various bugs had made them inedible.

Finally Erik got to open his presents. Here a wall-clock that impresses Hans and tickles Mark...	Hild and Rob admiring the gifts.

It was fun, it was exhausting and it was challenging... just what we expected from an extended weekend trip from upstate New York to upcountry Scotland... worth every dime just to say "Happy Birthday" to Erik-the-half-a-Swede.

Web design by Hild Rygnestad
Last updated July 2010