Drinks Around the World: Talisker Scotch Whisky (Scotland)

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Every month I write about a special drink that I've had somewhere in my travels. This month's offering takes us on a tour of the Talisker Scotch Whisky Factory on the wild, wind-swept and mountainous Scottish Isle of Skye.

After a guided tour through the distillery with its five gleaming copper stills and aged oak barrels, a sample of the smoky, fiery brew is offered. The first sip almost explodes in your mouth, spicy but with a slight sweetness. The water, drawn from a stream on the island purified from running through boggy marshes contributes to the smoky aroma and spicy taste.

Talisker suggest a small drop of pure water to release the flavours but to never add ice or any other mixer to the drink. A favourite story on the tour is that the whisky sits in the barrels for a minimum of ten years with some sitting there for periods of well over 20 and 30 years. Each year around two percent of the whisky is lost soaking into the barrel known delightfully as the angel's share.

So a hearty cheers for this famed Scottish drink at this month's drinks party.

Photo of the Week - Halloween Pumpkins (Vermont, USA)

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In a small rural village in north Vermont, stacks of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes await Halloween enthusiasts to carve their lanterns. Celebrated the night before All Saints or All Hallows Day, the name derives from hallow evening, shortened to halloween. Every year, this primarily American tradition sneaks further into Australia with shops adorned with witches, ghosts, bats and skeletons while children in the suburbs run around the houses trick or treating.

The Balcony of Love (Verona Italy)

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"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name", said Juliet looking down from a balcony in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, set in the travel wonder of Verona in northern Italy. This elegant 14th century two storey stone cottage in central Verona was home to the Cappello family that Shakespeare is rumoured to have developed the family name Capulet in his famous play.

Today millions of visitors disgorge from the otels in Verona and flood this narrow laneway to pay homage to the setting of English language's best known love story. Verona has cashed in too with couples able to pay hundreds of Euros to stand on the balcony and take their marriage vows in this iconic location of love.

Ironically, Shakespeare never went to Verona nor was the balcony built when the play was set, but such details spoil a wonderful tale.

A bronze statue of Juliet Capulet stands proudly in the courtyard, her right breast glowing a rich gold from years of gentle rubbing and touching. Good fortune is afforded to visitors who rub Juliet's right breast. Judging by the smoothed area on the statue, many have sought good luck when visiting the historic and grand city of Verona. Some leave their secret desires on small slips of paper tucked into the historic stone wall.

In Verona, spend a few minutes thinking of your loved one as you gaze up at Juliet's famous balcony and massage her chest for good luck.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Other Italian Posts
Touring the Mosaic City (Ravenna)
Chianti Classico
Hiking the Confection Villages (Cinque Terre)
Tuscan Beauty (Pitigliano)
Top Ten Travel Wonders of Rome

Photo of the Week - Breakfast on Sydney Harbour Bridge

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Last Sunday, several thousand lucky people drawn from a ballot had breakfast on the Australian travel wonder of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The bridge was closed to traffic and transformed into a parkland of fresh grass for the picnic rugs, eskies (local slang for the portable ice boxes that keep everything cool) and baskets full of tasty pastries, juices and other breakfast goodies. I wasn't one of the fortunate few to be selected from the 195,000 entries.

Along with the breakfast, Sydney hosted its annual Seven Bridges Walk, a testing circuit of 25 kilometres around the harbour, crossing seven bridges including the Harbour Bridge and ANZAC Bridge. I completed the circuit in pouring rain, raising a couple of hundred dollars for Diabetes Australia, along with several thousand others drenched but determined participants.

Remarkably a few hours after hosting thousands of people on luscious green lawn, the bridge was again hastily converted and had traffic roaring across its eight lanes - not a blade of grass in sight.

Source: Photos

The Fairytale Mining Town (Goslar, Germany)

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The Harz mountains stand tall in the epicentre of Germany, rich in forests, rivers and historic half-timbered villages. Sliced in half by the East and West divide, this area attracts many less visitors than it warrants.

At 1000 years old, the world heritage-listed travel wonder of Goslar is a medieval masterpiece of narrow cobblestone streets, small canals, a glorious historic main square, the 1494 Hotel Kaiserworth (still functions as a hotel today) and 11th century royal castle. The active main square features an old animated clock that celebrates Goslar’s rich mining history on certain hours, a traditional town hall (including a vibrantly frescoed meeting hall), a handful of grand houses, a church and a fountain. Near the town hall is an old official textile measure where debtors and textile cheats (selling under-measures of cloth) were ceremoniously stripped to highlight their crimes. Mind you, on medieval standards, this is mild punishment indeed.

On a grassy hill is the grand mid-11th century Imperial Palace (Kaiserpfalz) with colourful frescoes detailing the town’s history, the tomb of Heinrich III (who built the palace) and his throne.

Just off the main square is an alms-house that has served as a place for the poor for 750 years. Seemingly unchanged over time, today the small rooms off the main hall are used by artists including glassblowers, potters and leatherworkers.

Less than a kilometre away is the location that gave Goslar is riches. For around 1000 uninterrupted years, silver and copper has been dug from the Rammelsberg Mine yielding an estimated 30 million tons of ore moved primarily by hand. Descending the shafts of this mine via ore train and foot highlights the savage and dangerous conditions of mining in past times. Huge waterwheels helped moved the ore to the surface. The mine only closed in 1988.




While there are a variety of museums and historic houses around Goslar, this is another delightful town where it pays to discard the map and simply wander the small canals and quiet cobblestoned backstreets. It is easy to imagine the local population having done so for many centuries.

Other Germany Posts
A Timeless Promise (Oberammergau Passion Play)
Peering from the Eagle's Nest (Berchtesgaden)
Bacon Beer and Bishops (Bamberg)
The World's Largest Advent Calendar (Gengenbach)