Copenhagen 2026: Flight, Hotel, Surrounding Area

Our flight into Copenhagen was quite eventful. We thankfully booked our tickets early before the recent surge in oil prices caused both higher airfares and fewer flights worldwide. Our research showed that many attractions and stores were closed on Mondays in the city, so we decided to use them as travel days and flew both to and from Copenhagen on a Monday. As an added bonus, it was also less crowded on the trains.  When we took a day trip to Malmo, Sweden on a Saturday, our train, which passed through the Copenhagen airport, was packed with people clogging the aisles and overhead racks with their huge suitcases.

We chose Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) since it offered the best prices relative to the other airlines. Unfortunately, our selected “red-eye” flight was scheduled to leave at 5:10pm EST and landed at 7:05am Denmark time. This meant in Toronto’s time zone, we were flying “overnight” from 5:10pm to 1am, making it almost impossible to sleep. When we landed 30 minutes early, few stores or cafés were open yet, the reception at our accommodations did not open until 9am to drop off our bags, and check-in was not until 3pm. This meant many hours of stumbling around Copenhagen with little to no sleep.

The cost of the same flights fluctuated weekly if not daily.  Using Google Flights Tracking alerts, we snagged two Premium Economy tickets for over $400 less that the highest price offered around that time. These days we always splurge and fly Premium Economy if it is available, since we are of the age where we want to be more comfortable on long flights. But more importantly, this type of ticket allows us to board the plane before the people with economy tickets, almost guaranteeing us overhead space for our carry-on luggage. For the past few years, it seems like on every flight we take, there is an issue with enough cabin storage. We have not checked a bag on a flight since 2013 when Air Canada lost our luggage, never to be found again. One additional perk that SAS offers its Premium Economy customers is the ability to bring on a second carry-on bag per person, in addition to the personal item.  This came extremely handy when we bought a few souvenirs that would not have fit in our first carry-on bags. It is too bad that SAS only flies direct out of Toronto to either Copenhagen or Stockholm or else I would always fly this airline, just for the perk of having a second carry-on bag!

The weird timing of our flight had some advantages. When we arrived at the Toronto Pearson airport lounge, which we had free passes for with our credit card, we found that our standard lounge was closed mid-day. Instead, we were allowed into the premium lounge, which was roomier and had better food choices. We had a nice snack of Asian dumplings, meatballs, pasta, and salad while we waited for our flight. Because it was so comfortable in the lounge, we cut it a bit close to return to our gate, which was at the other end of the terminal. But we still started back there with enough time to arrive just before boarding began.

Leaving out of Terminal 3, our gate was “B26” which involved going down an escalator (that wasn’t working) where we had to hop on a shuttle bus that drove for what felt like a long way before reaching our destination.  We found out later that this was the “Infield Concourse”, a separate satellite building located beyond the main T3 terminal that is used for overflow of certain flights that the main B-gates can’t handle. What made the experience feel extra weird was that we were the only people on the bus! We were either really early or really late. Debarking from the bus and scurrying up the escalator of the new building, we found our real gate and a lounge full of people. While we were not late since boarding still had not started yet, the rest of them were really early!

We got there just in time to hear our names called because we were amongst the people who did a web check-in, which meant our passports had not yet been inspected or scanned by a live attendant. We were the first people in line to have our passports checked and during this process, we received an unexpected and wonderful surprise. Out of the blue, the boarding agent told us that we had been upgraded to business class and issued us new boarding passes.

The level of luxury and pampering that we received on this flight is something we will not soon forget. We were the first people to board the plane and arrived to find big, comfortable seats with so much leg room that I had to unbuckle my seatbelt to reach my personal belongings bag in front of my seat. We learned later what all of that extra room was actually for! On top of the usual around the waist seatbelt, we also had an over-the-shoulder belt like in a car. Before we were even settled, we were offered a pre-takeoff drink of champagne (or cranberry juice in my case). Built into each seat was a compartment with a bottle of water, complimentary toiletry bag containing overnight essentials, and big, plush over-the-ears headphones to use with the entertainment system.  I was so impressed with the movie choices including several movies that I had been wanting to watch but were yet not available on any of my streaming services. Since I couldn’t sleep anyways, I ended up watching several movies during the 7-hour flight including “This is Not an Accident”, part of “Marty Supreme” (which I found annoying and quit), and half of “No Other Choice”, which I finished watching on the flight home, along with “Is This Thing On” and “The Family McMullen”.

Once the plane took off, the offers of drinks and then food seemed to be non-stop and came with a four-page menu of choices. We were given hot towels to clean our hands (both before and after the meal) and our fold-away trays were covered with tablecloths. First, we were provided with a snack of roasted cashew nuts in a heated bowl accompanied by a choice of cocktail. I chose a “Hugo Zero” mocktail of elderflower, mint and sparkling soda while Rich selected a “Polar Pioneer” consisting of vodka, blue Curaçao, Umeshu, Champagne and apple juice.

This was followed by a three-course meal. The appetizer options included seared scallops with smoked tomato vinaigrette, corn salad and truffle oil, which we both selected. The other option was Thai beef with cucumber salad, fried vermicelli and roasted shallots. There were three choices of main including oven-baked pasta with spinach, pomodoro sauce, broccolini, roasted peppers and grilled lemon, or Ponzu-marinated chicken thigh with herbed butter, garlic gai lan (Chinese broccoli) and jasmine rice, or beef top blade steak with onion demi-glace, sun-blushed tomatoes and crushed potatoes. I chose the beef and Rich had the chicken.  Both came with salad and bread. Of course, wine was served with dinner.  Finally, dessert was a choice of fruit salad, a cheese plate with Grey Owl and blue cheese, or a frangipane tart with mixed berry compote. At this point, I was regretting all the food I ate in the airport lounge! I chose the fruit which seemed like the lightest option while Rich had the cheese. As post meal aperitifs, I had a Baileys on ice and Rich had a cognac. It was so nice to have real plates, glasses and cutlery for our meals, with no plastic foil or lids to remove from the food.

Once dinner was over, it was time to turn our attention to all the fancy buttons on our seats. In addition to the standard tilt in a regular seat, there is a button that triggers an ottoman to raise your legs and a massage function that gently strobed up and down your back. But most intriguing was the tilt functions that caused the chair to recline within a self-contained unit so that the person behind you is not affected. At full horizontal incline, the unit turned into a bed where your legs and feet slid into that deep cavern that I originally thought was storage space for my personal items. We were also given a plump pillow, a plush blanket and the toiletry bag contained socks, ear plugs, sleep mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, skin cream and lip balm. If this had been a true red-eye flight, the sleep environment would have been ideal. But given that the lights went out around 9pm, it was hard to fall asleep even in these conditions.  Just before landing in the “morning”, which was about 11:30pm in our original time zone, it was time for breakfast. When the plane landed at 6:40am Denmark time, our adventure in business class was sadly over. Having been so royally spoiled, it was difficult to go back to flying economy, or even premium economy.

It was actually interesting to compare our experience flying out in business class with our flight home in premium economy. There was no pre-takeoff champagne, hot towels or tablecloth. Our drinks came in plastic cups instead of glassware and while we did still get cashews, they were not heated in a bowl and we had to rip open the packaging to get at them (the horrors! 😊). After being served each course on individual plates in business class, we were back to the standard airplane meal that came in a single tray with peel-away plastic wrap over the food. At least there was real cutlery and the premium economy people received an extra meal choice (chicken or pasta) while the economy travellers were only offered chicken. Our section consisted of wider seats than economy with just two seats on each side of the centre aisle but there was no longer the extra over-the-shoulder seatbelt. Our seats were the first row of the Premium Economy section so we still had plenty of legroom although we had to store our personal items in the overhead bin since there was no seat in front of us. From our seats, we peered longingly into the business class section just in front of us, before a curtain was closed to separate us. We were provided with the usual crappy earphones that you stick inside your ears but which never actually fit well, so we used our own noise cancelation Bose headphones instead to watch the same great selection of movies.  While we were descending into Toronto, I spotted the ultra tall tower that is being constructed across from our condo. It was a lovely experience flying Scandinavian Airline’s Premium Economy and we would have appreciated it all the more had we not been so decadently spoiled on our flight out.

The Copenhagen Airport is full of fun art, starting with the first of six Little Mermaid related sculptures that we would see on this trip, including this replica, the actual iconic one in Langelinie, plus other versions created as homages or spoofs of the original. We took our time exploring the airport before going through customs since the reception at our hotel did not open until 9am and we wanted to drop off our bags before roaming around the city as we waited for our 3pm check-in time.

Like most of Europe, Copenhagen has a robust train system that ties into its transit system. The purchase of fares for the train, bus, metro and even ferry boat services are consolidated into the single Rejsebillet app which allows you to pre-purchase tickets on your cell phone. Copenhagen works on a zone system so it is the same price to ride on any mode of public transportation when traversing between the same number of zones. When buying transit tickets, the minimum purchase is for 2 zones at a cost of 24 Danish Krone (DKK) or $5.2CAD.  The trip from the airport to Copenhagen Central Train Station (København H) crosses 3 zones at a cost of 30DKK and takes only 15 minutes, making it a quick and easy ride into the centre of the city. Confusingly, the corresponding metro station, which is about a block away from the train station, has the same name. This seems to be true for all hubs in the city where the train and metro both stop at the same location.

We noticed some interesting aspects of the train and metro systems. The trains run quite frequently, often with multiple trains passing through popular locations. There are special cars with toilets and others designated for bicycles where seating has been replaced with bike racks. A few cars are designated as “silent” cars, where no noise, phone calls, or conversation is allowed. On another car, in addition to space for bikes, there were spaces designated for a luggage rack, wheelchairs and baby carriages. We lucked onto this car on our way back to the airport and were able to stow our luggage on the rack. The metro stations have all been outfitted with safety doors that line up perfectly with the subway train doors. Subway trains seem to come every 3 minutes, but the main city routes (M3 and M4) follow the same path for multiple stops.  If you are traveling to those locations, a subway train seems to come through København H metro station 1-1.5 minutes that will head to your destination.

Like many of the older train stations in Denmark (and Europe in general), København H is ornate and majestic. Open in 1911 in the south-east corner of the historic old town, the station is the largest in Denmark and acts as the central hub that disburses trains in all directions. This made it easy to return home from a day trip since all trains seemed to pass through this station. But picking the correct train to leave the station was daunting, especially if our destination was not the last stop since there were so many choices and tracks to choose from. On our four forays out of Copenhagen, we were able to select a departure time and purchase our ticket ahead of time using the Rejsebillet app. The ticket is good for 90 minutes, so if you miss your intended train, you can board the next one 20-30 minutes later. Once we arrived at København H, we had to read all the departure boards to find the right track and be aware of the time that our train left since several trains headed to different locations could pass through the same track just minutes beforehand. Denmark transportation does not use the tap-on/tap-off system of ensuring that a fare is paid. Instead, there are intermittent spot checks by transit inspectors, especially on longer train rides. We were only checked a few times but I wished it had happened more often as that would have made me feel better about the hefty prices we were paying to ride on the transit system.

For our 13-day stay in Copenhagen, we rented a unit in the Erik Vokel Suites, a chain of apartment hotels that also has locations in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid and Hamburg. Lately we have been looking for apartment hotels which provide us with a complete living space including a full kitchen, couch, and dining area, in addition to a bedroom and bathroom. It also offers a manned reception desk so that we can drop off our bags before check-in time and have someone on site to address any issues.

We chose Erik Vokel for its ideal location, two blocks away from the central train station and right around the corner from a Metro station that feeds the two main subway lines running through the centre of the city. It was also within walking distance to many attractions. The reception desk is only manned daily from 9am-5pm so we took our time getting to the hotel to drop off our bags. Once we got there, we realized that we could have arrived earlier since there are large lockers available outside of the reception area where we could have safely stored our luggage until check-in time. Although there is a self-check-in option for people arriving outside of the staffed hours, we were grateful that someone was available to hand us our keys. One evening during our stay, we encountered guests with their luggage standing helplessly in front of the apartment next to ours with no way to get in since the auto-generated key did not work. At least there was an off-hours emergency phone line that they could use, but that must have been a stressful experience for them.

Our unit had some interesting quirks including an electric black-out blind that rolled down behind the regular blinds, effectively blocking out all light at night and in the early morning.  Although our apartment had a washing machine, it did not have a dryer or a clothes rack. I used a glass pane by the window as a pseudo drying rack, letting the sun do its work and then helping out the drying process with a hair dryer. Surprisingly, the apartment also lacked an ice tray in the freezer. I had bruised the top of my right foot just prior to arriving in Copenhagen resulting in a painful swollen bump that was aggravated by the amount of walking we were doing each day. Without ice to help ease the swelling, I resorted to an old trick.  I went to the local grocery store and bought the least expensive bag of frozen vegetables that I could find, which turned out to be a bag of okra. After several nights of applying the okra on my foot along with taking Motrin to ease the inflammation and Tylenol to dull the pain, I was able to walk without issue for the rest of the trip.

Denmark has extremely strict rules on recycling, with households being required to sort their refuse into up to 10 different categories. At Erik Vokel Suites, we found 8 small recycling bins under the kitchen sink that matched to corresponding communal bins down in the basement.  We were required to sort between paper, cardboard, plastic/food containers (washed), organic, metal, glass, hazardous waste(?) and non-recyclable garbage. We were warned when we checked in about fines of up to 3000 DKK for violations, although it was not clear if that was a fine against us as the guests or against the hotel.

This recycling initiative is paired with a deposit-return program for bottles and cans where you pay up to an extra 3DKK for a bottle, which you can get back when you return the empty, washed container back to any grocery store. Our 13-day stay at Erik Vokel Suites came with maid service every 5 days.  Because Danish currency was not available for purchase outside of Denmark, we had decided to go cashless and rely solely on our credit cards since we heard that Denmark was basically a cashless society. But this meant we had no way to tip the maids.  So, we washed out all of our bottles of milk, juice, and pop and left them for the maids to claim the deposits. It wasn’t much but better than nothing.

Not having Danish currency should not have been an issue under normal circumstances as Denmark is mostly a cashless society. But we were unlucky enough to encounter two region-wide WIFI outages that rendered credit card machines inoperable. This inconvenienced us when we were unable to purchase pastries at a bakery, coffee at a castle or drinks on a ferry boat between Helsingor, Denmark and Helsingborg Sweden. We almost couldn’t travel to Helsingborg at all because we could not pay for the ferry ticket, but the attendant let us on for free. The only other time when we wished we had cash was when we wanted to buy a souvenir from a yard sale. But luckily, the vendor accepted PayPal so we were able to make the purchase.

In general, everything felt really expensive when converting from DKK to CAD. A cup of coffee was almost $9 CAD and a simple meal for two easily came to over $100CAD.  The equivalent of $5.20 CAD per subway ride in Copehagen makes Toronto’s fare of $3.30 with 2-hour hop-on-hop-off privileges suddenly seem like a bargain. But after 9-10 days of walking until it felt like our legs would fall off, there was no price too high to pay to take transit if it saved us from walking the same route back to the hotel again. After a while, we decided not to do the conversion and just enjoy our trip.

It was unusually cold for 11 of the 13 days that we were in Copenhagen and surrounding areas but at least we did not get that much rain. We constantly juggled our planned schedule to try to be indoors in museums and castles during rainy days and outside in parks, cemeteries, and canal walks during the sunny ones.  Copenhagen is a beautiful city and we loved all the time that we spent here, exploring the popular attractions as well as finding gems off the beaten path.

Copenhagen 2026

After working on my travel blog incessantly for months, I finally finished writing about last year’s Scotland trip just in time to concentrate on our 2026 vacation to Copenhagen, Denmark. This knocks off yet another new Western European country that we have not visited before from our bucket list.

Unlike the Scotland vacation which involved changing accommodations multiple times and driving from small village to small village at the back end of the trip, this time we will stay in the same apartment hotel in the heart of Copenhagen for the entire 13 days of our stay.  From there, we will walk or take transit to thoroughly explore the city including suburban neighbourhoods like Osterbro and Norrebro. Once we getting a sunny and warmer day, we plan to buy an all-day City Pass that includes rides on the harbour ferry so that we can use it as hop-on/hop-off transportation to explore various ports on both sides of the Copenhagen Inner Harbour. The boat, metro and train service seem to work off the same Rejsebillet app. As usual, we will have castles, museums, art galleries, boutique shopping, flea and antique markets, cemeteries, parks, sculptures and architectural walks on our itinerary.

We also allocated some days to take the train to visit remote castles including the one that inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet, as well as the Louisiana Art Museum within Denmark. We will cross the Öresund Strait twice to visit coastal towns in Sweden, taking a train from Copenhagen to Malmo, Sweden one day, and a ferry boat from Helsingor Denmark to Helsingborg Sweden on another.

As we usually do when we visit a foreign country, we tried to buy a small amount of local currency. But we found that none of the Canadian banks or currency exchanges carry the Danish Krone (DKK).  Since stringent anti-money laundering compliance rules were implemented after a 2018 Danske Bank scandal involving a major money laundering case, Danish banks have been reluctant to accept DKK from foreign banks, effectively making it unavailable for exchange abroad. However, we have been assured by many previous visitors that Copenhagen is mostly a cashless city and that our credit card will be accepted just about everywhere. To ensure it is not rejected, we called our credit card company and informed them of the dates of our trip. If we really do need cash for some reason (e.g. perhaps to make a small purchase at a flea market or antique market), we can withdraw some from the local ATMs. By the same token, as we are only in Sweden for parts of two days, we will try to go cashless there as well.

In terms of getting e-Sims for our phones so that we can have data for google map searches, we looked into a European e-Sim but it cost significantly more than just getting a 30-day Danish e-Sim and a 3-day Swedish e-Sim.

Although English is spoken widely in Denmark, we have started to recognize some Danish suffixes in the big, long street and place names, making them seem a bit shorter. For example, gade=street, havn=port, borg or slot=castle, Kirke=church and kirkgard=cemetery.

In terms of dining, we are looking forward to trying Danish specialties including smorrebrod (dark rye bread with a variety of toppings, especially seafood), fish paste, polser hotdogs, and baked goods including cardamom buns.

Scotland 2025: Scone Castle, Perth Art Trail, Trip Postmortem

Our last full day in Scotland was spent in Scone and Perth before heading back to Edinburgh to prepare for our flight home.

Located near the village of Scone and the city of Perth, Scone Palace is an iconic site that was once the location where Scottish Kings were crowned in a ceremony that started in a grand Abbey and concluded at a smaller chapel. The Abbey was mostly destroyed during the Scottish Reformation in 1559 but the chapel remains and is of great historic significance. The current red sandstone Gothic Revival Palace dates mainly from the early 19th century, incorporated with older buildings from the late 16th century. This is the ancestral seat of the Earls of Mansfield. While the scone pastry is widely considered to have originated in Scotland in the early 1500s, there is no connection to the village of Scone or Scone Palace. We also found out from a guide that we were mispronouncing both the pastry (rhymes with “gone”, not “zone”) and the village (rhymes with “spoon”). To us, she said what sounded like “No, the skon was not created at Scoon”.

Scone Palace does not allow photos of the interiors because it is still an active private residence of the Murrays, Earls of Mansfield who have lived here for nearly 400 years. We were able to capture a few photos from the internet as memories.  We viewed the lavishly decorated state rooms and royal galleries to see the ornate furniture and the collection of antiques and artworks owned by the Murray family.  The Long Gallery displayed family portraits and taxidermy on the walls as well as Chinoiserie cabinets. The State bedrooms included beds once slept in by Mary Queen of Scots and King James VI.

One of the main reasons Rich wanted to visit this palace was so that he could say he ate a “skon in Skoon”, so we made sure we allocated time for this.  We ordered one Scottish cheddar savoury scone and one fruit scone which came with jam and clotted cream. For a change, instead of the usual pot of tea, we shared a latte. We also spotted some unique flavours of chips and decided to buy some to have as a snack in the evening. While they each had a distinct flavour, by the third bag they all started to taste the same and I don’t think we could have indicated the flavours on a blind taste test. But it was fun trying them anyways.

After touring the inside of the castle, we explored a bit of the extensive estate which consists of 100 acres of woodlands, gardens and a Victorian Pinetum. Scone Palace is known for its peacocks, both live and sculptural.  Right outside of the cafeteria entrance are a pair of beautifully constructed metal peacock sculptures with exquisitely detailed plumage. As we walked around the grounds, we saw several of the more common Indian peacocks strutting around the property with their bright teal necks and colourful tails decorated with the iconic circles that resemble eyes. Even more thrilling was when we spotted an elegant white peacock which is a much rarer experience for us. Finally, we came across a whimsical sculpture that was a cow/peacock hybrid. It was sponsored by Scone Palace as part of “The Hairy Highland Coo Trail”, a free public event that ran through the areas surrounding Perth in 2024. Created by artist Rio Moore, the sculpture was titled “PeaCOOck” and consisted of a cute Highland “Coo” painted in the colours and ornamentation of an Indian peacock. Moore said he was inspired by “Patrick the Peacock”, one of the resident peacocks roaming the grounds.

Next, we wandered over to a small 17th-century Presbyterian chapel on Moot Hill, which now commemorates the spot where kings were crowned while sitting on the “Stone of Scone” or “Stone of Destiny”. The stone resided in this location until 1296 when King Edward I took it to Westminster Abbey.  The real stone now resides in the Perth Museum but a replica sits in front of the Moot Hill Chapel where tourists can sit on it for photos. In front of the stone are plaques naming famous Scottish Kings who were crowned here, including Macbeth, Robert the Bruce, King James I, King James IV, and King Charles II. Inside the chapel is an ornate Italian alabaster monument to David Murray, 1st Viscount Stormont. Near the chapel is a sword in a stone, harking to the myths of King Arthur, probably added as a tourist attraction.  Two sculptures of deer made of wicker stand off to one side but look rather realistic from afar.

Continuing on through the place grounds, we passed through a stone archway, with the Murray coat of arms at the top, that is part of the surviving ruins of an old defensive wall. We found a gun loop or in the wall that was used for firing weapons or for surveillance. Further on is the Old Scone Mercat Cross, a late medieval relic that was the site of an ancient marketplace. We walked through the palace pinetum, which is a collection of coniferous trees including hemlocks, firs and sequoias. The highlight was a giant Douglas Fir that is extremely old and large. It was raised from seeds brought back from North America in 1826 by botanist David Douglas.

There is also a historic village graveyard on the grounds containing weathered headstones and old graves, as well as the remnants from the Old Scone Church and Abbey.  A small crenulated tower attached to the cemetery wall remains fairly intact.  Further off is the Minister’s tomb, honouring Presbyterian ministers who faced persecution during the 16th century Reformation, but we did not get far enough to see that.

Instead, we decided to try our hand at the unique star-shaped maze created from 2000 tall beech trees designed in the shape of the heraldic five-pointed Murray Star from the family’s crest. Opened in 1991, the maze spans 215 feet across with 2625 feet of paths leading to a central pentagon-shaped fountain with a bronze sculpture of the water nymph Arethusa. Stairs lead to an aerial view of the maze pattern. We thought that one of us could stand on the platform and guide the other to the prize at the centre. Unfortunately, the stairs were blocked off so we had to navigate the maze on our own (which we are notoriously bad at!).  We went around and around for what felt like forever, getting close enough to the centre to see the nymph through the bushes but never finding the path to access her.  Even worse, we could not find the path to get out and were trapped in this maze! Finally, we stumbled across the exit and were so grateful that we hurried out. This took so much longer than expected that we did not have enough time to explore more of the grounds as we needed to head to Perth to go on a sculpture trail walk.

The River Tay Public Art Trail runs about 4km along both sides of the River Tay and into a few riverside streets in the city of Perth. The trail features over 20 sculptures and installations that reflect the city’s history and heritage. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to find them all and we missed some good ones, but we still saw many lovely works. One of the most spectacular pieces is titled “Millais Viewpoint” (1999) by Tim Shutter, evoking similar views painted by artist John Everett Millais. It consists of sandstone seat in front of a partial picture frame that highlights the stunning vista of the hills and Kinnoull Kirkyard across the River Tay. Nestled within shrubs and colourful foliage is “Foxtrot Ridge” (1992) by David Annand where a life-sized fox seems to be in mid stride as it looks back at the sound of a noise that has caught its attention. Deschampsia Flexuosa (1992) by Phil Johnson is a set of three metal litter bins shaped like triple-pointed Celtic-inspired flowers to blend in with the natural surroundings. Giant Thistle (2007) by David Wilson is a stainless steel and copper representation of the national emblem of Scotland.

In addition to the sculptures, there were many beautifully landscaped gardens to see including Rodney Gardens, which contains formal flower beds, a circular lawn, topiary, heather displays and a small pond. Norie Miller Park is a larger space with trees, shrubs and open lawns providing backdrops to the artworks. Bellwood Riverside Park offers grassy areas and informal plantings along the River Tay.

While exploring the art trail on the east side of the River Tay, we came across the Kinnoull Kirkyard, a historic burial grounds connected to the old Kinnoull parish church called the Kinnoull Aisle, the 17th century burial chapel built for the Hay family, Earls of Kinnoull.  Inside the Kinnoull Aisle is an elaborate monument to Sir George Hay, 1st Earl of Kinnoull and Chancellor of Scotland.  It is cited as one of Scotland’s earliest major funerary monuments.  The Earl is depicted standing full-length in his Chancellor robes within a classical Corinthian portico with elegantly carved columns and a decorated pediment.  At his side is a table bearing the Great Seal of Scotland while the heraldic panel of the Hay/Kinnoull arms sits above, supported by fruit, shields, unicorns and spears.

Notable graves in the kirkyard include ones for Effie Gray, wife of artist Sir John Everett Millais, who inspired the Millais View sculpture that we saw earlier, as well as photographer W.H.Findlay, theologian John Hunt, and James Fairholme, a Royal Navy officer lost in the Franklin expedition. There are many intricately carved tombs where the images are still quite visible. The grave of Mary Duff (?-1782) commemorates her as being the wife of a ferry boatman with a distinctive tomb featuring a carving of a boatman rowing in the water with an angel flying above.

Returning back to the art trail, we approached the river and saw some beautiful views of Perth on the other side including the tall spire of St.John’s Kirk, as well as the many bridges spanning the River Tay. More sculptures were found on this part of the trail.  The Dance Within (1998) by Paul Eugene Riley looks like a totem pole of ovoid geometric shapes. Right by the water is a large installation called Benchmark (1998) by John Creed consisting of a central form of twisted steel flanked by two wooden benches that is meant to convey a sense of permanence and stability. Further away are a series spiraling metal shapes, each with a flat platform that might also be used as a seat. These are meant to represent the movement and force of the river. Sundial II (1970) by David Lovejoy is built on a solid concrete base marked with roman numerals. An upward metal bar that acts as the gnomon (the part of the sundial that casts a shadow to tell the time). 

Carved on a defensive flood wall on Tay Street between Perth Bridge and Queen’s Bridge are a series of whimsical Wall Sculptures (1998) by Gillian Forbes including one called “Cream of the Well” that looks like a waterfall, and another titled “Ecce Tiber” (translated as Behold, the Tiber River) but it is unclear what the sculpture depicts—possibly a river spirit?  Also on this wall are plaques depicting cities that twin with Perth, UK including one from Perth, Ontario!

TRIP POSTMORTEM

We spent 22 days in Scotland, not including the two travel days on either end. This was a long, tiring, but fun trip where we had so many different experiences. At a final tally, we visited: 

• 9 Castles (2 only outside on the grounds), 
• 9 Museums or Art Galleries 
• 8 Cemeteries (including a few unplanned ones that we stumbled across), 
• 6 Churches, 
• 9 Historic sites, went on 
• 9 Nature hikes along cliffs and through forests, and toured 8 gardens (some with sculptures). 

On top of all that, we watched 8 live theatre shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and toured 4 architectural masterpieces by iconic designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

We were extremely lucky in that it only rained significantly twice on our entire vacation, although both times occurred when we were roaming through kirkyards. It felt like the heavens were mourning the dead! We tried throughout the trip to walk and climb stairs on the left side like the locals but found that we were so often surrounded by tourists who walked towards us on the right that it defeated the purpose. 

Although it was not Rich’s first time driving on the other side of the road, it had been a few years and driving in Scotland had its own quirks. Every time Rich made a right-hand turn, I reminded him to “turn wide” while on a left-hand turn, I said “turn narrow”. After nudging the curb the first couple of times, the drive was mostly uneventful. We did find that there were so many “roundabouts” even when we were going straight for long distances. We found that the GPS in our rental car repeatedly brought us “near” our desired destination but not right to it.  We often had to use Google Maps on our cell phones to find the exact locations.  Thank goodness we each bought huge data plans. Many of the streets we drove down only fit one car in one direction. We soon learned the protocol which is to duck into one of the numerous pull-offs as soon as you see an oncoming vehicle to let them by before proceeding.  In a few cases, both cars pulled in and we were at a standoff. There were also so many traffic circles that it seemed like we entered them the equivalent of every few blocks, even when we were merely trying to go straight for a long distance. And we found that the traffic lights turned red, then yellow, then green unlike in North America where they go from green to yellow to red.

In retrospect, we needed to add a few more rest days to the trip and if possible, not change accommodations so often which was very tiring. But we enjoyed all the different types of activities that we took park in and liked that our trip was a bit different that most others who visit Scotland. As always, we like to wander off the beaten path and march to our own drummer.

Scotland 2025: Ballater Hikes, Aylth, Meigle, Blairgowrie

After two days in the Scottish Highlands, we spent our final two days heading south back towards Edinburgh to finish off our trip. But before leaving the Ballater area, we stopped at a location where we could go on two short hikes along two intersecting rivers. We then made more stops at Devil’s Elbow, Alyth Burn and the village of Meigle before reaching Blairgowrie where we would stay that night. Finally, on the last day of our trip, we toured Scone Castle and grounds and the sculpture trail in Perth before staying our last night near the Edinburgh airport in preparation for flying home the next morning.

It was a very pretty drive where we saw some gorgeous vistas and a few ornate bridges including the cast-iron 1905 Edward VII bridge which is painted bright white. We passed by but did not have time to stop at the Mar Lodge Estate which is now one of the UK’s largest national nature reserves with the Mar Lodge, a former late 19th century hunting lodge, now serving as a heritage centre.

Our first hike was on the Linn of Dee trail which is a short scenic walk through forested pine woods towards and then along the River Dee where dramatic river views can be found. The full trail is 3.5km while a shorter loop is 1.5km. Since we were pressed for time before we had to head to our next destination, we took the shorter route so that we could also go on the second hike.

Once we reached the River Dee, we stood on large rocks as we watched the rush of the cascading water flowing towards a swirling pool where the water hit a dead end and then flowed outwards again. There were also small waterfalls, caverns, and caves. At one end of an old stone bridge, we found a gravestone that marked the spot where two people accidentally drowned in 1927. This caused us to step back a bit as we were taking our photos. Rather than going through more forest to create a longer loop, we doubled back to the starting point which also led to the start of the second hike.

Glen Lui Hike is a short 2.8km loop through more beautiful pinewoods, this time along the Lui Water (a smaller river that intersects with the larger River Dee). This hike involved following a gently rising path into the forest while peering through the trees to see the river below. We did not catch sight of it but there is supposed to be a manmade salmon ladder somewhere on the river. We did spot of at least one waterfall and mountain views as we neared the end of the route.

Devil’s Elbow is a famous double-hairpin bend on an old section of the A93 highway, located just south of Braemar above the Cairnwell Pass. It is the highest main road in the United Kingdom. Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth II drove on this road enroute to Balmoral in the 1960s, as documented by a commercial postcard. In 1971, the A93 was upgraded to bypass this notorious turn but the original route is still available for people to walk or cycle on. A viewing point with curved benches and informational signs describing the history were added in 2016. We saw several sheep calmly grazing by the viewing point, turning what was once a dangerous and thrilling drive into a pastoral scene.

We made a quick stop at the village of Alyth to take some photos of a small, picturesque stream called the Alyth Burn which runs through the middle the town. Colourful buildings on both sides that reflect in the water give the scene a canal-like feel. The burn starts from the Forest of Alyth northwest of the town and flows into the River Isla a couple of miles downstream for a total distance of about 13km. Four bridges cross the burn within the village including old stone bridges and a smaller metal bridge.

Trees, Benches and street art line the burn at the heart of the town where shops, restaurants and a hotel can be found. On a side street, we found a shop that offered restoration of classic cars and found a garage full of very cool vehicles including a vintage Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, a classic Volkswagen Beetle, and more.

The Meigle Sculpted Stone Museum contains 27 carved Pictish stones created mostly between the 9th and 10th centuries with a few dating as far back as 700AD. The Picts were ancient people who inhabited northern and eastern Scotland and consisted of various groups that might have been descendants of native tribes from the Iron Age. Meigle was a religious centre with an important Pictish church and also associated with the ruling aristocracy. Many of the stones are thought be tombs created after the Picts became Christianized. Monumental stone slabs were carved with Pictish motifs including geometric symbols such as “V-rod with crescent” which might represent lunar cycles, and double disc with Z-rod which might have been used for timekeeping.

There were also representations of warriors in battle or hunting scenes, some on horseback, and animals including an adder, salmon, wolf, stag, cat, and an eagle. Mythical beasts included sea monsters, dancing seahorses, coiled serpents, dragons, griffins and more. The later stones marking the Christian period of Pictish sculpture start to include images of Celtic crosses and other Christian imagery including lion-like creatures that might be references to Daniel and the Lion. Some carvings show humanoid figures with animal-like characteristics. The most iconic image is the “Pictish Beast”, described as a hybrid creature with a dolphin-like snout, a crest or mane rising from its head, and spiraled feet and curly tail.

The style of the stones seemed to change in the later centuries, veering away from the upright, vertical tombs towards recumbent tombs that were meant to lie flat or rest horizontally.  Intricate carvings can be found along the long sides. One stone seems to depict images of cattle, maybe pointing to farming. There is at least one example of a “hogback” tomb, which is a specialized type of recumbent tomb with a humped, curved ridge resembling a hog’s back. It is thought that these tombs were influenced by the Vikings and made to mimic Viking-era houses.

One of the most interesting and detailed stones in the collection has several interpretations.  The initial academic reading interpreted this as a biblical scene of Daniel in the lion’s den. However, from the 16th century, local folklore and now some current historians claim that it is King Arthur’s consort Guinevere that is being torn apart by lions. Legend has it that Guinevere was kidnapped and raped by Arthur’s nephew Mordred, which was considered shameful. To save his honour, Arthur had Guinevere killed. The claims are that this stone marked her final resting spot and proves the existence of Arthur and Guinevere is perhaps more than just a myth. This was a fascinating museum and it was amazing to see such a vast number of stones that are still so intact with the original carvings still so clearly visible.

Leaving Meigle, we headed to the town of Blairgowrie which we chose as a location to stay overnight before our last full day in Scotland. But we arrived so late that there was not enough time to go on the small hike that we had planned. Instead, we checked into our accommodations at the Old Cross Inn, then wandered to the main street to look for a place to eat dinner. We spotted Jahangir Indian Restaurant and decided to try that. This turned out to be a really good meal that was highlighted by haggis pakoras, the perfect blend of Indian and Scottish flavours.  Throughout our Scotland trip, we ate haggis often and in many forms including pan-fried and in Balmoral Chicken, but this was a new spin!  We also ordered a kebab sampler plate consisting of chicken&lamb tikka, seekh kabab (spiced minced meat) and a King prawn kebab.  For mains, we shared chicken korma and tandoori salmon on pilaf rice with a side of okra. For starch, we tried another speciality, which was naan stuffed with minced lamb. For our last meal on the road before returning to Edinburgh, we at like kings and queens.

Scotland 2025: Banchory, Ballator, Braemar

Following our stay in Stonehaven, we were finally ready to head inland towards the Scottish Highlands. When we first planned our Scotland trip, the timing revolved around attending the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which runs annually on the first three weeks in August. As we wanted to miss the hottest and busiest times, we chose to arrive in Edinburgh for the last five days of the festival. This became the lynchpin that determined the schedule for the rest of the trip, so we would not get to the Scottish Highlands until September.  Unfortunately, that meant many of the things we wanted to do or places we wanted to visit were closed including Balmoral Castle since public access to it ended at the end of August.  Instead, we chose to visit Ballater and Braemar in the Highlands.

Our initial itinerary for the Scottish Highlands involved arriving in Ballater on Saturday and touring Braemar Castle on the Sunday. But when I tried to book accommodations, I found there was nothing available anywhere in the vicinity for that Saturday night. We did not find out until later that this was the date for the Braemar Royal Highland Gathering, an event that draws over 16,000 visitors to the area with hotels booking up far in advance. Out of necessity, we decided to stay an extra day in Stonehaven and shift our two days in the Highlands to Sunday and Monday. I was so happy to get any accommodations at all, that I did not realize the implications of this shift until it was too late.  But more on that later.

As part of our route inland, we wanted to stop at the Royal Deeside Railway to take a train ride on a restored heritage train that once ran between Balmoral and Aberdeen. These hopes were dashed since it also closed at the end of August. We then tried to watch salmon jump at the Bridge of Feugh in Banchory which is known for this and even features carvings of salmon. But once again, we were out of season.

The one planned site that we did manage to successfully visit was the Banchory Ternan Kirkyard. The original Ternan Church and cemetery was established around the 6th to 7th centuries and named after St.Ternan, Bishop of the Picts. The church went through multiple rebuilds and in 1824, it was dismantled and moved across the street, but the churchyard remained in its original location. The oldest structure in the cemetery is the Tilquihillie Vault, built in 1775 with the inscribed initials J.D. and M.A. representing John Douglas, 23rd Laird of Tilquihillie and his wife Mary Arbuthnott. But the main structure of interest was the circular watchtower, built circa 1829 when guards protected recently buried bodies against grave robbers. This tower had windows all around from the upper level and a bell to sound the alarm. What is interesting is that the door to enter the tower is also at the second level. The guard would climb up using a ladder and then pull the ladder into the tower so that he could not be easily accessed.

Sitting at 700 feet in elevation, Ballator is a pretty Victorian village in the Highlands running along the River Dee which is known for its proximity to Balmoral Castle. We stayed two nights at the family-run Alexandra Hotel on Bridge Street in central Ballater, which made it easy to explore the village. We were also a short drive away from neighbouring Braemar, as well as some hiking trails along the river. The hotel provided us with hearty full Scottish breakfasts each morning to start our day.

Following along Bridge Street into the heart of the village, we passed by the Glenmuick Church which is a parish church dating back to the early 1800s with a Gillett & Brand clock added in 1879 that had an electrified mechanism added in 1982. In front is a prominent war memorial honouring fallen soldiers from WWI and WWII. Across the street is the Farquharson Memorial Drinking Fountain, a Victorian granite structure from 1884 that was presented by Provost Hugh Rose to the residents of Ballater.  Lining both sides of Bridge St. are quaint shops in stone buildings selling souvenirs, crafts, and more.

At the far end of Bridge Street is Station Square where the Old Royal Station is found. This was the former railway station that was the last stop of the Deeside line that ran from Aberdeen to Ballater. The timber station was built in Victorian railway architecture fashion with a herringbone slate roof, a decorative porte-cochère (covered porch entrance), and matching ornamental trim on the flanking gables. Opened in 1866, it gained its royal nickname for being the closest rail access to Balmoral Castle, used regularly by Queen Victoria and other European royalty between the 19th and early 20th centuries. The line closed in 1966 although the station and platform remained in place. Following a fire in 2015, the station was restored and reopened in 2018. Today it is home to a visitors’ centre, library, café spaces and exhibition areas.

The Rothesay Rooms is a beautiful café/restaurant within the Old Royal Station, offering locally sourced Scottish meals for brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and Sunday roasts. The eatery is named for the Duke of Rothesay, the title held by the heir apparent to the British throne. At the time of its opening, the restaurant was named in honour of Prince Charles (now King Charles). The restored interior is made to resemble a Victorian railway station with its wood-paneled walls, stained glass windows, booths with red banquet benches, and tables next to windows that look like they belong to a vintage train. The roped off room was the Royal waiting room where Queen Victoria and her heirs would wait for their train. If we didn’t already have dinner reservations that evening, we would have loved to dine in this cool space.

Although we knew that Balmoral Castle was not open for touring after the end of August, we were hoping that we could drive up to the parking lot and perhaps get a glimpse of the castle for a photo from afar. We decided to take the 15-minute drive to Balmoral to see if this was possible. But just as we got to the edge of Ballater, we were distracted by a sign for “McEwan Gallery” and decided to check it out.

The family-run fine art gallery specializes in Scottish and European paintings from 17th century up to current day, as well as prints, sculptures and ceramics. Currently run by Rhod McEwan, who used to work at Christies as an art evaluator, the gallery is located inside of a large 2-storey Tudor-styled house. The downstairs rooms were packed throughout with art hanging from walls and sitting on top of tables, desks, credenzas, and fireplace mantles. A few more works were hanging on the wall of the second-floor landing, which probably led to the family’s living quarters. There was so much to look at and we had so much fun talking to the owner that we ended up spending over a half hour at this unexpected stop. During our chat, we found out that there was no point to continue to Balmoral since there was no way to get close enough to see the castle.

As we were about to leave, I caught sight of a room that we almost missed. Here, we found beautiful ceramics and pottery items for sale including bowls, cups, mugs, and vases. We were quite taken with the vases by British ceramist Anita Harris from Stoke-on-Trent, who once designed for Moorcroft. Her works feature vibrant hand-painted images using gleaming glazes with “flame-like or crystalline effects”, blending Art Nouveau-styled lines with modern colour palettes. We chose a vase that is part of Harris’ “Bluebell Wood” series with woodland and floral imagery painted on all sides.  After some debate as to whether or not it would survive the trip home in our carry-on bags, we decided to buy it as a souvenir of our trip. 

The Fish Shop is a popular seafood restaurant and adjoining fish shop that specializes in sustainable and locally sourced fish and shellfish. It holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, which highlights good value, high quality cooking. The restaurant is decorated with maritime themes including a sculptural installation of a swarm of fish on the ceiling and walls painted with crashing waves. We each ordered the Chef’s menu to try many different types of seafood. This set menu consisted of a crab crumpet, smoked haddock fritter with aioli, smoked cod roe on a potato tattie served with parsley salad, Oban scallop on a shell with garlic and chervil, lobster tagliarini with chili and garlic, and roasted halibut with aubergine and roasted tomato. The dessert was a chocolate and bramble brownie with dark chocolate ice cream.

Braemar Castle was built in 1628 as a L-plan tower house with castellated turrets, a star-shaped defensive wall, and a bottle-necked dungeon. It was used as a hunting lodge by John Erskine, Earl of Mar before he forfeited it to the Crown after the failed 1715 Jacobite Rebellion. It was purchased by the Farquarson family in the 18th century and is still associated with this clan today. The interior still contains furnishings and historical objects owned by the family.

After our plans shifted due to issues booking accommodations, we did not end up in Braemar until Monday. Unfortunately, Braemar Castle was closed on Mondays so we could not tour the inside! Luckily, unlike Balmoral Castle, which is totally blocked off when closed, we were still able to walk around the grounds of Braemar Castle and take photos of the exterior for free. Given the number of castles and palaces that we had already visited and would still visit on this trip, this was not so bad.

Braemar Castle is centred on a small hillside immediately above the village of Braemar. Its grounds consist of a short woodland trail running through native trees and shrubs that is open to the public. The path leading up to the castle consists of stones etched with a timeline, highlighting key dates in the castle’s history. A children’s play-area “maze” consisting of nested circles cut into the grass and a giant chess set placed on the lawn in front of the castle are accessible during summer months and school holidays for the enjoyment of families and school children.

Positioned on the upper edge of the castle grounds is the Fog House, a small timber garden folly with a thatched roof that was built in the 19th century as a viewpoint and resting place enroute to the castle. Inside is a bank of benches and a small table, making it the perfect rest stop for sheltering from the sun and heat. A 1930s heritage kitchen garden is planted with seasonal fruit and vegetables and is often used for educational and community activities.  A bright pink bird-like kite flaps in the air, probably acting as a scarecrow but also providing a pretty spot of colour against the backdrop of the castle. At the entrance to the castle grounds is a stone marker etched with the figure and name of “Colonel Anne”, referring to Lady Anne Farquharson-Mackintosh who had an active role in the Jacobite uprising along with her husband Captain Angus Mackintosh.

The village of Braemar is fun to walk around because there is a Historic walking trail that brings you to each site of interest.  Dating back to 1645, the Invercauld Arms Hotel started as a roadside inn that served as a key stopping point for horse-drawn stagecoaches and travelers to rest their horses and get food, drink and lodging. The Great North of Scotland Railway station was constructed in 1904 in anticipation of the expansion of the Deeside line but the railway never came to Braemar. Instead, the building was repurposed as a bus depot. An ornate fountain was erected by Lt.Col James Ross Farquharson, the 13th Laird of Invercauld in memory of his young wife Elizabeth who died in childbirth. A quaint wishing well topped by a weathervane is found on the Clunie Water bridge overlooking the River Dee. It is not one of the sites on the historic trail but it feels like it should be.  St.Margaret’s Episcopal Church was built in 1880 and serviced English visitors who came to visit after Queen Victoria adopted Balmoral as her Highland home.

There are several war memorials in the heart of Braemar starting with a large stone with a plaque marks the site close to where the Jacobite standard was raised at the start of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion led by the 6th Earl of Mar. The Braemar War Memorial topped by a granite Celtic Cross was unveiled in 1921 by Princess Louise in memorial of local residents who died in the two World Wars. Next to it is a memorial consisting of a black aircraft engine unveiled in 2003 by Princess Anne as a tribute to the crew of a Wellington bomber plane that crashed in Upper Glen Clunie in 1942. Nearby is the Braemar RAF Benevolent fund memorial made of a MK22 bomb casing that is used as a collection box, with a plaque dedicated to those who lost their lives in flying operations. A pretty bench decorated with hearts and doves advocates for peace and love in midst all the reminders of war.

Continuing with the historic trail, we saw a weather observatory that was donated by Prince Albert in 1855, making it one of the oldest in Scotland. Something interesting occurred when we walked by the house where Robert Louis Stevenson spent a summer and wrote Treasure Island. Sounds of a bagpipe playing emanated from the house and when we looked up into the upstairs window, we saw the bagpiper in full regalia practicing. Castleton Cottage is over 300 years old, making it one of the oldest buildings in Braemar. After touring all of these historic sites, it was refreshing and amusing to come across Subdoh Gupta’s 20-foot-tall stainless-steel sculpture titled “When Soak Becomes Spill”, initially created for a festival at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2015. It consists of a gigantic bucket filled with pots and pans, meant to “evoke childhood memory, consumerism and waste of natural resources”. But from far away, it looked to me like a huge tub of popcorn.

There are many interesting shops in Braemar including antique and souvenir stores.  The stereotypical Haggis and Highland Cow motifs were prominent, as well as items covered with tartan patterns from tablecloths to chocolate bars. I liked the book titled “Slugs - Friend or Foe” although I didn’t open it to find out the answer.  One kitchen store had a set of pate knives and forks with the images of Harry Potter characters etched on the handles.

We especially liked the shops in Braemar Mews, a small sectioned off area built in 1873 that once served as the stables for the Fife Arms Hotel across the street. The area was divided into retail units in the 1990 and now serves a small heritage shopping area. The Mews are decorated with stacked flower planters that form the shape of a Christmas tree, and a wooden bench with intricately carved animals on either side including a couple of owls, a squirrel and a porcupine. In particular, we found many items of interest at the Braes O’Mar including the cutest sheep sweaters that I would have bought if they weren’t made with pure wool which I find scratchy. Instead, Rich found a new raincoat and I picked up a little dress with pockets.

Fife Arms Hotel and Restaurant dates back to 1856 when it opened as a hotel to meet the surge of tourism that arose from Queen Victoria’s visits to nearby Balmoral. It was a popular place to stay for royalty and influential families, earning the status “By Special Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen”.  During WWI, it was used as a site to nurse wounded soldiers. The establishment fell into disrepair in the late 20th century before being purchased in 2014 by art dealers Iwan and Manuela Wirth, who restored it to its Victorian/Edwardian glory and filled it with over 16,000 works of art ranging from Scottish heritage to modern and contemporary pieces. The Wirths also commissioned various large installations found throughout the hotel. Today, Fife Arms is a 5-star luxury hotel with a grand lounge, spa, Clunie restaurant, Flying Stag pub, and several bars including an Art Deco cocktail bar named Elsa’s.

The grand lobby of the Fife Arms is a breathtaking mix of lavish Victorian-style and Highland lodge vibes, featuring both dark wood paneling and tartan wallpaper. The room is decorated with several impressive and eclectic art pieces. Hanging above the grand staircase by the concierge desk is “Red Deer Chandelier” made from stainless steel, hand-blown glass, plastic, neon and electrical devices to form multi-coloured shapes resembling deer antlers. A monumental 19th century mahogany and pine fireplace is surrounded by an ornate chimneypiece or framework with intricate carvings depicting scenes from the works of poet Robert Burns including statutes from “Ode to a Toothache”, “Jolly Beggars”, “Dr. Hornbook” and more. Flanking both sides of the fireplace opening are carvings of Burns and his lover Highland Mary. In collaboration with piano maker Steinway & Sons, artist Mark Bradford decorated a 2015 Steinway Spiro player piano programmed to play composer Robert Glasper’s score “Still Shining”.  The piano was covered with burned and bleached squares of paper to give it a flaming appearance. An original Picasso painting titled Tête de Femme (1938) sits over one of the couches. It is a portrait of Picasso’s French model lover Marie-Thérèse Walter. This is a rare portrait that features one of Picasso’s own poems within the composition. It is just one of multiple Picassos within the hotel’s vast collection. In addition to the Picassos, the collection includes works from other famous artists including Man Ray, Lucian Freud, Louise Bourgeois and more.

The Flying Stag pub offers a menu of hearty Scottish dishes including curries, fish and chips, burgers, pies, and dishes based on lamb, chicken, or haggis.  A wide variety of drinks are offered including local beers, Scottish whiskeys and other spirits. The eponymous “Flying Stag” is a large stuffed male deer with gigantic antlers adorned with wings resembling those of a ptarmigan, a bird that lives at the highest peaks of the nearby Cairngorm Mountains. Suspended above the bar and flanked by many other mounted antlers, the sculpture was created by American artist and naturalist James Prosek. On another wall are more antlers as well as photographs, portraits, and paintings including one titled “The Cardsharps”, based on a painting by Caravaggio, thought to have been painted by one of his followers.

We chose to have lunch at the more casual Flying Stag pub as opposed to the fancier Clunie restaurant. We started with the smoked mackerel pate topped with burnt apple slices and olives served with sourdough bread. For my main course, I chose the Barnsley lamb chop with spring vegetables, confit garlic & anchovy butter.  Rich ordered the steak sandwich with beer braised onion, chimichurri, mustard mayo and fries. As a side, we shared some honey glazed carrots. We decided not to have dessert in the pub because we hoped to get into the beautiful drawing room for afternoon tea instead. After our meal, we walked towards the back of the pub and were admiring a display case with some taxidermy stuffed birds.  A waiter noticed us and pointed towards a back door and told us to go through there for a surprise.

What we found was a back stairwell with an entire wall and ceiling covered with mounted animal heads, antlers and skulls. The ceiling in particular had horned skulls arranged in a circular pattern that resembled a sunburst around a central chandelier.  A plush red Victorian couch was positioned beneath the wall of heads, providing a strange juxtaposition between the gentile and the macabre.  Off to one side underneath the staircase were display cabinets with more stuffed birds. When thinking back about this space, we referred to it as the “Wall of Death”.

The stunning Drawing Room is known for its amazing, psychedelic ceiling created by Chinese artist Zhang Enli. Titled “Ancient Quartz”, Zhang was inspired by the cross sections of Scottish agates (banded crystalline quartz) and crystals found in the Cairngorm Mountains. On one of the tartan wallpapered walls of the Drawing Room was yet another original Picasso, this one named “Nude and Man with a Pipe” (1967) which is one of Picasso’s later works. The female figure is modelled after Jacqueline Roque, the artist’s second wife and muse for the last two decades of his life. The male figure, depicted as a musketeer, is likely a stand-in for the artist himself.

Because we already had lunch in the Flying Stag, we wanted the least amount of food possible just so that we could sit in this gorgeous room. Finding a cozy table by the window, we ordered two scones and a pot of tea and spent most of our time admiring our surroundings. The Drawing Room has yet another fireplace which is striking with the brown wood against the green and black tartan wallpaper. The chimney piece (more modest compared to the one in the lobby) depicts a heraldic shield under a crown, flanked by two classical male nudes with the mottos “Deo Juvante” (With God’s Help) at the top and “Virtute et Opera” (By virtue and effort) at the bottom.  The décor in the Fife Arms is so beautiful that even the bathrooms are lavish with wood paneling and floral wallpaper.

After our two official meals in the Flying Stag and the Drawing Room, we wandered around the hotel and peeked into some of the other spaces. The Clunie Dining Room featured another giant stag (this time without wings). Its walls were covered with a specially commissioned mural by Argentinian artist Guillermo Kuitca who painted in a distinctive “cubist-like” style with forms and colours inspired by the ebb and flow of the River Clunie.  Bertie’s Whisky Bar is an elegant whisky library named in honour of King Edward VII (aka Bertie). It features over 500 whiskies arranged on bookshelves by flavour profiles. Unfortunately, we missed the Art Deco Elsa's Cocktail Bar named after and inspired by the style of Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli.  Wandering around the hallways, we found more contemporary art including one of Martin Creed’s photographic series depicting a tiny chihuahua with a giant Irish Wolfhound.

It was so much fun to explore the Fife Arms. What a great (but extremely pricey) experience it would have been to have stayed overnight, especially in one of the themed rooms.  Maybe one day.