try to remember. . . 6/8/2004

6/8/2004 6:00PM at Scrabster Harbor. “Scrabster” comes from a Norse word and means “standing on the edge,” and the port is indeed the northern-most point in mainland Great Britain. The vikings first used it as a base, and the Scandinavian influence is still lingers in subtle ways. It was four hours by bus from Inverness, and now I’ll be boarding the ferry in about an hour.
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Last night (the 7th) had a pretty good experience at the Inverness Tourist Hostel, which is run by a funky/cool South African named Keith. He joined a bunch of us hostelers at Blackfriar’s Pub down the street for some traditional Scottish music. Spent a relaxing evening drinking at da pub with Keith, Amy, Erin (both from Canada), Arturo (from Mexico). Had a cask ale called “Isle of Skye Red Cuillian,” which was hand-pumped and almost room temperature. It wasn’t bad at all. Strangely enough beers are more expensive than whiskeys here, perhaps due to the strict adherence to 25ml whiskey measures. I wonder if that’s less than what you’re served in the States? The Ben Braecke single malt was only 1.75 pounds while the ale was 2.40. My McDonalds salad cost me 3.50 in comparison. . . Anyway, I now know what a ‘jig’ sounds like. Inverness is a class place to be. In a somewhat off color observation, the bathroom had a vending machine that sells ‘whiskey flavored condoms.’ Only one quid for two! (No, I didn’t buy it)