I love Scotland and Scotland’s fantastic range of culinary treats; I’d like to introduce you to some of my favorite Scottish food, some food for thought!

You may not know, but Scotland was one a very poor Country when compared to that of their European neighbors in the North of Europe, which has had both advantages and disadvantages for the country.

Economically Scotland was like many of the eastern European counties today and exported many of its finest products. This is perhaps why the Scots adapted and produced some really delicious and hearty dishes which were protein rich and full of goodness with the remaining food stuffs. These foods have become ones which are renowned the world over and popular delicacies still enjoyed by the Scotch.

Once upon a time thought Scotland to be a cold place where lots of meaty soups and haggis like sausage was consumed – I was close but far away at the very same time, Scotland has a wealth of mouth-watering traditional foods, I thought I would share with you my favorite Scottish dish below

Traditional Haggis with Potato and Swede

Haggis not made in Scotland is completely different to the stuff sold in supermarkets. I’d make the same comparison for a Cornish pasty – they are only nice if made in Cornwall to the original recipes. Haggis is traditionally eaten on Burns day (25th January), it is available in most eateries and is delicious! Compared to things like beef burgers, I would rather have Haggis, at least you know what’s in Haggis in comparison to beef burgers or sausages.

Scots love potato and swede or as they call it ‘tatties and neeps’, scots often combine this with some greens and use the finest chappit potatoes for the mash. Haggis goes lovingly with these vegetables.

Trifley nice

Scottish trifle is made up of Shortbread, berries and cream as well as whiskey soaked fruit (optional). It looks and tastes delicious compared traditional sponge based trifle, this one to me is a mixture of ‘cheese cake’ and trifle can’t go wrong there!

I personally love a lot of the national meats including lamb, beef et cetera are all great breeds hardened to the highlands of Scotland they often provide lean tasty meats. Consider that many of these animals are kept on paddocks spanning all manner of scene including lush grasslands surrounded by ocean and mountainous landscape, why would you not want to eat from here? It always reminds me of why New Zealand lamb is amongst the best in the world.

It doesn’t matter where you’re from, a traditional Scottish meal like this one, (or with a substituted steak for haggis if you can’t stomach haggis) is a straight forward, simple crowd pleaser which provides everything your body needs to remain healthy and have a really enjoyable meal.

Isaac writes for Reserve Travel Ltd, an apartments online booking company specializing in both Edinburgh Apartments and Glasgow Apartments</a>. Every apartment they list can be booked online.

By Kristi Remick

Don't worry cobbly stoned streets...I still love you.

My first taste of Europe was back in 2003.  I was in awe of its oldness –  medieval castles, Gothic churches, Roman ruins and cobblestone streets. For me, a girl who grew up in Rochester NY, experiencing Europe for the first time was an awakening and it wasn’t long before I dreamed of moving here.

Fast forward 7 years and I now live in Switzerland.  The castles, churches, ruins and cobblestone streets are still here and they still amaze me, but something has shifted.  Now that I am a resident, I find myself wanting to visit far off lands – Asia, Africa, South America and the list continues to grow.  This February we are hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro and going on safari in the Serengeti.  Next year we are already planning a trip to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.  With all of Europe at our doorstep, why all of a sudden are we looking towards other areas?

1. I am cold – Seriously, now that I no longer live in Atlanta, I want to vacation where it is warm.  This is very European and almost every European person I have met here vacations somewhere warm.  This year alone I know of people going to Egypt, India, Florida (yes, I said Florida) and Morocco.  I have a hunch it is to escape the bone chilling weather we receive for a good portion of the Fall and Winter months.

2. The “Doorstep Phenomena” - Now that I live here and have somewhat integrated, I want to feel like I am going somewhere far away when I go on vacation.  I want to see ancient Asian temples and smell aromas emitted from outdoor spice markets.  When I lived in the States, going to Europe served my need to experience a new place.  While a weekend in New York City was wonderful, it wasn’t quite as romantic or magical as hopping the pond to see the architecture of Gaudi or sip an Italian beer while staring at the Alp lined shores of Lake Como.

3. Logistics – Logistically, a lot of the places I want to see are either closer to me now distance wise (a shorter plane ride) or the time zone change isn’t nearly as dramatic.  Last year our trip to Africa from the States involved 18 hours on a plane one way and a 6 hour time change.  This year it takes 10 hours on a plane one way and NO time change.  My new European home is a great starting point and is far more convenient in certain respects when compared to my old home in Atlanta.

I was  a bit hesitant to write this.  I don’t want to come off as a travel snob and I still want to see ALL of what Europe has to offer, but with my new home comes a different way of looking at travel.  As my life changes and the further I embrace it, something as simple as “where to vacation”  can change and I find that so incredibly interesting.  So the next logical question is, if I become an Expat living in Hong Kong, does that mean I will want to vacation on the moon?  I have always wanted to meet Marvin the Martian and the Muppets from Pigs in Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!.

When I am not busy stuffing my face with chocolate, you can find me over at From A to Z blogging about my life in Zurich Switzerland

“And the rooster goes Cockadoodle Doo!,” exclaimed Peter.

We all spoke English well, with the exception of Clementino who insisted we speak only in CROATIAN–after all, it was in taking our Croatian class that we met one another. And we were all living in Croatia yet didn’t speak the Croatian language.

One evening after class a few of my classmates and I decided it was time we got acquainted. We agreed to have coffee at the Cafe Luxor, an Egyptian-themed Italian restaurant located inside the Diocletian Palace. The cafe was luxurious and from the moment we stepped inside, we were embraced by the friendly waitress and consumed by the warmth of the cafe’s atmosphere. She took our coats and offered us a table, “I will give you a few moments to look through the menu,” she said in a polite and sweet tone. We looked around at the intoxicating interior design. Directly above us was a ceiling that resembled a small portion of the Sistine Chapel with angels floating on white fluffy clouds. “I wished I had my camera,” I thought. A big black piano sat in the corner of the restaurant as someone wooed us with Italian music.

Our after-class meet up was very international: Peter was Canadian, Clementino was from Italy while his girlfriend Visnja, was Croatian. John was American–from New York–and me, well, from Mexico. Quite a diverse group, right?

We ordered drinks and began a conversation in English but Clementino interrupted, “Govori Hrvatski Jesik. Speak Croatian!” Easier said than done and I could see it by the expression on everyone’s face that I wasn’t the only one who was worried. This was only our 3rd class. I wondered how to say, “This place is lovely.” But I was lost in translation. We all stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity with no one saying a word. Silence. Then we heard, “So Peter how are you adjusting to life here in Split?,” Visnja asked.

“Well, I really like the city…,” Peter answered, but he was quickly interrupted by Clementino who again shouted, “GOVORI HRVATSKI!” And after several more minutes of awkward silence, the strangest thing occurred.

John: What’s the sound of a dog, in Croatian?
Visnja: Vau-Vau
Peter: How about in Spanish?
Me: Guau-Guau
Clementino: Bau-Bau

This was fun. Adults at a cafe in Croatia making animal sounds over coffee. Then I got the question-asking bug and got in on the fun. “What about a rooster?,” I asked. Everyone got a cheerful glee in their eyes and took turns.

Visnja: Cucu-riku
Peter: cockadoodle- doo
Me: Kiki-ri-ki
Clementino: Keek-a-ree -kee

We roared with laughter as we exchanged other animal sounds. People at the cafe thought we were crazy and we gave them reason when we began to sing Old Macdonald with each of us sounding out animal sounds in our native tongue. It went a little something like this:

Old MacDonald had a farm, Ee i ee i oh!
And on that farm he had some dogs, Ee i ee i oh!
With a woof-woof here and a vau-vau there,

It was an exciting and fun evening although the natives thought we were intoxicated. But we didn’t want to stir trouble since we wanted to return to this cafe. We said good-night and good-bye and promised to do this again–minus the animal sounds but we couldn’t make any concrete promises. So the next time you encounter someone who doesn’t understand English very well, and you need to communicate with them, try animal sounds, it works every time! I’m not sure how that will work out in an emergency, but it’ll be fun finding out!

What silly things have you and your friends done while in public?

In addition to Affordable Calling Cards, Elisa blogs on a daily basis about her adventures of living abroad from the perspective of a non-croatian speaking latin woman, at her website Croatia.

Check out Pingo.com's calling cards!

• No hidden fees or rates - don't lose minutes to dirty marketing.
• Top-rated prices per comparison reviews on AboutCallingCards.com.
• Fast dialing through speed-dial.

Pick Country or View Rates

• Italy
• Switzerland
• Phillipines