Highland Spirit Bed & Breakfast, Dufftown, Scotland, UK

About 45 minutes west of Aberdeen, nestled in the rolling hills of the Scottish Highlands in an area called Speyside is the quaint village of Dufftown. It's the type of town where everybody knows everybody and within days of being there we had "the usual" at the local diner with our favorite waitress and legitimately passed people we knew in the street. The landscape is picturesque with luscious green hills, spotted with thick forests, beautifully manicured gardens, and grazing sheep, which one can hear always baa-ing in the distance.

The air is so fresh that coming from Kuwait where a mix of burning fossil fuels and orange dust constantly linger in the air, our lungs almost burned with relief having taken actual deep breaths. Not only is the air perfectly fresh but one can smell the dampness of whisky production in the air. Dufftown rightly calls itself the Malt Capital of the World boasting home to seven local whisky distilleries including one called Balvenie and another called Glenfiddich. I'm not sure if you've heard of them, they're so small and local (insert sarcasm). Of the seven distilleries within walking distance of downtown Dufftown, a few are open for tours and tastings, including those mentioned. And there are at least five or ten more within a short car or train ride (Aberlour, The Macallan, and Strathisla are a few). This place is a whisky lovers dream.

But we didn't go to Scotland for the whisky. Well okay we did, but it wasn't the only attraction. Several years ago friends of ours, Alistair and Karen, retired from their day jobs to pursue their dream of owning and running a bed and breakfast. They settled on the town of Dufftown and found a beautiful 19th century home which is now the Highland Spirit Bed and Breakfast. It's one of those fantasy life changes that you see in the movies. However, renovating a historical home through blistering Scottish winters (and with no heater!) isn't exactly romantic. It's hard and tiresome (and did I mention cold?), making it a true labor of love.Yet they took every measure to renovate the home with historical and environmental concerns in mind. Every painstaking detail was considered and included throughout the home and grounds. The walls are covered with artwork from local artists, or have subject matter specific to the home. Even the teacups in each room are meaningful. (check out pictures of interior, more details on their renovation process, and history of the home on their website here).

When Alistair and Karen began their venture, we began planning our visit. We finally decided to go the summer after Noah arrived and wanted to meet our families there to have him baptized. Before I knew it the tickets were booked and three and a half month old Noah was on a plane with Gman and me, Scotland bound.

When we arrived at the Highland Spirit our friends greeted us at our car and helped us inside. We had some tea while waiting for our families and getting the VIP tour of the house. There are three rooms each very comfortably furnished and outfitted with luxury toiletries in the bathroom and soft white sheets on the bed. We enjoyed complimentary (and delicious) coffee, tea, and Scottish shortbread cookies every afternoon in our room.

They also happily helped us plan our itinerary for our 10 day stay. There is more to do in the area besides whisky tasting. Even if you don't drink you wouldn't be short on recreational pursuits (fishing, hiking, and sight seeing to name a few). We had several days planned for tastings, day trips to the coast, visits to other towns and castles as well as plenty of time for putzing around town and going on several of the numerous local nature hikes (and naps for everyone!). There was not enough time in 10 days to do all there is to do! We planned our trip to be in town for the Highland Games as well (what a treat! more on that in another post). Everywhere we went the locals were so friendly and always ended up knowing our hosts. The familiarity made our whole trip there feel very homey and relaxing.

The bed and breakfast is not only the most comfortable place to stay, but it has seriously the best food in town. In keeping with their detail oriented design and service, the breakfast menu is a carefully edited selection of traditional Scottish favorites. Yes they serve a full Scottish breakfast, but our favorite ended up being the reliable, filling, and a bit naughty porridge with honey and Monkey Barrel whisky. Yes, whisky in your porridge. I mean, why not? When in Rome…

One of the services that Alistair and Karen offer is packed picnic lunches. We took them up on this for one of our castle day trips and were so glad we did (and later wished we'd done it every day!). Again, they make the best food in town (and surrounding towns!) and we didn't have to do any planning or worrying about what and when we were going to eat.

As I mentioned above we wanted to have Noah baptized during our trip as well. I'll talk about it in more detail in a later post, but Karen used the same thoughtfulness she uses to take care of her bed and breakfast to make sure that everything - including setting up the pastor, bagpiper(!) and after party - were perfect for Noah's christening. I never had to raise a finger! I'm forever indebted to her kindness for making one the most meaningful moments of our life with Noah absolutely perfect - no exaggeration!

With seven adults and a baby there is potential for lots of standing around saying, "well what do you want to do," and room for meltdowns and fights. But because of our generous hosts and friends our visit to Scotland greatly exceeded our expectations (mine are always unrealistically high) and it is one of the experiences that I will never forget and can't stop talking about.

I highly recommend a stay with our friends in Dufftown. You will enjoy luxurious accommodations amongst an idyllic landscape filled with passionate, friendly people (and lots of whisky).

Visit their Facebook page here and their website here.

Love you guys!

Paradise Living

Just a few reasons I love being in Florida - Sanibel Island, Indian Rocks Beach, Clearwater Beach, and Caladesi Island all in two weeks! It's always so hard to leave. Thank you to all my loved ones who took the time out of their busy schedules to hang with Gman and me! I love you dearly. 

I can't wait to share my Florida experiences with you soon. But first, I'm off to explore the American South. Have a great week!

A Yearly Recap and a Happy New Year!

Its time, yet again, to sit down with a glass of champagne and look back on the year. There have been many great travels – Savannah, New York City, Clearwater Beach, Denver, Winter Park, Scottsdale, Sedona, San Francisco, Napa Valley (story to come), Buenos Aires (story to come), and Las Vegas. Gman and I went to our first trip to an amusement park together, too! Time spent in-between trips was busy hosting many out of town visitors and exploring Washington, D.C. I also went to my ten year high school reunion! We had some guest poetry here on the blog from the talented Kate Lindblom. I’ve learned a lot about wine and art, and continued to develop my personal style (thanks to Pinterest!).

This year has been met with many growing pains as I ventured out on my own, attempting to make long-standing career fantasies a reality. From starting my freelance writing career to the process of expanding High Heeled Traveler to a print magazine, to learning more about photography and design. Many hours have been spent productively learning and some to crying from exhaustion. I would have never taken the leap(s) without the whole-hearted encouragement from Gman, family, and friends. To them (you!) I owe many thanks.

Finally, I feel very blessed to have met so many new and dear friends this year through blogging. More than anything else I’ve done, blogging has provided an instant network of like-minded, ambitious, and stylish men and women with whom I can collaborate and build friendships with. I hope to continue to have the pleasure of being your friend in the New Year!

I’m looking forward to what 2013 will bring. I am expecting to drink lots of wine, have lots of laughs, and continue to challenge myself and push the boundaries of my comfort zone. I wish the same to you!

Cheers to all! Happy New Year!

Art to Inspiration: Lani Trock, Hello Blue Moon

Lani Trock, Hello Blue Moon

It was a cold January night by Florida standards. We had to make an emergency run to Walmart to get warm socks and gloves. I had two wool sweaters and a pea coat to my name and wore all three to keep my teeth from chattering. Once on the road it took about 30 minutes to find the perfect spot along Highway 441. The news mentioned the best place to watch the meteor shower would be in Paynes Prairie, just outside of Gainesville and the University of Florida.

The prairie is a 22,000 acre state park preserve that is home to some of the greatest plants and animals Florida has to offer (the Everglades isn't the only natural wonder in Florida!). It's a bird watchers dream and even has wild horses. During the day one can stay very busy hiking, fishing, canoeing, biking, and horseback riding (not on the wild ones...). There are no street lights lining the highway and at night the area is empty, quiet, and pitch black. Because of this, on any given night the sky suddenly comes alive with so many stars one wouldn't think it possible. The evening of the meteor shower the highway was lined with college kids, professors, and local families with their cars pulled over and people spread out on blankets or perked on the hoods of their cars. A tailgating scene, so familiar to Gainesville, yet in complete darkness. The constant sounds of whispers and giggles relieved any concerns I had with being so close to the deep  mysteries of the grass lands only steps from our spot.

My roommates and I huddled together on a sheet and waited patiently for the stars to start falling. It took hours, we ate all our snacks, told jokes, stories, and eventually waited in silence. Dew formed on the grass beneath us and the cold wetness prevented any sort of nodding off. Finally, after hours, a shooting star burst across the sky. Then a second. Then two at time. Then three, five, ten. Magically the sky lit up with bright streaks each quicker than our eyes could process. Before we could react and say, "oh! there's one!" it would be gone. We couldn't point or communicate with each other for fear of missing the very fleeting moment and the collective gasping of individuals created a symphony of awe and delight across the highway.

As the sun crept up on the horizon, the crowds thinned and the stars disappeared. We dusted ourselves off, threw the sheet in the trunk, and with a peaceful satisfaction, headed straight to Denny's for some pancakes and eggs.


Started by the lovely Supal of Chevrons and Eclairs, Art to Inspiration is a once a month blog post inspired by a work of art. If you would like to participate in Art to Inspiration, click here to read more and sign up. 

And in case you missed it here's July's and August's Art to Inspiration.

A Wedding Post

Happy two year anniversary to the most handsome man I know!

When we were planning our wedding we got lots and lots of unsolicited advice on what we should do, serve, wear, how we should talk, who should be invited, you name it someone told us their opinion. At first it was fun to share in the excitement but then it was so overwhelming that I just wanted to do whatever the heck was good for me. No tanning or princess dress for instance.

So here is my unsolicited advice to all you brides to be. Pick three things that are really important to you and let everything else go. Gman and I choose three each and there was some overlap: good food, good music, free booze for the guests, and I was obsessed, and still am, with my flowers.

The planning process is stressful, and the day of even more so (for me anyways) but remember why you are getting married and keep your eye on the prize, which is hopefully your husband to be.

All photos in this post were taken by Mike Buoy for Mike & Ann Visual Storytellers (except the dessert bar; that was taken by one of my lovely bridesmaids). They were a pleasure to work with and two of the most dedicated and hard-working people I know. You can find more of their photographs on their blog here and if you like their work (how could you not!?) follow them on facebook here.

Here are the rest of our vendors. They all created a perfectly seamless experience for me and my guests and I couldn’t be more pleased with their services. 

Flowers: Flowers by Jenny. She's seriously the best ever.
Ceremony site: Palm Harbor White Chapel. I liked the white washed walls and stained glass windows. It also had the shortest aisle in town.
Reception site: Bon Appetit Restaurant and Inn. Carmen took care of everything for us, making the wedding day run perfectly. Almost all of the guests stayed at the hotel too and it made for a fun weekend get-a-way.

UPDATE: I forgot to tell you who I'm wearing :) Dress is Douglas Hannant, shoes Manolo Blahnik, and  cage veil Tigerlilly Jewelry.

We also had a second chef make the cakes but unfortunately I can not remember who it was! I will do some digging and add an update when I can.

Destination: Savannah, Georgia

“Are you interested in purchasing that house?” He said to Gman and I as we stood tiptoed peering into the windows of a brick-faced two story townhouse. It had a wraparound porch that was covered with intricately curving rod iron gates. The man startled us from our daydream. “No, we’re just looking,” we replied. “Oh, well I know the owners and they are very interested in sellin’ it.” He continued as we strolled with him and his dog down the brick-paved sidewalk. What are we doing? I thought to myself. Why are we talking to this random stranger? It went against my instincts, but something about his demeanor lead us to continue our conversation. He was so unguarded and genuinely interested in chatting with us while his dog sniffed around the planters by our feet.

“I live here in this house with my wife." He pointed to one in a few doors down. "Twenty years ago we were livin’ in the city. We both had prominent jobs and lived in a shoe-box apartment. We came to Savannah on vacation and decided we must stay. Savannah offered us the lifestyle we always dreamed of – we could still take advantage of city perks like walking to restaurants, shopping, and entertainment, yet we could enjoy the slow pace of a small town. Because of the art school [Savannah School of Art and Design] this otherwise sleepy Southern town is always fresh and youthful. So we bought this house and have been fixini it up ever since. We found jobs that we can walk to and meet friends for brunch on the weekends...”

As he talked my mind started wandering, he was describing a life I once dreamed about - and still do from time to time. How nice it would be to have the best of both the country and the city, to have a relaxed pace but still make a living, or to have a house but also walk to the store. How exciting to go on vacation and then become so inspired that you make a choice like that and change your life!

Gman asked him questions here and there, and I just smiled and nodded. We greeted the other neighbors as they walked by, some even stopped to briefly catch up. Then we changed our mind from “just looking” and said, “We do like the house, but it’s out of our budget.” He smiled. I half expected our new friend to invite us in for coffee and biscuits, but we said our good-byes and thanked him for his time.

It was in that moment I was hooked on Savannah.

Our friends were waiting for us and we hurried to meet up with them then continued our explorations. We came here with the same couple years before, and stayed in the same Bed & Breakfast, the Eliza Thompson House. What makes Savannah unique is a mix of historic Southern town, college party town, and a healthy dose of hospitality. Each time we come here our goal is to recharge our batteries.

For this trip, Gman and I drove into town after spending two weeks down in Florida visiting family and friends. While it was incredible to spend that much time with our families, as neither of us has had that much time off in years. But when you are on an emotional high for two weeks, constantly being stimulated with stories and visits and activities, then eating and drinking whatever is put in front of you, you realize you’re tired once you sit down and take a time out. We often joke about taking a vacation from our vacation, and this time when our friends called we jumped at the idea of spending 36 hours in Savannah for New Year’s Eve.

If you only have 36 hours in Savannah, spend most of your day walking the streets and checking out the architecture, parks, the historic cemetery and Cathedral of St John the Baptist. Grab some coffee from Gallery Espresso for a mid-morning pick-me-up. Then go to Shop SCAD to pick up some affordable original artwork created by the students as a souvenir {more on that later}. You might try Mellow Mushroom {pizza} or Six Pence Pub {English pub grub} for lunch. If you prefer brunch I recommend J Christopher's.

 Although it can be filled with tourists {who cares, you are one}, go down to the waterfront to do some people watching. Grab a beer to-go if you’d like as you can drink in the streets here. This is a novelty that will never get old.

Go back to your room to refresh and perhaps squeeze in a nap. Then head to Crystal Beer Parlor for an authentic local Savannah experience and cuisine. After dinner walk over to Savannah Smiles for dueling pianos. The fun part here is that it’s a mix of locals and tourists, and you can pay to have a message written on huge mirrors behind the stage. People get really into it around football playoff season. Be warned that they will write just about anything so this is not for the faint of heart. If you like to be scared, Savannah is also known for being haunted and many visitors love to go on a haunted pub crawl.

We enjoyed our time there for New Year’s, but I’ve heard the best celebrations are for St. Patrick’s Day. It looks like you have just enough time to book your trip and check it out!



Review: Eataly, New York City

I've been hearing so many good things about Eataly. How authentic it is, how delicious it is, how interesting people like to go there, and how it's an "it" place to go to in the Flat Iron District. You might recognize the names of one of the partners, Mario Batali. But what is it? I've always wondered. So on a very cold winter's day, I had to go and find out.

Eataly is a mix of grocery store, coffee shop, charcuterie, cheesemonger, bookstore, and wine bar all rolled into one little destination that is greater than the sum of its parts. Almost everything is freshly imported from Italy and is 100% authentic to Italian cuisine. Their philosphy is to consume the highest quality products that are produced in a fair, clean environment, and to share them with friends and family. There is a bakery with fresh breads, a chocolatier with decadent treats that look through the glass displays like puppies in a pet store - just begging me to scoop them up and take them home. Imported specialty jams, sauces, vinegars, and olive oils pattern every nook and cranny to an exhibition designer's dream and foodie's delight, as each package is new, exciting, and perfectly organized. At every turn I was overwhelmed by the impecably fresh selection, beautiful displays, crisp, modern design, and the hords of people. This is not a well kept secret! If it was 10 degrees when we went, I can't imagine the crowd when it's nice out. But still, I found myself drooling and wanting to buy everything I saw.

My girlfriend, Katie, eats here often for a lunch-time panini, so if you go, I recommend grabbing one of those, some freshly sliced cured meats, a cheese plate, oh! and some specialty chocolates, warm bread, wine, a cappuccino....