Seeking Peace in the Scottish Highlands
Last September, Atlas Obscura traveler Janis Schubert visited the Scottish Highlands and wrote about a moment of surprising peace. Since then, the world has changed a great deal, but moments of serenity are more important than ever. Janis’s experience from Scotland: Highland Clans and the Trail of Tartan is a reminder that we can try to seek peace in small ways, like on a morning walk through a garden.
My normal life in the southwestern U.S. tends to be fairly stressful, with a demanding job taking up most of my time and energy. When I planned this trip to Scotland, I wasn’t sure I could turn it all off and just sit back and enjoy the ride. During our three-day stay at Assynt House near Inverness, a city at the heart of the Highlands, I found the answer to that question.
There was something almost magical about the place. I felt connected to the 18th century history. Each morning, thanks to our guide Ross Jennings, we were met with the sound of bagpipes.
The food was wonderful, as was the camaraderie. The lush grounds and beautiful Scottish Highland setting felt like another world. It was as if my other life no longer existed, or was so far away it was of no consequence!
On the morning we were set to depart, I got up early and walked through the gardens in the misty dawn. I saw several deer silently bounding through the nearby woods, sheep grazing on the hillside, and flowers greeting the dawn. It was the most peaceful and contented feeling I have felt in a long time and it made this trip especially memorable. In my mind, I can go back to that morning in Scotland and feel that peace again. I can’t wait to return and explore more of this beautiful country!
By Nick Papa
I’m the editor of the Atlas Obscura trips blog. I talk to our trip leaders, travelers, and friends in the industry about how they explore the world’s wondrous places.
Dissecting Gelatin Brains in a London Pub
What do you most look forward to after a relaxing dinner? In London, Guerilla Science serves a surprise scientific dessert activity. Atlas Obscura traveler and physician Lynn Eckhert shares a moment from London Science Weekend.
On our first night, while eating dinner upstairs at a pub, our guides announced a surprise dessert. They passed out masks, gloves, bibs, scalpels (knives), and little instruments for scooping. Then came the creamy pink gelatin brains on plates. They asked someone at each table to be the surgeon. At my table, I was the surgeon.
At the front of the room, a real neurosurgeon set up a table with his gelatin brain. A camera projected it onto a TV screen.
Like me, some of the surgeons who attended the event are real-life physicians. So when the brain projected on the screen was in reverse—like an X-ray—it wasn’t a problem to follow along.
The neurosurgeon explained the different parts of the brain—the frontal lobe, cerebellum, cerebrum, and brainstem—and what they do. Once you cut into the brain, you saw ventricles made with clear red gelatin.
We weren’t trying to get out a tumor or embolism or anything. We dissected the parts of the brain as the neurosurgeon described them.
In the end, you could eat the brain—they billed it as the dessert—but it wasn’t so attractive. You could slice it so that you got part of the brain and part of the ventricles, but no one wanted any.
By Nick Papa
I’m the editor of the Atlas Obscura trips blog. I talk to our trip leaders, travelers, and friends in the industry about how they explore the world’s wondrous places.
The Elusive Search for China’s Forbidden City Oreos
Chinese Oreos? They're a thing. And we know where to find them. Atlas Obscura traveler Sharyne Tu shares a moment from China: The Great Cuisines of the Middle Kingdom.
It began in the city of Qingdao when one of the travelers bought rose-flavored Oreos to share on the bus. It was such an interesting flavor that we looked it up. It turns out that Oreo makes a select line of cookies called Forbidden City, sold only in China. The flavors were sweet, savory, and very enticing: Lychee Rose Cake, Green Tea Cake, Red Bean Cake, Hawthorn Berry, Cantonese Barbeque Pork Pastry, and Spicy Pepper Pastry.
In each city we visited, we raided convenience stores and hunted for the special Oreos. In Qufu, our search produced a red bean flavor and nothing else. On our quests for these Oreos, we found other exciting snacks, too. We tried spicy ice cream cones, coriander pretzels, and red wine Pocky. There were also cool peach Snickers, which create an icy sensation in your mouth. Pumpkin Spice Lay's chips were not a hit. The taro flavored Lay’s weren’t too bad. (I still need to open the braised beef.) But the Forbidden City Oreos continued to elude us.
Then, alas! At our last stop in Guangzhou, our luck changed. There were Oreos! Big boxes and small boxes in every flavor. We were finally happy campers! I filled my return luggage with Oreo boxes.
By Nick Papa
I’m the editor of the Atlas Obscura trips blog. I talk to our trip leaders, travelers, and friends in the industry about how they explore the world’s wondrous places.