I don't want to bore you with trivialities of travel of paying extra for early boarding, only to be boarded in the last group. And then finding my seat occupied by someone else, even trying to prove it with her ticket (she was looking at the wrong leg of her trip). Nor would I bore you with attempting to sleep on a 9 hour flight from Austin to Amsterdam, taking a melatonin, yet still only sleeping one hour.
So, after a brief layover and a short flight, I arrived in Edinburgh ready to fight the jet lag and tackle the city! But walking to my hotel, I saw rubbish everywhere, papers laying in the streets and garbage bins and bags stacked along the sidewalks. That isn't a good first impression. But like in other cities at the moment, there are strikes. And in Edinburgh it's a rubbish strike, or striking Bin Men.
But I still love this city!
I would hit the ground running, with a visit to Holyrood Palace, Canongate Kirk, Mary King's Close and a really fun Pub Crawl!
First, for me Edinburgh is very walkable, however, it will test your stamina, legs, and lungs! It has many hills, climbs, stairways that lead from one level of roads to the other. Streets of cobblestones mostly. Even Google Maps is challenged by the terrain, telling me to turn right onto Cowgate Street from George IV Bridge, Only a drop of 30 feets or so. Sure Google, sure.
As you may know, normally my blog posts are a chronological order of events and days. I'm doing this a little differently, more by events or themes. These scenes are from different days of my 3 day ventures into Edinburgh.
Scenes from Edinburgh:
Google wanted me to turn right!
From up there to down here. George IV Bridge on Cowgate
Rubbish!
Near Grassmarket, my home base for 3 nights
Along the Royal Mile Between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace 1.1 Miles actually
Scotland Humor
A Lone Piper in Grassmarket
I ventured out a little bit north past Edinburgh to Hawes Pier, an Uber ride away from Edinburgh City Centre, to board a river cruise. The Firth of Forth is an estuary of the River, an inlet of The North Sea, and quite wide!
In the middle of the Forth, there are islands. The one pictured is Inchcolm island with an Augustine Abbey built upon it. In modern times, people have weddings or other celebrations at the site.
There are three bridges spanning the Firth of Forth.
The large orange bridge is the Bridge of Forth, a rail cantilever bridge, built in 1889.
The newer modern cable bridge is the Queensferry Crossing, carrying the M90 Motorway.
The third bridge is the Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge that badly needed repairs, so the Queensferry bridge was meant to replace it. But after refurbishment, it is once again open to passenger cars, cyclists, and pedestrians.
One last scene from Edinburgh is the food scene and a historic pub.
I spent 3 nights in Edinburgh and 3 dinners.
The place: The Piper's Rest on Hunter Square
The style: Pub Grub
The dish: Sausage and Mash
The place: Grazing, near Edinburgh Castle, in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel
The style: 5 Course Tasting of Scottish and British
The meal:
Crab toast with almond cream and butter
Confit Loch Duart Salmon with celeriac (celery root) and gooseberry with dill
Mushroom and hazelnut Ragout and shaved salted celeriac and parmesan
Pan roasted Beef fillet and braised beef pie (tiny pie)
Raspberry Cannoli
And Strawberry Madeline with cream cheese and ice cream, sesame caramelized shell (photo I am sorry to say failed to save).
The final meal: The Outsiders
The style: Eclectic, Farm to Table
The meal: Pan seared sea trout with saffron and tomato risotto and goat cheese. Les Oliviers Granache wine.
Dessert: Baked cherries, crushed amaretti, and vanilla ice cream
And finally, a visit to Deacon Brodie's Tavern on the Royal Mile. A historic old pub named after a famous or infamous character William Brody.
In the following posts, I'll have more on the Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood, a fun night out with a pub crawl, and...a Tattoo? Stay Tuned.
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