Day 22: Edinburgh

It's Sunday and free car parking in the city. Took Gloria to the Robert Burns Memorial and walked into the centre.

Being Edinburgh it rained.

The pavements were slick with green gunge from overhanging trees and rain, and with the grace of a member of the Royal Ballet I demonstrated a perfect dying swan manoeuvre. I slipped and fell flat on my back. A coach driver said he'd "seen it all and did I need him to give me a witness statement for suing purposes?"

No - only thing damaged was my dignity, and my newly laundered clothes now soaked and muddy.

I got up and found myself in the middle of a Chinese crocodile.

They were marching purposefully towards the town centre so I followed them - into a Chinese restaurant!

For Health and Safety reasons and to dry off, I took one of the tour buses.

It was a hop on, hop off 'with a live guide.'

Really? A live guide? What do the other buses have then? A dead one?

It was a good move. The live guide was excellent, knowledgeable and funny. I recommend it. I spent all day on and off the bus seeing the sights of Edinburgh.

The architecture...

 

 

The understated inhabitants

 

The shops had plenty of Scottish wares to tempt the Tourists.

 

 

 

The grass market was full of eateries

I could have had this

But chose this instead.

Yes I know...my brother Martin in Canada has already prodded me to eat Haggis and Tablet and I will, I'm just building up to it. Slowly.

Some interesting pubs in this quarter too. The Last Drop did not refer to the last drop in your glass.

Much more macabre, it referred to the fact that the gallows were here. This was s place of public execution. It was that kind of last drop.

Then I noticed that something more historic was stirring in the city

Yesterday The Hibs  (Hibernian football team) won the Scottish Cup for the first time in 114 years and I was right in the front row to see the Victory parade.

Bit worried about the police here though. They look fourteen.

How marvellous to be in Edinburgh to witness history, even if it was only of the footballing kind.

All the excitement was knackering and my bus ticket lasts until lunchtime tomorrow and tomorrow is another day.

Home to have a wee dram of something quintessentially Scottish.

Cheers!!