Drizzly, breezy, cold—my first day of rain on the trip. I’ve been quite lucky on the weather—not counting the volcanic ash cloud. I did a circle bus tour first thing in the morning so I could get a feel for the town and periphery. Great seat in front of double decker bus. My gloves came in handy to continually wipe viewing ports in the front and side windows. We had short stops at the Royal Botanical Gardens, the royal yacht Victoria and other places touristic and historic but my goal was to get an overview before going to the Castle and the tour took a little over an hour to return to its starting point on Waverley Bridge.
Edinburgh is a multi-level city and super picturesque. Even while juggling my little umbrella and camera, periodically using a tissue on my nose (just slightly leaking due to the temperature, not illness) I was impressed with the city. It’s quite unlike London and early spring flowers and bright green grass made it a visual treat in somewhat daunting weather.
The main Tourist Info office is at the end of Waverley Bridge adjacent to Prince’s Mall (Scots say it like the “mal” in “malfunction”. Not that it wasn’t in operation complete with 2 levels, escalator, lots of modern stores and a food court. I fortified myself with a chili-stuffed baked potato and cole slaw (billed as tropical salad) and a local soda with a distinctive taste, Irn Bru. It could easily pass as medicine, but the meal fortified me for the uphill trek on the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle.
Castles are dual-purpose facilities: defense and home for royal residents. Real castles like the one at the top of the Royal Mile have core battlements and ramparts plus various structures for the guards and other employees to defend the place and to serve the needs of the Queen or King.
A big highlight of my day was having dinner and a chat with Karen Miller, producer of the best Americana podcast in the known universe, The Miller Tells Her Tale We took a cab to the old harbor at Leith and ate a fine meal of halibut and veggies. We swapped stories about performers we know and love (she knows a ton of artists), had a bottle of wine and generally had a fine old time.
She offered the use of her spare flat here (she works during the in Glasgow) in case I was unable to get on my flight to Paris Monday. There's more to be told on that on tomorrow's posting. Here's a picture of Karen and me--she's standing on her tiptoes!
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