History, Anyone?

The view of Edinburgh Castle from the street my B&B is on; there was a farmer's market today, where I bought lunch: fresh pressed Jonagold apple juice and a sausage roll - homemade and very fresh from a guy who loved to talk about his pigs while his wife served up the bacon and sausage rolls on very soft bread. Delicious.

I got up at 4:30 today to make my way back to the airport and catch my 6:50 flight to Edinburgh. I was a bit nervous about the bus coming on time, and whether or not Big Mama would make it on the plane despite her weight, but make it she did, with 2 lbs to spare. The 45 minute flight was like taking Southwest from Oakland to L.A., except when we were coming in to Edinburgh I saw small islands with old stone ruins on them rather than, um, smog and stuff.

Right away I loved it here, starting with the bus driver who helped me figure out not only where to get off the bus but where exactly to walk after, and waved at me as I waited to cross the street as he drove away. I arrived quickly at 2 Cambridge St, which is a lovely home with two rooms that Erlend and Helene rent out, and even though I was quite early, Erlend brought out a tea table, laid it with lace and china, made me a press pot of coffee, and asked about my travel plans. He and the other person staying here, a native Scot, seemed to know each other well, and at one point started discussing a finer point about the itinerary they were recommending to me, and as I tried to keep up I realized that they were referring to historical events from 600 AD as commonly and thoughtfully as if it were a recent election.

Walking up to the castle, there are lots of wildflowers growing in the crags of the rock

History does pervade the atmosphere here - and it twists things in an interesting way. For instance, I spied a little ancient-looking fountain, planted with flowers and mounted on a wall with a plaque at the top of the Royal Mile by the castle. On closer inspection, the plaque had witches on it in memory of the many who were burned at that spot quite a while back. Another moment - walking home along Grassmarket, a pleasant pedestrian street with lots of bars and people enjoying the sunny day, I read that it used to be the place for public executions, and that owners of houses with upper windows rented them out for the view.

A view down the Royal Mile - very crowded today, no shortage of tourist shops and buses, but still manages to be charming and full of interesting things to see

I happened into the Edinburgh Writers' Museum, full of things like Robert Burns' personal desk, Robert Louis Stevenson's dining table, and this sign. Love it- so clever, unless you're someone who DID live in the house and just was clumsy sometimes.

When I got tired, I bought some of the best fudge I'd ever had - peanut butter, of course - and found this little close just off the Royal Mile's craziness. Literally steps away, it was peaceful, mostly empty, and silent.

And, because I really did see so many of the Scottish stereotypes today (men in kilts, shortbread, lots of tartan and woolens on sale, even a woman walking a cute little Scottie dog), here's perhaps the ultimate:

Two scenes from the bottom of the Royal Mile - the very controversial, (and very expensive) new Scottish Parliament building, and just turning my head from where I took the parliament photo, a view of Arthur's Seat. A 45 min hike from where I was standing, it was dotted with people headed up to see the view of Edinburgh. I was too tired to take it on, at least for today.

After all the walking and wandering this morning, I headed back to my room for a nap - much needed, although jet lag is much better today. I decided to head to the "New" Town for dinner, but on the way took a short cut through a very atmospheric old graveyard,

and then eventually found a place for my companions and I to have a leisurely French meal:

Props to Loretta for letting me borrow her Kindle...now I can read War and Peace on the road, and Pierre Bezukhov et al can keep me company during single-traveler's dinner time!

I trekked back home, up across the hill and up to the Castle area, and stopped to take a picture of where I'd been a few hours earlier...so quiet and calm:

Here's a little video during the walk home...



More tomorrow - I'm excited for my friend Donica to arrive by train and continue the Scottish travels with me!