Now, I have been lucky enough to visit this place once before, and loved it then and expect to do the same again. I am so excited to be going back to Edinburgh.
Edinburgh gets the best award for airport design. It's well organised and straight forward. The customs or lack thereof is still a bit of humour for us. Compared to Australia and New Zealand where it is pretty much an interrogation, tick the box, check all your luggage and swear with your hand on your heart you are telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God. These northern European's have simplified the process just a wee bit.
You walk off the plane, fill in no forms, read the red and green sign... I want to declare goods or no I don't.... and off you go into the wild blue yonder. The magic sliding doors open up and let you go, mingle with the general population. Of course you'd declare any illicit product - wouldn't you? Really, they are the most honest people I have seen. But for speed and efficiency in getting through the airport, I am all for it. Sorry, if we have bought in some new bug. Didn't mean to.
But in Edinburgh you walk straight out the doors, take a hard left, trail along the sidewalk with the rest of the sheep (sorry, keen tourists), then about twenty metres down the track you jump on the Airlink bus. Best thing ever!!! Six pounds gives you a return trip to the city centre. Even the pilots (and the air hostesses - don't even think that...) caught it with us. Then it was just a quick taxi ride to our abode.
Which we then discovered was up four flights of steps. (I'll tell you more about the steps later) It was a wee bit chilly, but the warmest place we have been so far. Yep, big shock for us too. But still, scarf and jacket on and then we headed straight out to the Royal Mile. Love this spot. Typical Scottish street - darn near veritcal, (It's no wonder they built Dunedin and stayed, when any sane person would have gone over the hills before building) and wandered our way up. Started at World's End pub. They have this wee sign which gets you searching for the brass plates on the cobbled road (yep be careful doing this one) but these lovely markers designate where the city gates used to be, 5oo hundred years ago. And tells you how the inhabitants of the Royal Mile considered anything outside of the gate at World's End and not worth going to and competely uncivilised. Gorgeous history.
There is so much going on as you walk up the street. There are entertainers, cafes, pubs, the same somewhat tacky souvenir shops selling the same kilts, cards and knickknacks, but the charm is still there. It's light and busy at ten p.m. and the stone five hundred year old buildings make you gloss over the bits you wish weren't there. We popped in and had a late tea at the Rabbie Burns cafe. Loved it. One of the small cafes which had seating out on the street and then inside had white plaster and delectable dark oak beams in the roof. I'm going with the Tudor look, might be wrong, but think that and you'll be close. There were shelves with rows of spirits, and along each edge there were dollar notes from all the patrons who had eaten there. So many nationalities were represented, and their flags, some small, some big were on the walls, along with chirpy sayings. But the best things were that one, we got to have some fish and chips, and two, we had a guitar playing guy who really knew his Irish and Scottish ballads, singing off and on as we ate. De-lish. I love live music, especially when they really can sing. It was an awesome way to eat.
Bought a couple of water colours and showed Jayllee the Dean's cafe where Shane and I had a meal seven years ago. This little place has been serving food for over four hundred years. It's tucked down a little alley, and in the basement basically, but so nice and cosy.
We did have a tour planned the next day, but darn it, I had a bit of a nasty migraine which kicked in for two days and laid me very low. The only good thing is Jayllee will be able to go back and do the tour, but I was so looking forward to touring through the highlands and visiting Nessie's lake. Oh well, such is life. Next time. You see now I have to go back again. And that's not to mention the Mary King's Close tour, which is inside the wretched hill we've trudged up and down. Where they have alleys dug and homes and shops and anything you can imagine underneath, and as old as the buildings above ground. That tour has made my bucket list!
I've got to say too, that I am so impressed with Hop on Hop off tours. I can't recommend them highly enough when you are being a serious quick tourist in a town. We did one around Edinburgh. You whisk past their government buildings, you get all the juicy gossip and info. I can tell you all sorts of fascinating facts on Edinburgh. Did you know they used to have their country houses in Leith, which is just over the hill from the main town bit of Edinburgh. The Chinese government came and borrowed some of their plants back when they wanted to rejuvenate their gardens after that civil war they had a few years ago, because in Edinburgh they have a mighty big collection of these plants. That the Dynamic Earth centre is well worth a visit. That there is an extinct volcano on the town's door steps. Fascinating isn't it.
But apart from the usual collection of shops, the fabulous buildings which make you consider whether or not a lending institution would consider a generational loan, so that you can buy a irreplaceable piece of history, and around every corner and every lane which you see and want to disappear down to explore, I can say the word wee. I can go a wee way down the road, get a wee bit more and take a wee while to make a decision and no one thinks it is strange, unusual or rather confusing. It's a marvellous moment when you've been a kiwi in Aus for so many years, and one I will savour for a wee while.
And as for the aforementioned blasted steps - not only were they an absolute curse to lug my luggage up, I ended up falling down a flight of them on the way to the airport. Entailed with bags and pressies, I was not a happy chappy. But was only bruised, not broken, so off we went to the airport.
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