Okay, obviously we are a few days ahead of my blogs so I am going to try to do a couple of days in one (while redoing September 30 because it was lost).
When we woke up in Edinburgh it was blustery. I did tell the group that we had to have one really rainy, Scottish day so that they could appreciate all the glorious days. Well this was the one. Came up with a game plan- walk into Old Town (back up the 400m trek - I am sure walking through Edinburgh is how mountain climbers prepare to scale Mount Everest) and then a light brunch and then to our St. Mary’s Close tour. Jen and I got ready - hair and make up - check check. Two steps out the door and hair and make up was redundant. The rain was sideways. We passed by a weeping willow that was not only weeping but it looked like a dog after having a bath - the wind was blowing so hard from every direction that it looked like it was trying to shake the rain off. I would have taken a video because it really was quite impressive but I was afraid I would lose my phone in the wind or lose my will to walk further and turn around and head back to the safety of our little apartment.
I do actually have to go back to our apartment. This is the last time we have access to a washing machine for our holiday and that washing machine is working so hard it is making the front left tire look lazy. Notice I only said, “washing machine”? No mention of a dryer? Our flat currently looks like a Chinese laundry mat. There are clothes hanging from every possible place.
So back to our sojourn into the city. We tried to knock a couple more pubs off our To Do list but, apparently, everyone else in Scotland has the same idea. The pubs were packed. Literally standing room only. We needed to venture a little further off the Royal Mile to find lunch, but what a great place we found. Ryan and I each ordered this lunch that was so amazing I know I will be thinking about it for the next few weeks. It was crispy fried, thick cut French fries, topped with the most perfectly cooked macaroni, topped with chunks of spicy battered deep fried chicken that had been fried so the outside was crispy but the chicken was juicy, topped with battered deep fried jalapeños that had been stuffed with cream cheese and then the entire meal was drizzled with melted cheese. Oh. My. God. If I am ever on death row and offered my last meal - that is it. Anyway, we were hoping, praying, that the storm would abate while we were eating our carb infused lunch, nae nae. This storm was just heating up. The struggle we had endure was just the precursor for the shit show that was happening outside. No disrespect to Hurricane Fiona but I do believe that Edinburgh was on the grips of its own Hurricane. We left the sanctuary of our little pub (August37 if you are ever in the city - mention my name and get a 15% discount) and we ventured out. Keep in mind we had to walk about 70 yard to our underground (thankfully) tour. Once we turned the corner onto the Royal Mile the wind and rain were battering us so hard that the 70 yards we had to walk took us 10 minutes. The Royal Mile was deserted, this NEVER happens, this street is usually TEEMING with tourists.
Safely did our underground tour - this was our second time doing it and it was even better then the first. Also highly recommended. Took us about 45 minutes through the labyrinth of tunnels under Edinburgh to see how residents lived 200 years ago in Edinburgh. The guide that toured us was playing the role of Robert Ferguson, who was a poet that inspired Robbie Burns. He was very disappointed that no one knew who he was, and I felt like a philistine. I am buying a book of poetry by Ferguson and brushing up on my Scottish poetry. Anyway while he was touring us he was giving us a little bit of his own history. At one point, my mind had wandered a bit, and he said that he had fallen and had quite a bad concussion that required him to be hospitalized in the local insane asylum for a time. I had to quickly double check that “Robert Ferguson” was institutionalized not “Matt” the real name of our guide. He was so good, it was easy to be transported back to the 1600’s during bubonic plague outbreak. All the while, my friend, Jen, who has recently developed a scratchy throat, was trying not to cough. We emerged from our underground tour to…..🌞! Blue skies and sunshine! Like the Hurricane never happened! Jen and I did some light shopping and bought the most beautiful cashmere scarves. The went and met the boys for a beer at the Black Bull. It was at the Black Bull that Fuzz discovered gin. We are not sure if he loves Jen or gin because after a few he says both words the same! Stopped at another pub, then another on our way to The Tolbooth Tavern for supper. A mediocre supper at beast. The colour of the broccoli was reminiscent of the colour of the skin of the bubonic plague victims we had seen earlier. Then a couple more pubs on the way home….only to realize I no longer had my beautiful cashmere scarf. 🙄. One last pub and then home to our Chinese laundromat. House was 28 degrees Celsius and clothes were still damp.
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