Asked To Leave

Skyline

Well, we were asked to leave our flat. This is the flat that we have enjoyed so much for the past two months. The flat with all the conveniences, the flat in the prime location, the flat that was so quiet. And, to top it all off, the flat where we were hosting good friends for a few days. So, all four of us packed up our stuff. We also packed up the pantry and the refrigerator contents. We then trundled slowly over bumpy cobbled streets pulling overloaded suitcases, shouldering travel packs, and hand carrying stuffed tote bags. It was a sight.

Sorry. Another tabloid-type mislead. We were asked to leave the flat because our term was up. That's right, we only booked the flat for two months. We booked, for the final month, another two-bedroom flat just a couple blocks away in a quiet location. It is also a bright corner unit on the top floor. It has windows and skylights galore; the views over the roof tops and St. Stephen's Church, and beyond, are stunning (see photo). And, it is in a 200 year old building. Back in the day, this was considered a posh section of Stockbridge. Charm is everywhere. So is quirky.

At the time we were booking, back around Christmas, the inventory of available flats was limited. Probably even more limited because of covid uncertainty. The few flats that interested us were not available for the full three months. So, we split our stay into two. Now we get to enjoy the final month in something historical. Oh boy.

Fun Day

Wedding

We sure had fun taking our friends to see some of the highlights in Edinburgh. Since it is now the height of the tourist season, we booked tickets well in advance. Good thing. When we arrived at the Edinburgh Castle, they were turning people away in droves; we sailed in at our reserved time. Good weather prevailed; instead of the drizzle and clouds forecast, the day was filled with warm sunshine. All the better for views from the top of the castle of the surrounding city.

Then, after a coffee/snack at an outdoor cafe, we enjoyed a guided tour of St. Giles Cathedral; reformer John Knox, founder of Scottish Presbyterianism, preached there. The tour ended up being cut short because the Cathedral was closing early; guess we missed out. Lemons into lemonade. Turns out the early closing was for a full Scottish wedding with kilts and bagpiper. We watched the wedding party and guests, in their finery, enter. Fun stuff.

Finally, dinner in a city center restaurant in their all glass (four walls and ceiling) rooftop dining room with spectacular views of the Castle.

Digestives

Guests

OK. What is the first thing to do once arriving in Scotland after a long drive to the airport from your house, a long and delayed flight from the US to London, another delayed flight to Glasgow, a bus from the airport to the train station, a train to Edinburgh, and a taxi to our flat? The answer is not to have a beer and relax, or not to have a wee dram of whiskey. Apparently, the answer is to have some Digestive biscuits. Those are the famous cookies (biscuits over here mean cookies) invented in Scotland. Go figure.

Maybe the jet lag impaired the thinking of our good friends who have come to stay with us for a few days. Maybe not. They had the good sense to book a lovely week-long tour that includes sightseeing and day hikes around some beautiful sections of the country. We are sure glad they have joined us prior to their tour into the countryside; we have plenty to show them here in the city. Additionally, after the arrival Digestives were eaten, we did head out to an old traditional pub just down the street for some fish and chips, and some beer.

Yes Kiwanis

Easy Virtual

The answer is Yes. The question is, has Mike been able to fulfill his Kiwanis responsibilities while in Scotland. Turns out, he has easily done that. Since the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke is so proficient at running itself virtually using Zoom (see photo) and other methods, it was an easy decision for us rent a flat in Edinburgh for the summer.

In addition to all of the sights and adventures we have been having here, Mike has been able to manage the weekly Club programs (thanks to the monthly speaker arrangers), participate in Officer and Board meetings (excellent Zoom equipment at Water Authority), manage the website (log in from anywhere), manage the Environment Committee (thanks to so many highly engaged committee members), keep up with Club members (responsive email), and enjoy weekly Club meetings (usually good video and sound). What a terrific Kiwanis Club.

Read The Memo

Final Bus Stop

While Beth was spending the day back at the flat and working out at the wee gym, Mike ventured out on another hill walk with the club. It started, as most do, at the Edinburgh bus station. In fact, that particular bus route is now familiar to us; the X62 Borders bus toward Peebles. The process of buying bus tickets is also quite familiar to us; download phone app for the particular bus company, create an account with credit card information, search times and start/finish locations, purchase ticket, activate ticket moments before getting on the bus, place phone with active ticket on bus scanner to board. Easy.

Strangely, he found himself waiting at the bus station for the now familiar bus by himself. No hill walk leader; she had sent out a thorough pre-walk email with instructions about where/when to meet. Although the bus station has two dozen bus lanes, he knew the right one. No other club members. All by himself. So, he gets on bus X62 and heads off all by himself. Not sure of the logic there of getting on a bus without the others. Probably thought others would get on at subsequent stops. Nope. Then, as he enjoyed the premium view from the front seats on the upper level of the double-decker bus, it occurs to him to re-read the pre-trip email memo. Oops. He got on the right bus, but one hour too early. Read the memo. Oh well. It was a beautiful warm sunny day. He waited an hour at the final bus stop for all to arrive. Said he had a good walk. Wonder if he told them about his mistake.

Horse Head

The Kelpies

If you are of a certain age, when mention is made of a severed horse head, the thought is of the 1972 Godfather movie's iconic scene where a movie executive wakes up to find the bloodied severed head of his favorite horse in bed with him. Well, we just had a double horse head experience. Fortunately, it did not involve blood or a bed. It was two horse heads, actually.

We took a day trip to see the largest equine sculptures in the world (see photo). These sculptures tower 100 feet over the Forth and Clyde Canal. Built in 2014, each head is comprised of 150 tons of stainless steel. Visitor center, cafeteria, large car park. Lots of people were there; apparently the word is out about this site. Quite impressive. 

Two-Thirds

No Kilt

We have reached the two-thirds mark on our three-month stay here in Scotland; scheduled to get back to Roanoke at the end of August. Terrific trip thus far. After having been here two years ago, we had high expectations for this trip. Those expectations are being exceeded.

The weather has been nicer than usual, the people in the hill walking club have been genuinely warm and friendly, the lifestyle and daily routine have been enjoyable to settle in to, we have had fun times seeing sights and learning some history, having our son visit us here was quite special, our flat has been perfectly quiet/convenient/comfortable, and getting around the city/country has been straightforward.

On the down side has been some of the travel (rail strike, airline delays/frustration), the costs (Edinburgh is an expensive city), missing in-person get togethers (with friends back at home), and knowing that our circumstances/responsibilities the next two years will likely preclude long return trips here.

Thankfully, Mike has been able to effectively carry our his Kiwanis leadership responsibilities while here, we have been comforted knowing that our house is being well looked after in our absence, and no-one has bought a kilt ;-)

Stockbridge

St Stephen's

Our flat is in the Stockbridge neighborhood in Edinburgh. A couple years ago, when we visited the city on a recce, we spent days talking to flat rental agencies and walking through neighborhoods. Stockbridge appealed to us. That is why we stayed here two years ago; it was an easy decision to return.

With its cobbled streets, elegant Georgian architecture, lush green parks and gardens, abundant mix of independent shops, numerous restaurants and pubs (about 40 restaurants and a dozen pubs), Stockbridge has a charming village feel. The city center is but a short walk, as are many walking paths, as is the Royal Botanic Garden, as is most everything else. Just under 6,000 people live in the neighborhood, about the same as the South Roanoke neighborhood where we live at home.

Our flat happens to be in the shadow of the most notable landmark in the neighborhood, St. Stephen's Church (see photo). Interestingly, the church's location was selected by the architect to block the view of the city center from a building designed by a competing architect (where Robert Louis Stevenson went to school).

Fun Facts

Edinburgh Skyline

Here are a few fun facts about Edinburgh:

➖  The city name is pronounced Ed-in-bo-ra (not Ed-in-berg).

➖  It hosts the largest arts festival in the world (each August).

➖  A majority of the Harry Potter books were written here (same for the movie filming).

➖  Over 75% of the city center buildings are historically listed (World Heritage Site).

➖  It has more trees per head of population than any other city in the UK (112 parks).

➖  The Encyclopedia Britannica was first produced here (exceptionally literate population).

➖  Alexander Graham Bell and Robert Louis Stephenson were born here (and Dolly the Sheep).

➖  A Unicorn is the official national animal of Scotland (seriously).

Sweat Band

Safe City

Let's use an incident that took place today to illustrate a broader point. Beth, as is usual, headed over to the nearby Glenogle Swim Centre to work out. That is one of the facilities run by the nonprofit Edinburgh Leisure organization; they run 50 venues including 11 swimming pools. Beth is quite fond of the Glenogle facility, not just because it is so close by, not just because it has a stunningly beautiful refurbished 100+ year old Victorian pool, but because it has a wee (small) gym where she can use the elliptical and rowing machines. Since most people use the pool, she practically has the gym to herself. Good for her.

The incident involved finding the sweat band she unintentionally left behind several days ago (photo). It was exactly where she left it. No one took it. Repeat, no one took it. Perhaps because Edinburgh has a fairly low crime rate. Related is the fact that Edinburgh is one of the safest places in the UK. In a survey conducted in 2018, almost 90% of Edinburgh citizens claimed that they felt safe in the city. In another poll, conducted in 2014, Edinburgh was voted the safest city in the UK of the ten most-populated cities in the country. Nice city.

Loud Screaming

Protest

OMG. It is three o’clock in the morning in our hotel in Fort William. Loud screaming. Can not sleep. Something awful must be happening. Try to ignore it. Can’t. What to do? Roll over? Get up? Must be awful.

Awful indeed. Mike’s muscles are “screaming” in protest to his almost 5,000 foot elevation gain summiting Ben Nevis yesterday. He is awake, uncomfortable, and unable to get back to sleep. Not just his leg muscles. Also, since he makes proper use of trekking poles, his arms and shoulder muscles too. With the uneven terrain, foot muscles as well. Yes, he is quite physically fit. No matter. He is no spring chicken (see photo). He overdid it. No matter, he is quite pleased with himself. Thank goodness Beth brought Ibuprofen.

Success

Ben Nevis

Big success today. The sole reason for traveling back to the Scottish Highlands to Fort William was Ben Nevis. That is the name of the highest mountain in Scotland (the word Ben means mountain). Beth and Mike left the hotel beginning the hill walk on the first and most famous long distance foot path in Scotland (West Highland Way). From there we headed up Ben Nevis. The views of the lush green sheep pastures shrouded in clouds were terrific. Beth reached her intended turn around point and walked back to Fort William.

Mike continued ascending and ascending. The green gave way to stark rocks and scree. Clouds and mist and wind chilled the air to just above freezing. A large stone cairn marked the summit. Mike retraced his steps back to Fort William. The ascent to the top involved almost 5,000 feet of elevation gain. That is huge; more in a single day then on any of his days when he recently trekked to Everest Base Camp. Comparable to walking from the Roanoke City Market building up to the Mill Mountain Star and back, six times in one day over rocky terrain. Well done. Time to go to the pub.

Royal Pain

Broken Down

Here in the UK, we have the Royal Family, Royal Navy, Royal Mail, and based on our experience today, the Royal Pain. That describes our 150 mile trip from Edinburgh to Fort William, where we plan to spend a couple of days. It took eight hours. Do the math, that is less than 20 miles per hour.

Our train from Edinburgh to Glasgow was just fine. We changed there to the Fort William train. Oops, sat on non-moving train until being told it had broken down. Directed to different train not going to Fort William; told not to worry, it will be fine. Wrong. Royal Pain. Although that train did eventually move, it broke down as well (see photo). Not to worry we were told again, a bus is coming to take you. Oops, bus did not go there; dropped us off in a small village and told to walk up hill to yet another train station. That train did eventually get us to our destination; since it was a local, we got to stop at every small village along the way. Royal Pain.

Cool Place

Cool Place

Spent time today in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Cool place. They have 3,000+ paintings and 50,000+ prints/drawings/photos. A few, like Mary Queen of Scotts, we recognized. Most we did not. Thankfully, they had several reminder family tree diagrams showing which Mary, George, and Charles were descendants of which. So confusing. Did't find a portrait of Mel Gibson (Braveheart movie); being rated as "one of the most historically inaccurate movies" did not earn points here in Scotland.

Cool too because of the building itself (see photo). Both the exterior and interior are Spanish Gothic sights to behold.

And, cool too because of the weather. Record breaking heat today. Nice to be in a cool inside. The temperature actually got up into the 70's. Saw a few people in shorts and a couple of convertibles with their tops down.

Festivals Begin

Parade

Today is the official launch of a series of festivals in Edinburgh that will last over a month. Their is the Jazz and Blues Festival, Carnival, Macro, Fringe (largest music festival in the world), Art Festival, Book Festival, Film Fest, and the Royal Military Tattoo (bagpipes). Phew. We have been told to expect hoards of tourists. Actually, the city has a population of 500,000, and that same number of tourists is expected in August. Hey, we are tourists too, sort of.

The whole shebang was kicked off by today's parade (see photo); we actually knew one or two of the performers there from our hill walking club.

Sex Change

Black Flies

Sex change. That is the kind of attention getting headline, often misleading, that is commonly found in UK tabloids. Thought we would give it a try here because sex change is what happened today. Our hill walking club is comprised of mostly females (ratio about 3 to 1). We can ponder some other time why. Anyhow, on today's hill walk there was a sex change; meaning that the men outnumbered the women. Ok, admittedly that was a bit cheeky (British term for showing a lack of politeness in a way that is amusing).

Continuing with the cheeky sex thing a bit longer. Wouldn't you know it, not only did the male hill walkers outnumber the females, but so too did the black flies. This was our first hill walk with black flies, and they were out in swarms. At one point, it was impossible to stop; hundreds of flies flying and landing on head, neck, and other exposed areas (see photo). Turns out, the flies were males. Could that have been a coincidence?

Fine Lunch

Traditional Scottish Food

What a fine lunch we had today. Not only was the food top notch, traditional Scottish fine dining, but so were the circumstances. We joined others from our hill walking Club for a social outing. Met some members that were new to us, and spent time with some who are becoming friends. Some of these folks are as interested in hearing about our long visit to Scotland as we are in hearing about their lives here; makes for easy conversations.

This may seem like a small thing to others, but we received our first compliment on Scottish terminology and pronunciation. While reporting on our trip to the Highlands of a few weeks ago, and while mentioning our sighting of Highland Cows, one of us actually said, with a straight face and with a proper Scottish accent, "hairy coos." That brought smiles of approval from one and all ;-)

Two Of Us

Edinburg Waverly Train Station

Beth and Mike are back in Edinburg; William returned to Louisiana after spending five weeks visiting. Not often that circumstances allow for that long of a visit. Those moments are not to be taken for granted.

Now the two of us are back into our routine of sorts. Beth headed over to the wee gym for exercise on the elliptical and rowing machine. Mike headed out on the pathways to exercise walk. He also got his first haircut here; much more stylish than where he goes in Roanoke. And we stocked back up on groceries; hey, the refrigerator was emptied prior to the week away in the Netherlands.

We also visited "frustration central" today. You know, that is the place that refers to itself as "customer service." We wanted refunds for the previously purchased train tickets that could not be used when the trains stopped running during the strike a few weeks back (we took a bus instead). Type, type, type away on the ScotRail website in the special form created for refunds for this very circumstance. Answer many questions. Upload ticket image. Repeat three separate times; one for each ticket. Wait a couple hours. Get three separate email failure notices. Arg. Go through entire process again. Fail again. Walk a mile to the train station, wait in line for 20 minutes, talk to customer service person who says "we can not issue refunds at the train station." Huh? Walk back to our flat and call ScotRail customer service; 20 minutes of hold music followed by unintelligible connection. Hang up. Try again. File verbal refund request. Told to mail unused tickets back. Think it is about time for a wee dram of whiskey.

Low Bar

Amsterdam Architecture

“Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day,” is the name of a popular children’s book we are familiar with. It is also what we expected to have trying to fly back to Edinburgh today. After our challenging experience flying out of Edinburgh to Rotterdam last week, after the headline news about the catastrophic situation for travelers trying to fly out of the Amsterdam Schiphol airport, and after noting the airport website pleading with passengers not to arrive more than four hours early, we knew we were doomed. They have a severe shortage of staff performing security screening; lines of waiting travelers have been extending out of the building and around the corner. As luck would have it, after we got to the airport five hours early, we “sailed” through security in just an hour. We were actually gleefully happy to be sitting waiting in the airport for hours for our flight to depart late. Definitely a low bar.

On a most positive note, check out the posted photo. It is beautiful. It speaks volumes about the Amsterdam architecture. Took the photo yesterday evening at dusk just a block from our hotel. Ahhh… Relax…

Van Gogh Authentic

Four Times More Bikes Than Cars

Fun day; went to the Van Gogh Museum. The authentic Van Gogh experience, not like the over hyped touring display of Van Gogh images on the walls of a tent in Edinburgh. The real museum has the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world. The hours we spent in the museum really brought his work to life. Also went to the Rijksmuseum for some real art.

Did more strolling around the city as well. Watch out! Six lanes of traffic. Can be risky to cross as a pedestrian. Step off the sidewalk, look both ways for bikes in the separate dedicated bike path, step over the curb, look to the left for oncoming electric trams, scoot across a lane of auto traffic (they drive on the same side as in the US - confusing after spending so much time in Scotland with driving on the opposite side), then another lane of auto traffic coming the other way, do the tram thing again, and do the bike lane thing again. Yikes, I did not mention that powered scooters are allowed in the bike lanes; they don't seem to mind disregarding the red traffic lights and other conventions. Phew. Made it across.

There are around 850,000 bikes in Amsterdam that belong to half as many households. There are four times more bicycles than cars in Amsterdam; 80% of residents own a bike and almost 60% use their bikes on a daily basis. The photo shows just a small portion of the thousands and thousands of bikes parked at the Central Train Station.

Anne Frank

House Museum

Scenic and emotional day. Let's start with the scenery; we got plenty of it wandering around the alleyways and concentric canals here in Amsterdam. The emblematic narrow buildings follow the architectural style of the Dutch Golden Ages, a unique and peculiar Dutch interpretation of the Baroque that developed between the 16th and 17th centuries. We also saw plenty of canal boats; many of them were carrying tourists (with picnic lunches and alcoholic drinks), and many others were carrying tourists with headsets (available in 19 languages). It was a scenery show.

The emotion, of course, came from visiting the Anne Frank House Museum. "The Diary of Anne Frank" is known to most every school child; Beth taught it to innumerable classes. During World War II, Anne Frank hid from Nazi persecution with her family and four other people in concealed rooms, in the rear building, of the 17th-century canal house, later known as the Secret Annex. She died in a Nazi concentration camp; her wartime diary was published in 1947. We toured the Auschwitz concentration camp many years ago, those memories forcefully flooded back today. This story of persecution/prejudice/discrimination is, unfortunately, timeless.

Location...

Tourists

The real estate adage about "location, location, location" being the three most important things is in play here in Amsterdam.

We took a one-hour train ride to get here from Rotterdam (the trains run every 15-30 minutes throughout the day), and made the short walk to our pre-booked hotel in Amsterdam. That short walk is where the location adage came into play. Turns out that being this close to the train station put us smack dab into the heart of the tourist area (should not have been a surprise). The streets and alleyways are jam packed with tourists (with 20 million tourists per year, Amsterdam is listed in the top 20 places worldwide for tourists). So much so that the city, as is the case for some other European cities, is responding to "locals complaining that their city had been transformed into a 'tourist Disney world.'" Guess we are adding to that situation.

We are also paying for it. Our hotel room, being in the heart of the tourist area, is costing x hundreds of dollars per night for a tiny one-hundred square foot room (at least is has an ensuite bathroom). What it doesn't have is enough room for one person to sit at the desk and the other person to squeeze by the king size bed (at least the room is at the back of the hotel where there is no street noise). That tiny room doesn't have what can be called charm or character (at least it has a working air conditioner). Sometimes, on our do-it-ourselves vacations, we hit the bull's eye with our accommodation picks (as is the case in Edinburgh). Sometimes we don't (as is the case here). 

Let's go see some sights.

Rotterdam

Modern Skyline

We spent the day wandering around the city center in Rotterdam and attended a couple post wedding events. The city, besides being known for the recent Jeff Bezos super yacht incident, is well known as Europe's largest seaport.

Following the near-total destruction of the entire city center by the German Luftwaffe in WWII, a 20 year reconstruction effort resulted in the most modern city in Europe, including, in 1953, the first car-free shopping street in Europe. Indeed, the skyline is filled with angular steel and glass buildings; many seem to defy gravity with overhangs and cantilevers.

10-Hour Wedding

Rotterdam

What a terrific day. We spent 10 hours enjoying wedding events for two friends, one we have known for decades the other more recently. They have stayed with us in the US and we could not miss the opportunity to help them celebrate their wedding.

They live on a small island in Rotterdam, most recently in the news because of the historic access bridge to the island that was about to be temporarily dismantled to allow for the largest yacht in the world to pass through (Jeff Bezos just had the yacht built nearby). Rotterdam is a very modern city (it was completely destroyed in WWII) with a young population (70% of city center residents are between 20-40 years old, and unmarried).

First came lunch in a cafe (owned by friends), then a water taxi ride (fast and exciting) to the wedding venue (historic building), then drinks/music (overlooking the water), then the wedding (much different ceremony than in US), then live music (the groom plays in a band), then dinner (all vegetarian), then music and dancing (almost all US rock songs from the 70's), then a water taxi ride back to out hotel (upper floor room overlooking the city). Nice.

"E" Word

Edinburgh Airport

All three of us, the word begins with "e," a flight from Edinburgh to Rotterdam today. The word was certainly not “enjoyed" at flight, lines and crowds and confusion prevailed. The word may have been “experienced" at flight, because it most certainly was that. Arrived at the airport three hours early, switched departure gates four times, and stood in multiple long lines. The proper “e” word for today was “endured" a flight, because that is about the best we can claim; we made it in spite of the challenging circumstances. Eeeenough of that.

The three of us are looking forward to attending the wedding of two friends tomorrow.

Walker's Paradise

Southern Upland Way

As far as we are concerned, Scotland is a walker's paradise. Walking is engrained in the culture, enshrined in the National Right To Roam federal law, and seemingly practiced by one and all. This is one of the big reasons we feel at home here.

There are 12,500 miles of protected paths which are accessible right across Scotland – from the countryside to the city – suitable for walking, cycling, and horse-riding. Edinburgh has several hundred miles of these. By comparison, Virginia, which does a good job with trails and which is about one-third larger than Scotland, has only about 10% of the trail miles.

Interestingly, but not surprising given the Scottish affinity for walking, John Muir was born in Scotland. After moving to the US, he focused his life on the preservation of wilderness, and is widely known as the "Father of the National Parks." Thank you, Scotland.

Recce

Pilgrim Way

recce (in British English) pronounced "reki"

a slang word for reconnaissance, reconnoitre

Every leader for a hill walk in our All Year Ramblers club must prepare. They select a walk from the approximately 500 walks that are documented in the club library (this club has been walking two times every week for over 100 years), and they do a recce prior to the actual walk. Since Scotland is a walker's paradise, and since there are an inconceivable number of trails and paths, many dozen of decisions will need to be made on every walk about the proper way to go at the intersections. Today's walk benefitted from an even higher level of preparation. The leader assembled a briefing packet that included a topo map with the route marked and a full set of labeled photos of interesting sights we would see. But wait, there is more; as an amateur historian and naturalist the leader also stopped many dozens of times to educate us about a rock, or flower, or ruin, or place, or name, or bird, or... Talk about proper prior planning.

Amber Waves

Wheat

It is a bit ironic to be spending Independence Day here in Scotland. After all, this US holiday celebrates the legal separation of the thirteen colonies from Great Britain in 1776. This irony is all the more poignant because of the popularity, especially on July 4th, of the song "America the Beautiful." Recall the second line of that song is, "For amber waves of grain." Which is exactly what we just did.

Our hill walk with the All Year Ramblers club took us south of Edinburgh into lush farmland. And, in a matter of sheer coincidence, we walked through miles of wheat fields blowing in the wind. Amber waves of grain. Unsurprisingly, we did not get much reaction, or even acknowledgement, when we pointed all of this out to our fellow walkers in the pub afterwards. Go figure.

Happy Fourth of July.

The Union

Canal Boats

Let's focus on the Union. Not the Union in the North in the US during the Civil War, but the Union Canal here in Edinburgh. It is part of one of our favorite exercise walks. That walk takes us on a 9 mile loop from our flat in the Stockbridge neighborhood, through the city center, past the Edinburgh Castle, along the Union Canal, and then along the Water of Leith. It is a wonderfully mixed route:  Georgian buildings, historic castle, quite canal, and scenic waterway.

The Union Canal, which was built 200 years ago to transport coal into the city, is currently used for recreation. Some canal boats are used as second homes, and others are rented for multi-day trips. The photo was taken as two of the canal boats are crossing over an aqueduct elevated 100 feet above the Water of Leith; quite spectacular to see a boat floating so high above. While Scotland only has a handful of such canals, England has over 3,000 miles of them.

Fish & Chips

Properly Done

Tough judgement call. Sometimes circumstances call for hard choices. We can sympathize with news journalists who have to decide which story of the day to lead with. Should today's blog lead-in be about historic Craigmiller Castle (best preserved medieval castle in the UK), the multiple bus rides (confusion about where to get on), the tourist crowds in Old Town Edinburgh (elbowing your way along the sidewalks), the mysterious disappearance of the iconic Haggis Box (phone booth sized haggis food stand), or the fish & chips lunch? Let's lead with the lunch.

Although we have been in Scotland for over a month now, and we have endeavored to experience and blog about many things Scottish, it was not until today that we stopped for a proper fish and chips. Not sure what convoluted priority scheme caused that to happen. Regardless, the fish and chips were delicious. The battered haddock was lite and fluffy, just like a little brown cloud. Really, the batter and fish where as lite as can be, no oily or heavy taste. And the chips were likewise.

Food historians say that a Jewish cook, a young Ashkenezi immigrant named Joseph Malin, opened the first chippy in 1860 in London. So engrained in English culinary culture are fish and chips that they were one of the few foods never rationed during World War II. The government believed that safeguarding this comfort meal during a time of distress would keep morale up.

Arthur's Seat

Overlooking City

It was a good day for a hill walk right here in Edinburgh. Roanoke has Mill Mountain. Edinburgh has Arthur's Seat. It is a dramatic rocky ancient volcano rising 600+ feet over the city. It is one of those, "you haven't visited Edinburgh if you haven't climbed Arthur's Seat" types of places.

The 360 degree views from the top extend over Holyrood Palace, over Edinburgh Castle, over the city center, to the Firth of Forth estuary, and to the North Sea. We walked the 3 miles from our flat to Holyrood Park, spent an hour climbing to, and enjoying the sights from, the top, then walked a longer route back to the flat.

From the top, as we were buffeted by the wind, as we looked down on Holyrood Palace, we could see a large gathering of people who were invited to attend festivities associated with the Queen's annual visit. She is here in Edinburgh for a one week stay at Holyrood Palace; that is the official residence of the Monarchy in Scotland. Our invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.