Edinburgh, Scotland

Day 1

OK, so yesterday was Monday, and we had an excellent time. Sunday night I took the cab from the airport to Kate's student housing. Everything here is green and moist and lovely, and the accents make me feel like I'm living in a BBC TV show.

Kate gave me some food and drink, and we had lovely conversation while sharing YouTube clips. I managed to stay awake until bedtime and then woke the next morning 8 am local time. I've been functioning well since, though I have no body sense of what time it is.

So yesterday we woke up and got dressed. I spotted my first magpie. Kate went to her doctoral review board. We should hear in a couple of weeks if her fellowship gets approved, but she thinks things went well. I've got my fingers crossed.

When she got back, we rode a bus into town, which means the view from the upstairs windows (double-decker bus) started with campus, then a chicken farm, then housing, then lovely buildings with stores and pubs. 

We got off the bus and began walking around, at which point my suspicion that I would need to buy a wind cheater was instantly confirmed. Everyone -- I mean, everyone -- wears them here. So the lovely Kate took me to Primark, where I got a perfect wind cheater with a hood for about $35 (23 pounds). I'll be able to use it in New Orleans, so that's great, but frankly even if I couldn't I'd be happy with it.

Kate tells me everyone's first visit in Scotland is to Primark. Think Steinmart but even more affordable.

The food here is ridiculously cheap in groceries, but about what it is in New Orleans for restaurants.

Anyway, we walked about the city. The giant spire is the world's largest monument to a writer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Monument) and dedicated to Sir Walter Scott. (Scott, BTW, is the one who retroactively assigned tartans to the Scottish clans.) We could have paid about $10 to walk up its stairs, but we declined.

The whole town is overlooked by Edinburgh Castle, which looks fabulous from all angles. We're planning to take the tour today.

As we walked about, we stopped into pubs and things to taste the local fare. We had Scottish fried prawns in what is a ubiquitous chili sauce (very sweet), fries with cheese and bacon, and halloumi cheese (with more chili sauce) at a chain called Weatherspoons, then we wandered into local pubs where I tried:  Daracha (6/10), Jack Back (3/10), Cross Fire (6/10), Edinburgh Gold (6/10), and Barney's Volcano IPA (7/10). Mostly, I have noticed that Scottish beers are smooth and lightly carbonated.

We went to the Tartan Mill, which was lovely. The basic tourist offerings are lambswool (affordable) and cashmere (OMG). Fortunately for the people of Edinburgh, the Houston Tartan (http://www.tartanfootprint.com/Houston) is not featured, but our main family tree, the MacDonalds (https://www.lochcarron.co.uk/macdonald-of-glengarry-modern-heavy-weight-tartan-fabric/), is everywhere. I did see something maybe to buy Dad, but it's early days. I thought a nice cashmere shawl would be for Mom, but it's $300, so no.  (Sorry, Mom)

After awhile, we went to the market, Aldi, where we bought food and snacks. While waiting for the bus to come home, I said I'd make dinner for 8:30. Kate said that wouldn't work and pointed out that it was, in fact, 8:30 already. It doesn't get dark here until about 11 pm. My lack of body-time is making this whole thing feel like living on the moon. I love it.

We came back, and I made chicken with lemons and olives. Kate taught me how to make chicken skin cracklins. Both yummy.

Today is the Edinburgh Castle and Camera Obscura (https://www.camera-obscura.co.uk/), along with more pubs and things. I plan to drink some Elvis Juice. (More on that next email.)

It's great here. I may have to move.

 Day 2

Life continues to be a joy.

Slept like a lump. Kate is wonderful and plays this white noise she says negates my snoring. Bless her.

We woke up and were domestic for a bit. She and I both did a little work and just chilled out for a while with little tasks and things. We hit the bus about 1pm and had a pint at an unexpected place called the Jolly Judge that we loved. So cozy! The California Common beer was a 6/10. We were in  a hurry, so we decided to come back to taste the Marshmallow Stout.

Then we went to Edinburgh Castle. The view is incredible. There has been a fortress up there for 2,000 years, and the current oldest part, the chapel, dates back to 1100 AD. It was tiny but lovely. It is all that survived of that version of the castle because the invading army that laid waste to the place didn't touch the chapel.

There was a sobering bit where we went inside the war hall with all these names of those who have died defending Scotland. It reminded me of the Vietnam memorial. Kate and I discussed the differences in thinking about the soldiers who saved us from the madness of the world wars, WW II In particular, vs. those who served in Vietnam, whose lost lives just seem such a waste.

We also saw the crown jewels, which Scott oh-so-helpfully "found" in a closet 200 years after they went missing. More impressively, we saw the Stone of Destiny, which Scotland gets to keep now, though they have agreed to take it to England for coronations.

The crowds here are very polite, and I am continuing to remind myself not to push forward and step lively but to hang back a bit and make sure there's no one ahead of me who is elderly or has a special need. We enjoyed watching a corgi service dog with its fluffy butt and sweet manners get on the bus. Also, it's imperative here that you thank the bus driver when you leave. Kate says, "Cheers, thanks." I just say, "Thank you."  I always acknowledge the streetcar driver in NOLA, but I say, "Have a good one."

Kate is very patient as I process things by comparing them to NOLA and other places. I find Edinburgh at once charmingly foreign and reassuringly familiar. Many things seem like America would be if we had enough public funds. The bus system, for example, is incredible. Not only are there all manner of buses that are clean and efficient, but the bus stops have countdowns for when each bus assigned to that stop will show up.

After the castle, we went to the White Hart, the oldest continually operating pub in the city. We split a steak and ale pie that was yum. The White Hart Ale was a 5/10.We walked up and down Victoria Street, which was the inspiration for Diagon Alley. Harry Potter stuff is everywhere because Rowling is from Scotland.

Then we went to Camera Obscura, which is filled with magic illusions made from mirrors and technology. So fun! At the top is the actual camera, which employs a mirror and three lenses to reflect an image of the city onto a table. The camera was built about 200 years ago and has been serving as a tourist attraction ever since. Very impressive.

I got a little museum burnout, so we picked up some free return tickets to come back and see more later, and then we went back to the Jolly Judge. So very lovely in there. I could see being there a century ago, relishing in the warmth while icy rain hit the windows. I ordered a pint of their Marmalade on Rye, but they would only sell it a half-pint at a time because of its high alcohol content. This turned out to be a good thing because I didn't like it. 4/10. Kate, however, had a lovely cider. The Marshmallow Stout was sold out, but we'll try for a taste of that again later.

Next we went to Brewdog and I tried a sample of their Elvis Juice. Blech. 4/10. But then I asked the bartender for something rich and hoppy, and he gave me a Jet Trash that was an 8/10. Wonderful stuff. Lovely place too. We ordered a salad, but after 45 minutes it still wasn't there, so we bugged out. Back at Kate's place she made delicious spaghetti and meatballs and then we hit the sack.

More fun stuff today, including a visit to the National Gallery and a Vault Tour.

Love you all.

Day 3

OK, I have finally found my beer. It's Innis & Gunn's Blood Red Sky. They make the dark brew (no citrus) and then age the beer in used rum barrels. OMG

More on this below.

For some reason I didn't sleep well Tuesday night, and Wednesday was our most heavily scheduled day. I rallied, threw on my wind cheater, and followed the lovely Kate out the door.

BTW, I should mention that the view out the windows of the second floor of the bus (which is all enclosed) is delightful. There are charming homes with gardens, then the city (which is the New Town) with its storefronts and tall buildings. The first skyscrapers where in Edinburgh, which at the time (17th cen) was suffering massive over-population. There was no place to build but up. Evidently, the first four stories were stone and rich people lived there. Then ten stories of wood. No wonder this place has fire warnings and systems everywhere.

So we went to the National Gallery, which holds wonderful oils from the Renaissance. First, though, we visited the lobby where some embroidery experts were taking some of the paintings and making them into embroidery pieces. Wow. Incredible stitches and detail. I pretended to know about the craft so I could get some hints on their techniques. Kate was very patient while I threw out words like "What a depth of field you made with those French knots!"

Then we walked around the paintings. Saw some Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, and more. So lovely.

Then I was starving, so we were headed to this place for fish 'n chips. But on the way (We've been walking about 5 miles a day here.), we passed this place that looked really good. So we went there instead and I had THE BEST fish 'n chips ever. So crispy I could load it with vinegar and it still crunched in my mouth. The fish was fresh, and Kate and I both got these top-notch Rose Garden drinks with Tanqueray gin and Fentiman's Rose Water and raspberries. Heaven. A German man in one of those motorcycle touring groups came over to ask (so politely) what we were drinking.

Then Kate took me for a wee dessert at the macarons place, where I had a peach and a pistachio macaron. More Heaven.

After that, we walked through the Princes Street Gardens, which parallel Princes Street (think Main St.) and allow you to get where you're going in floral splendor instead of next to the traffic. Of course, the whole time we're being looked over by the castle, which continues to look wonderful from all angles. (The area to the left of the castle is Old Town, where the Royal Mile and Camera Obscura et al. reside. There are bagpipers and tourist shops aplenty.

Then we went back to the Camera Obscura because I got Obscura fatigue on Tuesday and there were more things to play with, like the thermal camera and music box automatons. I got my head chopped off and saw myself as an Asian woman too. I even had fun in the gift shop and bought a maze pen that will keep my lizard brain busy for hours when I'm supposed to be working. Perfect! And only 1.5 Pounds Sterling (i.e., $2.25).

After that, we had a quick pint of cider at the Jolly Judge. Great atmosphere. I couldn't help overhearing the conversation at the neighboring table. The lady talking had a wonderfully posh accent:

"Well, he says he needs to have peace and quiet to write. But he's actually living in this fancy estate and not paying rent because he's involved with the younger sister. And, indeed, I can't help thinking if you live for months in luxury with no rent, anyone is going to feel creative, aren't they?" On the way out, I complimented the woman on her (very lovely, in fact) scarf, and we talked briefly about the nature of art vs. crafts. Kate was again a patient doll.

We strolled back via the gardens and ended up in the graveyard there, which Rowling said she used for getting many of the names she used in the Harry Potter series, I'm attaching a photo of the gravestone from which she got Professor Lockhart's name. 

That's a tulip next to Kate's hand. There are also lavender bushes, snap dragons, poppies, and roses everywhere.

My wind cheater continues to be wonderful. The sun is out? The lightweight garment goes over my purse. The wind starts to blow? The snuggly garment goes over Julia.

All day, we had planned to go to Charters for endless wings and beer for dinner. It's kind of a student-sports pub. But on the way we passed Innis & Gunn's restaurant (the only one, not a chain), and suddenly Kate wanted to go there. Turns out, she was scheming to get me in there in the belief that I would like her favorite beer, the Blood Red Sky.

She was right, and the wings were fantastic too. The BBQ and garlic & soy were lovely, but the Buffalo -- OMG. Our waitress even let us order a final batch to take home, which we would have for breakfast the next day. We spent a couple hours there just listening to the hodge-podge of music, chomping wings, and drinking beer. 

We had planned to take the vault tour, but I was so tired. We have purposefully kept Saturday free, so we pushed the vault tour to Saturday afternoon with my great appreciation. It's a tour of the underground city. I want to enjoy it, but my little feet and legs were so weary!

On the bus ride home, it grew quite rainy and blustery, but we were warm in our wind cheaters and made it back to Kate's unscathed. I then slept about 11 hours. Kate has praised me for my phenomenal range of snores.

Thursday we have scheduled a rest and recovery day, minus a 3-hour trip to a world-famous yarn store and bus drive through the country.

Love you all.

Day 4 & 5

Yesterday was lovely. I fed a hairy coo and retraced the steps of Monty Python.

OK, so Thursday we had planned and then executed a rest day. Also, Kate had a 90-minute business call she needed to make at 2. It's a ghostwriting gig that pays very well. She's going to see if they're really what they say they are, and then, if so, she'll introduce me to them.

So I spent Thursday writing, editing, and lazing about. The weather, as it happens, was dreadful outside. People here don't care about the rain, but the wind can shut down everyone's fun. It howled and blew like crazy, and we were snug inside.

After her call, the weather was much calmer, and we took a bus ride to the Twisted Ginger, where I bought some fantastic yarn that just screamed to become a sweater set and some adorable buttons. 

Then we went to a pub where the Black Cow beer was a 5/10 and a skeezy Scots man told Kate she was the prettiest American he'd seen in decades. It was still great though, especially the pub doggie who liked her belly rubbed.

We took the bus back to Kate's, and I made Thai coconut soup that turned out well, though I had to put a lot of the Scottish (weak) curry in it. Then we went to bed early.

Friday we had to be at the bus stop at 8:15, as Kate had snagged the last two seats of a free Hairy Coo tour. The guide was kind of hilarious, a Glaswegian named Graham who played popular Scottish musicians and knew great stories about the places we went to. He told us about the horrible death of William Wallace, and now I know where the phrase "armed to the teeth" comes from.

We went up the hill to the Wallace Memorial, which had a great view. We didn't feel like paying to go inside, but seriously the view was enough.

We made several stops to see pretty things, and then we stopped at the village of Aberfoyle for lunch. The food was fine, except Kate's nachos had CHUTNEY instead of salsa. Yuck. I had smoked salmon wrapped around little shrimp that I swear was in a remoulade sauce. And the tomato soup was yum.

However, the highlight of the meal wasn't the food, it was the news Kate received that she received her doctoral fellowship!  I've attached a pic of her happiness. I gave her a big hug and congrats, and a woman sitting at the table next to us asked, "May I get a hug too?"  So we hugged her, and then the guy at the other table congratulated her. And then as we were paying to leave the guy behind the counter said, "Oh, I hear congratulations are in order."

So sweet.

OK, so then we were taken to the hariy coos, which are a decidedly shaggy breed of cattle that are no good for milking or eating but are insanely cute. We bought a bag of potatoes and turnips and fed Hazel, the baby.  Hee hee.

After that, it was on to Castle Doune, which comes from the 14th century(!). It's remarkably well preserved, and it's been used for all the Monty Python castles, Game of Thrones, and Highlander.

However, news on that will have to wait, as we are heading now for the Farmers Market.

 Day 5 & 6

Doune Castle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doune_Castle) was incredibly intact, all things considered. It was first built in the 13th century for the Duke and Duchess of Albany and was repaired and things many times afterwards. The scale was both impressive, considering the intense labor of laying all that stone and making such large rooms for meetings and things, and terribly small, considering the size of people at the time. Climbing up the spiral staircase was dang near impossible.

My favorite was the kitchen, which included a wall of pass-throughs like in a diner today. I could see the cooks sitting the trays of food on them for the young men to carry up and down those stairs.

If the duke found you guilty, you were dropped about 15 feet down this hole. If you survived, you were sent to the dungeon. 

Driving back to Edinburgh, we passed the giant kewpies. If you touch a kewpie, your hand will stick to its hair, and you'll be dragged down into hell. So that's probably something to avoid.

Back in the city, we met up with Kate's very good friend Boyana, who's originally from the now defunct Yugoslavia. She was a treasure. Together, we went to Usher Hall and saw a performance by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (http://www.rsno.org.uk/). It reminded me of the LPO because the individual performers (except for one poor trumpeter) were fantastic, but the orchestra is a little small. The hall, however, has a massive and wonderful pipe organ that was used in several pieces.

The (American) conductor was fun, and the program was classical music that had been featured in film. They started, of course, with "Also sprach Zarathustra" (very cool organ), and then did excerpts from Carmen and other readily recognizable pieces. They finished with a real kicker, though. In Scotland, they don't use "Pomp and Circumstance" for graduation, so it was cool and unusual for them. I'm afraid I made a face or two, but the performance of the piece was impeccable.

Then it was back to Kate's for a good night's sleep.

We slept so well, in fact, that we had to reschedule a bit for the day, but we still got on the bus around 11:30 am and got to the first of the day's farmer's markets. So many wonderful things to taste! I tried venison sausage (of which I bought two links), some homemade smoked salmon (of which I bought some as well), and two jars of lemon curd, one for Mom. I also bought Dad's Father's Day present, which is currently a secret. There was a lovely bakery stall, but as it was my last real day, buying a huge loaf of bread seemed impractical. Also, whatever we bought we had to carry around for the rest of the day.

We got bites of a steak and potato pie with honey (delicious), roasted humus, and smoked mackerel. I was delighted when Kate started cooing over some tweed and leather wallets because I wanted to buy her a thank you gift. She happily selected one with red plaid on it. I eyed one of the purses, but it wasn't cheap and I didn't need it. Still, it was purdy.

After that, we headed back to the place with my favorite beer, Innis & Gunn's Beer Kitchen, where we had breakfast-stuffed brioche. Mine was eggs and English bacon. Too yum.

After that, it was the day's second Farmer's Market, where I watched a guy make paella in a huge pan and visited Kate's favorite silversmith, this lovely German woman, from whom I bought three incredibly inexpensive and lovely pendants. We did some more souvenir shopping, including a silly key chain of Nessy playing the bagpipes for Melody and a Hairy Coo plushy for Daffaney's baby. I also treated myself to two wee bottles of infused spirits from Demi John's: one of elder-flower vodka and one of gooseberry gin. We also had a lovely pot of tea at Eteaket. Mine was Oolong. She got a Darjeeling.

We met a lovely couple from Glasgow at the Malt Shovel and talked for a while, then had some lovely teat at Eteaket. Mine is Oolong. Hers is Darjeeling.

Then we had boozy milkshakes and chicken popcorn at the Boozy Cow (which features the tag: "Beer and Meat"). I loved the anarchistic decor and thrashing music. But I also really loved that milkshake - chocolate vodka, ice cream, salted caramel, and whipped cream.

Finally, then, it was time to get to the vault tour. Our guide was lovely and fun, but the tour mostly just depressed me. People (refuges from the great purge of Scottish farmlands) lived short, horrible lives there under the bridge in tiny spaces with no windows or plumbing. I wanted to do it, and I'm glad we did, but it wasn't fun.

Somewhere in all this I became aware that I'm processing less of what's going on. I'm getting into a sort of vacation stupor. I don't want to go home, but it's time, I think. And I miss my cat.

After that, we walked back to the bus stop, and I spent the time with my head on a swivel. The buildings, the people, the incredible charm of the place were highlighted by the sunset.

The next morning, Kate got me to the taxicab on time.

It was all just so lovely.