Edinburgh Day 2
Saturday's weather was overcast skies, but there didn't seem to be much chance of rain. On this visit, we didn't have much of an agenda. We'd already seen the touristy stuff on our last visit. Margo mostly wanted to enjoy some downtime after a stressful week. My main goal was to climb Arthur's Seat, and Sarah was ready for it also. So after a fine English breakfast, Sarah and I returned to yesterday's starting point, but this time with a better view of the climb ahead.
We took our time up the switchbacks, pausing now and then and sipping from our water bottles. Sarah was a bit scared in some of the steeper parts but carried on. Soon enough the steepness leveled and we found ourselves at the top, with a full view of the city.
Next we resolved to climb partway down and continue on the top of the crags toward the bottom of the Royal Mile. The crags are like a big shelf, and walking along near its edge one can look down on the city for the whole walk. Here's a view of them from the summit.
It's like walking through a meadow on the top of the city. On our right was a gently sloping grassy plain; on our left, a great view. Around this time Margo called. She'd been wandering Old Town and found a tea room to settle in for a while, where we could meet up with her. I could see the intersection she described and estimated we'd be there in half an hour.
We worked our way along the descending ridge, the view like that from a plane that's landing: first everything is below you, then gradually you see it from the side, until you're next to it. We met the ground across from the football field in Holyrood Park. Then we passed Holyrood Palace, the Scottish Parliament buildings, and ascended the Royal Mile, meeting Margo about 2/3rds of its mile later.
We had some lunch, and then split up as Margo and Sarah wanted to get afternoon naps. I went off wandering. I decided to do some pub hunting. Like I mentioned earlier, most pubs in the touristy areas are geared towards revelers and sports fans. I was looking for a pub for people who enjoy the taste of good beer. My first thought was to find a library and a Good Pub Guide, so I set off to the grounds of the Scottish National Gallery to see if a library might be nearby. One wasn't, but I did swing through for a quick shot of culture, enjoying some nice Italian landscapes and French impressionists. Staff wore tartan trousers.
Then I crossed over to New Town. I walked a block or so of some streets I hadn't encountered, like Thistle and Queen, but didn't find anything promising. I'd bookmarked a pub at the end of Rose Street, so I eventually made my way there, and knew I'd found gold when I saw a chalkboard outside showing their five guest taps.
And so I spent some time at the Abbotsford pub. The guest taps were new enough that not even the bar staff could guide me. I enjoyed a stout-like strong ale, and a rich coppery brown.
I walked back, looking for more pubs but not finding ones I wanted to visit. Approaching our bed and breakfast, I saw the locations of important "firsts" for us. The first crosswalk, at Priestfield and Dalkieth, where we slavishly obeyed the Walk signal because we knew we'd look the wrong way for oncoming traffic. The sidewalk where, as a bus approached, I had an "oh crap" moment as I dug through the change from new notes and realised I had no idea what coins had which value.
Sarah and Margo were sleeping when I returned. I was in the mood for fish and chips and real ale, and I knew Margo would want something more formal, so I called the Abbotsford and ensured they allowed children for dining, and made a reservation. So an hour and a half later we bused to Princes Street and walked to the pub for dinner.
We didn't wander afterwards - the others were keen to return, so we took a taxi back and that rounded out our second day.
We took our time up the switchbacks, pausing now and then and sipping from our water bottles. Sarah was a bit scared in some of the steeper parts but carried on. Soon enough the steepness leveled and we found ourselves at the top, with a full view of the city.
Next we resolved to climb partway down and continue on the top of the crags toward the bottom of the Royal Mile. The crags are like a big shelf, and walking along near its edge one can look down on the city for the whole walk. Here's a view of them from the summit.
It's like walking through a meadow on the top of the city. On our right was a gently sloping grassy plain; on our left, a great view. Around this time Margo called. She'd been wandering Old Town and found a tea room to settle in for a while, where we could meet up with her. I could see the intersection she described and estimated we'd be there in half an hour.
We worked our way along the descending ridge, the view like that from a plane that's landing: first everything is below you, then gradually you see it from the side, until you're next to it. We met the ground across from the football field in Holyrood Park. Then we passed Holyrood Palace, the Scottish Parliament buildings, and ascended the Royal Mile, meeting Margo about 2/3rds of its mile later.
We had some lunch, and then split up as Margo and Sarah wanted to get afternoon naps. I went off wandering. I decided to do some pub hunting. Like I mentioned earlier, most pubs in the touristy areas are geared towards revelers and sports fans. I was looking for a pub for people who enjoy the taste of good beer. My first thought was to find a library and a Good Pub Guide, so I set off to the grounds of the Scottish National Gallery to see if a library might be nearby. One wasn't, but I did swing through for a quick shot of culture, enjoying some nice Italian landscapes and French impressionists. Staff wore tartan trousers.
Then I crossed over to New Town. I walked a block or so of some streets I hadn't encountered, like Thistle and Queen, but didn't find anything promising. I'd bookmarked a pub at the end of Rose Street, so I eventually made my way there, and knew I'd found gold when I saw a chalkboard outside showing their five guest taps.
And so I spent some time at the Abbotsford pub. The guest taps were new enough that not even the bar staff could guide me. I enjoyed a stout-like strong ale, and a rich coppery brown.
I walked back, looking for more pubs but not finding ones I wanted to visit. Approaching our bed and breakfast, I saw the locations of important "firsts" for us. The first crosswalk, at Priestfield and Dalkieth, where we slavishly obeyed the Walk signal because we knew we'd look the wrong way for oncoming traffic. The sidewalk where, as a bus approached, I had an "oh crap" moment as I dug through the change from new notes and realised I had no idea what coins had which value.
Sarah and Margo were sleeping when I returned. I was in the mood for fish and chips and real ale, and I knew Margo would want something more formal, so I called the Abbotsford and ensured they allowed children for dining, and made a reservation. So an hour and a half later we bused to Princes Street and walked to the pub for dinner.
We didn't wander afterwards - the others were keen to return, so we took a taxi back and that rounded out our second day.
posted by Michael Nelson at 11:48 pm
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