Edinburgh 2

A great joy this, being able to walk a beautiful city. A pleasure shared by many of the residents on a Sunday morning, the streets thronging with folk. An aside, Edinburgh appears to be the UK capital for Hen parties; curious phenomenon and the equivalent of bachelor parties, but far better organised. From early on parties of determined looking women emerge from the railway station, having traveled from all over the UK, dressed in regalia of their choice, the bride to be very much in evidence with bows, garters and ribbons. They then move from pub to pub to restaurant, eventually staggering back to the station, stiletto heels over cobbled streets, a sight which could probably have the prospective groom heading for the hills. .

I struggle to define Edinburgh, it is far more European in look and feel than a UK city. Long curving streets, lined with granite buildings, little or no ostentatious decorating apart from the glorious window boxes. Thankfully they also have very stringent building regulations and no late 20th century horrors are visible,at least not in the city as such. Curiously, some of the pre-Victorian buildings are quite Dutch in appearance. Perhaps the shared Calvinism? Equally strange, the ubiquitous yellow paint one sees in Germany also makes a frequent appearance here.A verdant city, immense parks and pockets of trees virtually everywhere.

Hein treated us to lunch at The Scran and Scallie on Sunday. This is Tom Kitchin's gastropub in Stockbridge. A holder of a Michelin star, he produces plain food that is very, very good.. I had the stargazy pie, but sadly without the little fish peering at the sky, presumably not to offend or upset sensitive customers. Waitress very Nordic in appearance, turns out to be from the Isle of Skye. Quite often come across Scots who seem to have just left the set of a Viking movie.

Wandered through book and charity shops after lunch. Huge number of both of these and really makes one understand what poor bookshops and selections we have back home. I shall come back with a sack of books! And the charity shops have good quality clothing at silly prices, no shame in buying from them at all.

In praise of leggings: the majority of young women here have wonderful legs, and this year they are all wearing leggings.Watching them stride about is like peeling onions. To be young again.

Visited the National gallery on Monday, exhibition featuring Daubigny, Monet and van Gogh. Beautifully curated, showing Daubigny's influence on later Impressionists. In contrast I later walked past the Fruitmarket Gallery, exhibition by Damien Ortega featuring random lumps of clay. Much of abstract art seems to be fraudulent and cynical,a mere attempt to hoodwink the public to part with money for what is essentially rubbish.

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