Escapades in Edinburgh

FUN FACTS: 

During the "Fringe Festival" the population of Edinburgh increases from 500,000 people to one million!! 

We learned that another old adage originated in Edinburgh. Being "ear marked" came from the barbaric torture of nailing shady characters ears to the post. You'd have to RIP your own ear in order to escape ... leaving you "earmarked" so people could visibly tell you were a scoundrel. 

The architectural beauty of the "Old Town" and the "Royal Mile" is beyond spectacular in the most medieval and magical manner. It really brings you back in time. Not as far back as ... Game of Thrones ... but ... the cobblestones and rain showers and chilly wind are enchantingly mixed with the sunshine and smiles on the faces of the bartenders and passersby.

And ... Rose Street is a pedestrian road littered generously with pubs and shops and people consuming liberally ... both imbibing and spending! ☺

Oh ... and we've learned that the Scots have their very own rivalry between Edinburgh and Glasgow. In fact, the common saying in Glasgow is that "The only good thing coming out of Edinburgh is the train to Glasgow." 😁

GRINS: We had an early morning start ... after our FIRST good night's sleep! And we discovered a Tim Hortons enroute yo the Queen Street Train Station! The sun was beaming on us through the train windows as we took the 52 minute commute this morning while sipping our Timmy's. And the countryside is stunning in its rich green offerings! And John finally got to enjoy a bowl of "Cullin Skink"( smoked haddock& potato chowder) ...which he rated a full 9.5 out of 10. I tried the fries ... only a 7. I was hoping for fresh cut fries! They weren't bad but they weren't home made. I'll stay on the hunt ... maybe better chance in London!

GASPS: Arghhh! Everytime we passed by another train I nearly jumped out of my skin. Every. Single.Time. They are so close ... its ridiculous! 😲😟😬

GRIPES: not really a gripe ... but ... I had to try the cheese, onion and carrot sandwich. I'd seen them often ... thought they must be as Scottish as their "toasties" (which are like grilled cheese sandwiches... all melty and gooey inside) . Sadly, I have not tried a toastie yet but it's on my list!! I did not, however, care much for the cheese, onion and carrot. A bit too rich and the onion was awfully strong!! It rated a 4 out of 10 for our Canadian palates! 

GRATITUDES: So many. We were able to find the specially recommended hot pie and roll with butter ... with the pie put into the roll. This delicacy is not at all common but was highly recommended by our friends Chris and Helen from the pub last night. They even wrote it down so we could give the order to the staff at Gregg's Bakery. While the sausage roll is their best seller, John gives the hot pie in the roll a solid 9 out of 10. 👍

And ... we couldn't have been more grateful than to have enjoyed a live theatre performance called " A Work in Progress." It was so darn good that I had tears because I was laughing so hard. John agreed... he thought it was "hilarious"!! We give it 11 out of 10!

And then there were the "Bangers and Mash and Gravy" at a cozy little pattisserie on the Royal Mile . Neither of us have ever before had such a smoothly whipped potato ... rating it a firm 8 for taste and 9 for texture! Delicious ... and ... it was even more enjoyable sitting outdoors with a violinist evoking incredible emotions with her exquisite craftsmanship!! There we were ... just trying to enjoy our bangers ...and ... we were both tearing up!! Yep. Both weeping tenderly into our mash. And ... I should have included this in our GASP section ... but ... I had no idea that you could play "Don't worry , Be Happy!" on the violin! Wow ... so appreciative of that calibre of talent! We even bought a CD from her. I took some video. Not sure if it will do it justice because I had to crop it so I could post it here. I really hope you can get the 'feel' of it too! 💛

All in all ... it was a fabulous day! We got home early ... hoping to get a second good night's sleep before we head off for the Lochness and Inverness and I think the Highlands tomorrow! So .. we're sipping a glass of wine ... John is checking options for travel and sleep whenwe leave London. And ... I'm happily journalling our days delights here ... and grateful I can share them with with you.

We hope you are all doing well ... and ... send lots of love! k&jRead more