Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - The Scotland Saga

As our 2-bedroom apartment at the Thistle at Quartermile would not be ready for occupancy until noon, we struck out on foot to see the lay of the land.  The area of our rental is the site of the former hospital, built in the 1950's. The hospital itself was torn down, and replaced with these newer modern buildings over the last 8-10 years. There is a new Marriott Residence Inn, a Sainsbury grocer, a wonderful bakery/coffee spot, a Starbucks, etc.  Also some office buildings.  There are a number of large Victorian buildings, originally part of the hospital complex, I believe. They are converting these into modern apartments - as the billboard said "modern interiors in classic exteriors!"

This area adjoins the University of Edinburgh and a large open parkland called The Meadows. It is at the southern edge of the Old Town area of Edinburgh, which encompassed the governmental offices, the Edinburgh Castle, the new and modern Parliament building and a host of old buildings, most of whose ground floors are given over to tourist shops filled with Scottish products for sale.  We began the day with a quick coffee and breakfast nosh at the bakery on the ground floor of our building, called Peters Gate. This is a marvelous little shop purveying home baked breads, jams, scones etc.

Our walk revealed many opportunities for shopping (some requiring action) and sightseeing of the Old Town area. We received a call at noon telling us our rooms were ready, so we trekked back to the home base, unpacked slightly and headed out again. 

As seasoned travelers, we knew (but were strongly protesting) the rule about staying awake the first day and overcoming the urge to sleep - this is not easy, but being in a group helps - keeping each other going.

After our amble back towards Old Town, we stopped at the charming Elephant House coffee house situated along George IV bridge.  This was the haunt of J.K. Rowling while writing the first Harry Potter novel.  She would sit in the coffee shop at one of the tables, her daughter in her pram, and write all day.  As there is a sign in the window noting this fact, the place was very busy with tourists, also, a sometimes crowded sidewalk with tourists taking pictures. We stopped in and had tea, a beer, salads and sandwiches.  Not what I would call gourmet, but serviceable.

We set our dinner sights on a restaurant a few doors down called The Outsider, and made reservations for 6:00 PM.  Onward to walk the Royal Mile road, with the Edinburgh Castle at one end, and the Parliament building at the other.

We enjoyed the walk, making a few purchases and marveling at the architecture.  It was a wearying afternoon and we all were tiring.  Jeff was determined to see the new Parliament building at the East end of the street.  Deb and I encouraged Glenda and him to proceed while we dawdled at a few shops, finally sitting on a bench to await their return.

Then on to the highlight of the afternoon - Caddenhead's Shop, Scotland's oldest independent bottler of Scotch whisky. The Manager, Mark Davidson, gave the most informative lecture on scotch whisky, its production, aging, blending, and types.  We came away with a few wee bottles that we hope make it across the pond.  Very enjoyable.

We ended our day at the Outsider Restaurant for evening meal - excellent food, including trout, gnocchi, steak and pork. A few bottles of wine were also included.  Our pleasant repast now complete, we struggled back to our room, knowing that falling asleep at the restaurant was not good form, even for American tourists.

The hard part of the day was sitting up in our living room, waiting for the sun to set so we could go to bed.  Falling asleep this evening was not a problem.