Recap: Scotland, Day 1

Since I'm about to start working full-time again, I wanted to take advantage of one of my last long weekends for a while. Two factors combined to help me make the decision of where I should go. One, I stumbled upon a blog post of someone who went to Edinburgh for a long weekend in January and had a wonderful time (https://bassetwrangler.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/scotland-in-january-anything-but-miserable/) and two, there were inexpensive non-stop flights from Venice to Edinburgh on EasyJet. Boom, done! I booked the tickets only about a week out, and then booked lodging and adventuring after that. Unfortunately, the place my blogger guru stayed at and recommended was booked, but I used TripAdvisor to find accommodations. I wound up at the Alison House Bed & Breakfast, about a mile from the Royal Mile in a residential area, among a string of other similar B&Bs. It was fine, especially since I only paid about $55 a night and wasn't there much anyway. It was a straight, safe, easy walk to the town center and when I was feeling lazy (or cold) I could just walk across the street and hop a bus instead. The buses came every 8-10 minutes so it was nice to have that option. Breakfast was not included, but as an add-on for 5 GBP a day it seemed like a nice option. However, being a morning person and wanting to take advantage of as much as possible in my short time frame, I knew I would be out and about each morning by the time breakfast was laid out, so I didn't include that in my booking. Really the only con was that the place wasn't sound-proofed very well. I could hear the street traffic as well as all of the other hotel guests. Otherwise, the room was clean, the proprietor and staff were helpful and friendly, and the water was hot. No complaints. 

Inside the Camera Obscura

I landed at the Edinburgh airport just before nine a.m. and immediately pulled some cash from one of the ATMs near baggage claim. I elected not to pay extra money for checked luggage, so me and my teeny-tiny carry-on just went straight to one of the AirLink buses, bought a round-trip ticket for 7.50, and headed straight to the city center. My first stop was the Camera Obscura, which was first built by a lady in 1835 and served as a great introduction to the city. Essentially, a camera obscura is a pinhole camera, or a dark room or box with a tiny hole in one side; they were the forerunners to photography as we know it today. The one in Edinburgh is atop a tall tower and has 360 views of the city, and the attraction is sort of a fun house of illusions in addition to the camera itself. I spent about 20 minutes with a group of people getting a little tour of the city, and took some photos from the roof, and then headed down to explore the remaining 5 floors of attractions. It felt a little bit like a science museum for kids, but even as an adult I enjoyed myself and learned a few things. I especially liked the mirror maze and disliked the vortex room as it gave me a bit of motion-sickness. There were many drawings by Escher and exhibits featuring light and illusions, and it was a good way to spend a few hours before checking into my hotel.

View from the Edinburgh Castle

After I finished playing around at the Camera Obscura, I took a quick walk (about 200 yards) uphill to the Edinburgh Castle to take in the views. I also popped into a shop/textile mill and poked around in there for a while. I got a live demo of kilt-weaving, talked to a very friendly bagpipe player, and got offered a free whisky tasting - which I declined. From the top of Castle Hill it was about 1.5 miles to my hotel, and I checked in, unpacked, and put my feet up for a few minutes before venturing out again for a free walking tour of the city with Sandeman's. Basically I Googled "Free Walking Tour Edinburgh" and picked the highest-rated one, and that ended up being an excellent call. David from Australia was our guide, and even though we had quite a large group he kept a nice pace and peppered us with some fascinating tidbits as we made our way through the city. We covered a LOT of ground and I learned a lot, and got to check some things off my bucket list as well. David also gave us some intriguing information about some of the darker history of the city, and I'm definitely going to do one of the "ghost" or "dark side" tours if I ever go back to Edinburgh because his insight piqued my interest. I'm not even going to give a laundry list of things we walked by or passed, because it would take too long for me to recap! Suffice to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. We finished outside the National Museum of Scotland, so I just popped in there to explore for a bit. There were some really neat exhibits. I concentrated on the sea life and world cultures exhibits, but also got a kick out of the sculptures and bicycles. I think I missed an entire floor, but I just didn't have that much time before it closed. I thought I'd be able to make it back or at least use it as a back-up plan in case of foul weather - especially since entry is free - but I never quite did. Oh well.

Tartan weaving

Stack of woven tartans

Inside the National Museum of Scotland

The only known quad pacing bike in Great Britain

After the museum closed, I headed down the Royal Mile (literally downhill toward the Holyrood Castle as opposed to uphill toward the Edinburgh Castle) and stopped into a place called The World's End for some fish and chips; I heard they had award-winning food and David recommended it, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. Full disclosure: I swapped onion rings for french fries and have no regrets. My word, the piece of fish was enormous! It was longer than my forearm! It was a perfectly friend piece of flaky white haddock, and I was sorely tempted to a) finish the whole thing and b) go back there for every single meal. Alas, I did neither. Fun fact: The pub takes its name from its location at the corner of High Street and the Royal Mile. High Street used to be the site of a city gate, at which a fee was levied for entering the city. Many people (mostly the poor folks) never left the city and thus the location was colloquially known as the world's end. There's also a close (another term for an alley) called "World's End Close" right next door to the pub. After a really delicious meal, I then proceeded to a place called The Royal Oak, which was on my list of places to try for some live music. I caught most of a set by a Spanish guitar player and the first half of a Scottish folk music set, and enjoyed both immensely. I chit-chatted with the bartender and a couple of the locals while I nursed my pint-and-a-half. I tried two ales but only liked one of them; no surprises there. I intended to visit The Jazz Bar (any guesses what kind of music it's known for?) but decided to call it a night. After all, I had to be up early the next day for my Highlands and Loch Ness tour!

The band Tambo playing at The Royal Oak; it's a tiny venue!