Edinburgh, August 4, 2010

Edinburgh, day 2
This morning we set out to see another part of the city. We walked through Cowgate (we passed a pub that was already serving, and it was only 10 AM), and across North Bridge, and to the Calton Burial Grounds. We saw the monument to the Scottish soldiers who died in the American Civil War; it was topped by a statue of Abe Lincoln.

Monument in memory of Scottish American soldiers

View of Waverly Station and city from North Bridge

Next we climbed up Calton Hill and were rewarded with lovely views of the city. Another clear and warm day!

Palace of Holyroodhouse (far left) and Parliament building

At the top of Calton Hill

In front of the unfinished Greek-style monument

We made a pit stop at the St James Centre mall, and were disappointed to find some American stores, like Claire's, and a food court. Also found a small French coffee press in the Pound Store (akin to a Dollar Store), some sea salt and pepper chips (a Steve favorite) and licorice (a Mark favorite); we'll see if the press works better than the make-shift coffee pot.





From the mall we walked along Princes Street to the Gardens. We happened to time it just right, and were at the floral clock just at noon, in time to see the cuckoo go in and out of his house on the clock.

The Princes Street Gardens look pretty much the same as they did, although the far end has temporary tent for the Festival and refreshment stand, which didn't use to be there. The fountain and gardens were so pretty, we decided to grab some take away lunch and sit outside. The garden benches were filled with people sunning themselves, pushing strollers, and just generally enjoying the great weather.

Gardens on Princes St

Fountain in Prince St. Gardens, lunch site

We got sandwiches at a little shop called Eatings on Rose Street, then went and sat by the fountain while we ate lunch. After lunch and wandering along Rose Street, we walked back along Queen Street in the other direction. Sadly, the Queen Street Gardens are open only for keyholders.

 Next order of business was our nostalgia walk, so we grabbed a taxi to 190 Grange Loan.

Our old digs

Elderly housing across from 190 Grange Loan

Along the way we passed Buccleuch Place where the kosher butcher used to be; it's now a coffee shop. The outside of our old flat looks pretty much like it did when we lived there, but the garden is improved. Across the street is now a block of apartments for the elderly.


 We walked up Marchmont through the Meadows. There is now a little coffee shop/cafe with tables and chairs on the Meadow. We had coffee and sat amidst the mothers and children running around outside. There are toys available for the children - scooters and balls - and the moms sat on blankets and chatted while the children played, and people walked their dogs. It was an interesting cross-section of Edinburgh residents - some locals, some Americans, some Glaswegians, some other visitors. We continued our walk through the Meadow, past some new University buildings, to Forrest Hill. It's changed a bit, and there are many more shops along here that weren't here decades ago.

Forest Hill

Resting a bit at Greyfriar's

Greyfriar's church yard

We stopped for a few minutes to rest on the bench at Greyfriar's church yard; the big old tree under whose branches we used to picnic was replaced by a young tree. The lawn is still green and inviting though.



We strolled back down the Mound to the tent, where the jazz concert was being held. We got tickets to see Peter Vettese, a jazz pianist and studio musician. We waited in the queue for a little while, until they opened the door for the 6 PM concert. Peter Vettese played with Jethro Tull for 4 years, and accompanied Annie Lennox, among other well-known artists; he even was offered a position with Wings and Paul McCartney, which he declined. He was very entertaining, and told self-deprecating stories, played beautifully, and is obviously a talented musician. Melanie C., aka Sporty Spice of the Spice Girls, sang 3 songs with him. Her voice was lovely; she sang "Both Sides Now", "My Funny Valentine", and one other number. It was a terrific concert, and we were very happy to have attended. It was a shame that the audience wasn't bigger; apparently a good number of the audience were family members and close friends.

Festival venue tent on Princes St.

Cobblestone rose on Rose St.

After the concert we made our way back to Rose Street, and ended up at Dirty Dick's for a nice pub dinner. We sampled various ales, and some drams of single malts. I don't care for the taste of whiskey, so Steve and Becky ordered a dram of very smooth bourbon, which I liked better. We walked off dinner as we strolled back up Princes Street, with another stop in a shop for souvenirs.
All in all, another wonderful day of sightseeing and great weather.

Castle at sunset