[Itinerary Page]The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
Edinburgh
We are not
"city people." It's not that we have anything against them but over the years we have noticed
that no matter how "glamorous" the city -- Paris, Rome, Athens, whatever -- after about two
days we are ready to get out of Dodge. Eventually we come back for a bit more of what we missed
(we have been in Paris at least three times ... but only for two days each visit!)
When we get too old, too feeble, too broke (or too dead!) to travel to these places there will certainly be sights we never saw ... but that would be true no matter how much time we spent so it is not worth worrying about. I think you have to travel with the idea that you will be back. It takes a lot of the frantic scurrying away and frees you up to really experience the people and the vibe of the city.
Our days are typically long on relaxation and short on sightseeing but today was one of those perfect days that come along so rarely when you are out of town -- sunny, shirtsleeve weather where everyone is finding any excuse they can to be outdoors enjoying it. Our guest house does not offer breakfast (simplifies the operation and keeps the rates real low) so we took our time and finally wandered up the street around noon to see what we could stir up in the way of a meal.
Then it was up to the Miracle Mile. The original idea was to finish the last half of it and end up at Holyrood Palace but we had heard a lot of good things about the Scottish National Museum and since that was at the top of the hill and Holyrood was way at the bottom ... well, you can figure out what happened. I am generally not a museum fan but I will say they did a superb job of telling the tale of how the country developed. It would have taken days to see it all ... so we didn't try.
In fact, we didn't even try to make it to Holyrood. Our feet were aching so we walked back to the guest house, took a short nap and met an old business colleague and his wife for drinks, dinner and some serious catching-up. More on that via the dining link below.
Tomorrow we pick up the rental car and head for Inverness and the Highlands. Right now, I think I'll just head for bed!
© 2009 Restaurant Doctor