The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
Edinburgh ... Again?

Well, duh! This is where the airport is! Actually it felt good to get a second crack at Edinburgh, particularly when we were blessed with a gloriously sunny day. Bright blue skies, a few puffy clouds and just a little cool in the shade. It was that sort of early spring day that hints that winter has finally packed it in for another year and that it is time to bloom.

Margene had one last place she wanted to see on this trip, the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the lower end of the Royal Mile, where Queen Elizabeth spends a week every summer. It has been a palace since the 14th century and when the queen is not in residence -- like almost always -- it is open to the public for what I thought was an exhorbitant fee (US$15). Still, you know the tab for upkeep has to be enormous, what with the cost of utilities and all ...

So Margene did the tour (self-guided audio tour, actually), I sat in the sun, nursed a bottle of Budweiser -- the original Czech stuff -- and started another book. Reading is a luxury that I rarely allow myself when I am home, probably because it is hard to get extended stretches of time without some sort of interruption. So I enjoy it while I can. I didn't get very far in the book, but tomorrow we have 14 hours in the air, a 3-hour layover in New York ... and on Monday I fly to Wisconsin!

A hike up the last half of the Royal Mile, a bit of pub grub, and it was farewell to Edinburgh, at least for this trip ... and what a send-off it gave us! Bright sun, crowds of smiling people enjoying a holiday weekend in the big city and history oozing out of every block of gray stone. If I was going to like a city, I could certainly grow to like this one.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

The Last Half Mile


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