A Very Different Edinburgh Than Expected

This is Deacon Brodie and me in downtown Edinburgh today. Dr. Jekyl was based on him. Hmmm ...

Today offered an interesting contrast in what was offered and what was expected of Edinburgh. What I saw--and it was limited pretty much to Old Town and getting there--was not anything like what I expected. This is Gatlinburg the Ancient, a tourist destination with some great old buildings, a lot of cheap stuff in the guise of expensive, must-have garb with the Scottish logo on it and a lot of Japanese tourists and damn nearly everybody snapping pictures with iPhones.

Little girl unicycles on the canal road.

It was not an unpleasant experience, but the constant shopping, which Sonya seems very good at and the city-street walking was tiresome. I actually enjoyed my lonesome morning walk a bit more. 

Our flat is a couple of blocks from a canal that runs through the city and offers a picturesque look at a pretty city. It is Edinburgh's greenway and it is travelled much the same Roanoke's is: foot, bike, skateboard and even unicycle. Dogs are welcome. People pick up after their dogs.

We're still battling the language barrier, the money barrier, the transportation barrier and at 4 a.m. Saturday, we have to leave for the airport to catch the 6:30 flight back to Dublin. Ryanair chooses your flight time after you book your flight, so this was given us, not selected. We have to catch a taxi to catch a bus to the airport, then in Dublin figure out how the hell we'll get to the Airbnb early on a Saturday. Could be another challenge.

We decided tonight to take the day off as much as we can tomorrow and I welcome that. We've been going hard and the stimulation is exhausting. I'm sleeping well and Sonya says I barely snore at all, which cheers me. Maybe I have a future.

This dory was parked on the canal.

"Narrowboats" carry tourists on the canal.

Housing abuts the greenway near our flat.

More greenway housing and an Edinburgh sky.

Primary school at recess near the flat.

Sonya in a downtown phone book.

Not much surprise here. The guys rotated.

Pampa up top on a double-decker bus.

My new buddy. 

Edinburgh Harbor from the castle.

Edinburgh Castle in the round.

Same castle, different view.

This castle guide was knowledgeable, enthusiastic.

Arthur's Seat dominates the high skyline downtown.