First day, so starts our walking tour with our guide (the OAT term is “experience leader”), Gordon Hart.
In the foreground is an old library that had the words, “Let there be light” on the building for over a thousand years. So when developers of the building in the background wanted to build up to 9 stories, there was a backlash. The project was reduced to 5 stories so that there would be light on the library.Victoria Street was supposedly the model for Diagon Alley in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.Some claim that this shop was the inspiration for Olivander’s.Free water on the street.A “close” appears to be what Americans call an alley.These little boxes used to be where the Police were stationed. They have now been repurposed into little shops or tourist information sites like this one.I’m finding it difficult to keep up with the pace of our tour. Seems like I never have time to take good notes before we move on to the next thing. And forget about sketching.Bob and I took the path up Calton Hill to get a good view.The Monument is unfinished, we were told. Ran out of money. There’s no way to get up to the bottom step, other than to climb the stone wall.Waste bins here are small, and made of plastic. My day pack is at lower right for scale.We saw this Eurasian Magpie on the hill digging for something -maybe bugs?I split off on my own and visited McDonald’s. The Quarter Pounder with Cheese has white cheese, and is called the Big Tasty here. Can you guess why? (hint: Pulp Fiction)One nice thing about walking about Edinburgh is that free wi-fi is readily available. Besides fast food places like McDonald’s, the train station has it, malls have it, trams and buses have it. If nothing else, I only need to wait for a bus to come by, which is no more than a minute (but when it drives away, my connection is gone). Good thing, because I don’t have phone service. Whatsapp only.I visited a small Sainsbury’s Local store, and saw their house brand of Weetabix. Better price than Poundland. Our guide told us that their discount markets are Aldi and Lidl. This might be even cheaper there.The Meal Deal at Sainsbury’s is £3.50 for a Main, Snack, and Drink. Some of the Mains are substantial, and the Snacks are not just crisps and junk food. You can get a Salad or box of cut fruit.“To Let” is “For Rent,” of course. But these signs around town reminded me that I had to go to the restroom. Fortunately, there was a public park right next to Princes Way where I was shopping.Dinner was provided by the tour at Howie’s. We got to choose an entree, and either a starter, or dessert. Between Merrianne and myself, we got a starter AND a dessert.They like to put a lot of salt in their bread, making it very tasty. Haggis makes a good spread on it.An annoying feature of our otherwise excellent room is the toilet being so high, my feet swing in the breeze.Solution: use the tiny trash can.
