Welcome back again to “When Wine Calls”.
This time we have planned a more leisurely driving holiday concentrating on the northwest coast with longer stays in unique villages as well as on the Isle of Skye where we hope to undo some demons from this earlier trip (more on this story in a later blog).
But first stop was Edinburgh – on our honeymoon we bypassed Edinburgh as we had to reach the far north to meet up with an old work colleague who was living with family in a rectory. So, on this trip we made the point of ensuring we visited this exciting city.
First impressions of Edinburgh are that it is a city of contrasts, the Old Town on the one hand with all its magnificent history centred on the famous and imposing Edinburgh Castle,
the magnificent St Giles Church with its awe inspiring lead light windows and famous stool, the Writers Museum, historical cemeteries (including the source for many of the Harry Potter characters) as well as cobble stone streets and then on the other the New Town with the light rail, retail shops and business hub but infused still with period terrace houses.
The Old Town is of course where most of the tourists centre their time with all types of walking tours, ghost tours, pubs as well as whisky and tourist shops abounding all along and surrounding the Royal Mile and Grassmarket areas with cobble stone streets everywhere that test your legs out at every opportunity.
We took one of the free walking tours on offer and it was so informative visiting some obscure places that you otherwise would not have found when walking around the city yourself. We went down little alleyways and uncovered fantastic hidden views and learnt antidotes of history that gave perspective to this historical town including about “Bobby” the dog – I will let you research this fascinating story for yourselves.
As you would expect we passed lots of Whisky shops which naturally I had to pop into and sample many of the whiskies on offer. I personally love the whiskies from Isle of Islay with their heavy peat aroma and purchased a few that we cannot get in Australia to carry me through the next couple of weeks in Scotland for happy hour.
The prominent feature of the Old Town (apart from the Castle) were the steps, long steep stone staircases are everywhere as you come from either side of the Royal Mile and you really need to have undertaken some training prior to visiting or else go the long way around if you want to avoid the challenge. I will remember to go on a more strenuous fitness regime prior to our next visit.
It is also a fun walk up Calton Hill that certainly tests your stamina but the view at the top overlooking Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town in one direction and the River Firth in the other is certainly worth the effort. You can also see a piece of modern architecture that we were told the locals have embraced by calling it the “turd building” – I will leave you to picture what the building looks like. Hint: it is shown in the picture opposite!
We enjoyed some good pub food In Edinburgh and while Pauline continued to explore quality Italian Pinot Grigio’s to drink I couldn’t resist deviating and having cold pints of Guinness – I know it is an Irish stout but hey close enough when it is readily available on tap.
We also had a night out at the historic Festival Theatre to watch “Titanic the Musical” that we had pre-booked some time go. It was rather a poignant evening considering the disaster that was unfolding that night at the Titanic wreck site but the theatre, itself, is grand and a real step back in time. Our thoughts & prayers are with the family & friends of those on the Titan.
After watching the series the “Crown” we had booked a visit to Royal Yacht Britannica as one of our must do’s and it was certainly worth going out to Leith on the coast where the yacht is moored. The yacht as well as the royal launch, Rolls Royce and Land Rover are all on display and the level of access provided throughout the ship to experience actual life on board when it was operating is tremendous – another must do if you are traveling to this part of the world. The High Tea on board was a special highlight although we were too early to enjoy the champagne lunch.
While we have had really good weather to date it is now turning to more traditional Scottish weather as we prepare to head for the Scottish Highlands. For our last night in Edinburgh, it was off to another of the fabulous pubs for dinner and a night with the locals including the university students living in Edinburgh.
Pauline and I cannot wait to explore the Scottish Highlands over the next few weeks but in the meantime ensure “Wine is Calling You” over the weekend wherever you are – until somewhere in the Highlands take care.
Bruce & Pauline
When Wine Calls 
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