Driving

It was horrible! No sign spacing like we are used to. Too many directions in paint on the road. Lots of cars drive on those directions and you can't even see them. A road can go from a nice two lane highway and in 1/4 mile it is a single lane with hedge growing right up to and over the road. Yes, you're driving through a plant tunnel. You need your headlights on in some of those. I couldn't figure out how to them on. Never even heard or seen the brand of car we are driving. Vauxhaull 4-door hatchback. Nice car. Automotic diesel.

Did I mention the roundabouts?!!! What a great place for an underpass or bridge. Your driving along (there's lots of traffic) and you come to one of these and there are about three exits and you have no idea where you are. Then you constantly tell yourself you're in the wrong lane. That feeling doesn't go away. Then sometimes you have no idea where the lanes are. It's crazy. I don't want to think about it anymore.

After many wrong turns and several highways ending without warning, we made it to the hotel. It is this huge castle. It is amazing. I have only seen it in the dark, but it is one of those places that stops traffic.

The last day in Edinburgh was busy. Started out by going to Gladstones land. From the website, "Step back in time to bustling and turbulent 17th-century Edinburgh. Thomas Gledstanes, a wealthy merchant who owned this six-storey tenement, rented each floor to tenants of various means.

Explore Thomas Gledstanes' land to discover the lives of his tenants and experience what life was really like in Edinburgh’s Old Town 400 years ago.
It is decorated and furnished to give visitors an impression of life in Edinburgh's 17th-century Old Town. Highlights include an original painted ceiling and the reconstructed shop booth complete with replicas of 17th-century goods." Couldn't take photos inside.

Then we went to the Scottish Galler. Very amazing paintings. The writers Museum, and National Museum of Scotland. The writers museum pays tribute to Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. The National Museum is more like a Scottish museum of natural history. Everything from dinosaurs to Jackie Stewart Race cars. We also went for another trip through St. Giles Cathedral. Great cathedral with more history than I can remember.

We also went to a modern mall. They had a moderate amount of shopping including a British Dollar store OR

They didn't have haggis and I was dissapointed. They did have mushy peas and Irn Bru. Not a big enough fan of mushy peas to carry them home.

The mall had a store that, well you could go in and have fish eat the dead skin off your feat. They had big fish tanks with little fish and you dangle your feed it and they eat your feet. It is called Appy Feat. Click on the name to read more about that.

It was cold, windy and rainy so we found a put for a hearty meal.

At the Fiddlers Arms, Katie had fish and chips, haggis, tatties and neeps for me. Excellent. Best fish and chips ever and we almost gave up.

Went back out and it was still raining and we had another pint and dessert.

That's sticky toffee pudding with custard creme sauce. Very good.

So we had a lot of time to kill because we had to catch the train back to London at 11:40 pm and no hotel since check out was noon. And it was cold so we had to have something to warm us up at the Elephant Cafe.

The Elephant House has established itself as one of the best tea and coffee houses in Edinburgh. Made famous as the place of inspiration to writers such as J.K. Rowling, who sat writing much of her early novels in the back room overlooking Edinburgh Castle. People love this place. It is very nice and we had tea and a "toffee triangle."

Still had a lot of time to kill so we went to the Beehive Pub and had another pint. I had a snack with mine

Took a lot more photos of the castle and other sites as we walked four hours.

This photo is of Oink. Hole in the wall cafe that does a whole pig. They sell rolls (white or wheat), spoonfuls of dressing, chili sauce, apple sauce and that's about it. You get a small, med, or large scoop of pig and make a sandwich or just eat it. Excellent.

We got on the train at 11:40 at night after walking across town with our bags in the mist.

Katie at Edinburgh Waverly Station. Then we walk to our Caladonian Sleeper and squeeze ourselves in for a bumpy nights sleep.