DAY 2: Edinburgh
Old Town Roads, Castles and One Last Fringe Show
On our first full day, we were joined by a terrific local guide named Brian. Our whisper phones came in handy again as he took us from the steps of the hotel, snaked all around Edinburgh's Old Town, through Princes Street and the Royal Mile, to the National Museum of Scotland and ended at the Grassmarket.
Whitty, seasoned and very knowledgeable, Brian led a wonderful tour of the city he knows best. I loved learning about the literary and academic history of the city and Matt loved every minute we got to spend in the museum (we wished we had more time there!). Matt and I also observed that this particular day on our tour happened to fall on a Sunday, meaning the Fringe crowds on the Royal Mile were significantly smaller than on the day before. Very smart planning! While we didn't go to Edinburgh Castle as group, we were given Scottish Heritage Passes for entrance on our free time if we so chose. We were instructed to hold on to the passes because we used several times throughout the trip. After the group went their separate ways, we opted to eat at the White Hart Inn, a fun pub near where Brian dropped us off and only a short walk to Edinburgh Castle. It has the added bonus of being one of the oldest pubs in the city. After lunch and a pint, we had time to kill before we planned to met back up with Billy. Matt and I thought, hey we are on holiday! and ordered another round. |
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We took the steep but quick jaunt up the hill, past Victoria Street and reconnected with our friend. Matt and I showed our Heritage Passes to the people at the gates and we were good to go (Billy easily bought a ticket from the ticket booth). We hoped on a quick orientation tour of the castle then we explored on our own. The Castle is a force to be reckoned with and we were still very sleep deprived and tired from walking 30+ miles in three days. By the time we took our last photos and admired the view from the ramparts I was ready for a rest. We found a little café called Hula near the Grassmarket for smoothies and tea and enjoyed each other’s company.
Energized and ready to move on, we did a little more exploring before getting a table at Mother India's Café. We had to wait a few minutes for our table so the host gave us a menu to peruse. One of us made a comment that a dish looked particularly good and a local behind us chimed in, saying it was his favorite thing to order. "This is the best curry house in town!" he remarked. After a great dinner, Billy led us to a hidden bar he had researched before the trip. We followed him to what looked like an unfurnished building and down a flight of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was an animatronic fortune tellers you might see at an arcade. The fortune teller was actually the façade of the door leading us to Hoot the Redeemer, a dimly lit bar filled with locals and tourists alike sipping creative cocktails and munching on delicious |
spicy popcorn. I ordered a cocktail specifically because it contained Lagavulin, Ron Swanson's (a character from Parks and Recreation) favorite whisky.
Last on our list that night was one last Fringe show, the comedian Reginald D. Hunter. After the show, it was late and we were exhausted, so Billy treated us to an Uber back to his hotel. We walked the short distance to our hotel from there. We fell into bed somehow more tired than the other nights combined, but unwilling to change a thing about our time in Edinburgh.
Last on our list that night was one last Fringe show, the comedian Reginald D. Hunter. After the show, it was late and we were exhausted, so Billy treated us to an Uber back to his hotel. We walked the short distance to our hotel from there. We fell into bed somehow more tired than the other nights combined, but unwilling to change a thing about our time in Edinburgh.