Wednesday we stayed in most of the day. I did several loads of laundry in the unusual washer, packed up our bags, cleaned out the refrigerator, etc. As always, we had bought too many grocery items, and had to dispose of a lot.
Around 6:30 PM we went to the nearby pub, Birkhill Inn, called by locals "The Birkie". It was our second visit. The area around there, Templeton Woods, has a large population of red squirrels. We were often seeing signs warning of "red squirrels crossing".
That evening there was a different menu. Ron chose lasagna and I had a penne pasta carbonara with smoked chicken and chorizo. Both were very tasty.
So, that was our day.
Thursday we had hoped to leave by 10 AM, but Ron hadn't slept well, and we were moving slowly.
We left around 11 AM, and had no problems driving to Edinburgh and finding our hotel, the Hilton Double Tree on Bread Street. The bellman was amazed how much luggage we had for a short stay, but we had to bring in everything for the next four-six weeks since we were turning in the rental car. He was also incredulous that we had spent ten days in Dundee. He queried "May I ask what you could do in Dundee that long?: I explained that it was our base and we had explored many other locations.
Our "deluxe" room was supposedly an "upgrade", but was quite small. But, superb view of Edinbugh Castle.
The desk clerk called Enterprise for us to see if we could return the car in the city instead of going all the way to the airport, and thankfully, it was possible to return it to Waverly Station. Ron suggested I stay in the hotel and rest. I didn't think it would be good for him to drive on the left in the busy city, so said I would go with him and, then we could go to lunch afterward. This was NOT a good decision!
We found the rental car return parking garage on New Street adjacent to Waverly Station without a problem. But driving to the return area was harrowing. Extremely narrow lanes. Finally returned the car. Took the lift to the ground floor, which deposited us on the opposite side of the station from where we weanted to walk to a restaurant. We then took the lift up a floor and walked along a foot bridge across the entire Waverly Station.
We walked and walked, and eventually crossed Princess Street and made our way toward St. Andrew Square (as we had been told at the hotel there were many restaurants with a nice view). By the time we got near, I could hardly walk another step. We were about to go into a "hole-in-the-wall" just to sit. But, then I spied another block or so away, Harvey Nichols Department Store. I had read that the fourth floor was a great place for a nice lunch, so I persevered and walked that far.
We decided to sit out on the balcony overlooking St. Andrew Square. Lovely in the sun. Ron had soup with celeriac followed by Caesar salad with chicken. I had sesame noodles with tiger prawns. A very pleasant afternoon.
Then we had another LONG walk in search of a taxi. Cabs aren't allowed to stop in the streets, so you can't flag one. You have to find a taxi rank. I finally saw the bus station, and figured there would be cabs there. This was another long walk. Touring the train station and the bus depot were NOT on my list to do!
Eventually we found a taxi. It had been quite a few years since I had climbed into one of those "London-style" cabs, and it was an ordeal to get into the seat. You have to step into a floor area and then sit in the rear seats - you can't just slide into a seat like a normal car. Getting in was bad enough. Getting out was even worse. I won't even describe the embarrassment of it all!
When we got back to the room we had a much needed nap. When we got up, Ron walked a few blocks to get stamps, and said the adjacent neighborhood was a little spotty.
That evening Ron called UBER (NO MORE CABS!). The driver (Vadims, from Latvia) picked us up in a Mercedes E350, and we went to Nok's Kitchen, a Thai restaurant in the Stockbridge neighborhood. Ron loved the restaurant so much he said he might have to move to Edinburgh.
The atmosphere is this old building was so cozy, and the wait staff all went out of their way to make you feel welcome. We had mentioned on our on-line booking that we were celebrating my birthday, and shortly after we were seated, we were each presented with a complimentary glass of Prosecco. Ron was delighted to find fish cakes on the menu. They are labor-intensive, and not many people really love them, so few restaurants offer them. This dish made the day - super!
Not only were the waiters friendly and engaging, but professional - changing cutlery after every course, etc. The piece de resistance was the complimentary dessert presentation, complete with candle, and the entire restaurant singing "Happy Birthday". What a wonderful evening!
We returned to our hotel in another UBER, and were thankful for a great day in Scotland, the home of my ancestors.
Around 6:30 PM we went to the nearby pub, Birkhill Inn, called by locals "The Birkie". It was our second visit. The area around there, Templeton Woods, has a large population of red squirrels. We were often seeing signs warning of "red squirrels crossing".That evening there was a different menu. Ron chose lasagna and I had a penne pasta carbonara with smoked chicken and chorizo. Both were very tasty.
So, that was our day.
Thursday we had hoped to leave by 10 AM, but Ron hadn't slept well, and we were moving slowly.
We left around 11 AM, and had no problems driving to Edinburgh and finding our hotel, the Hilton Double Tree on Bread Street. The bellman was amazed how much luggage we had for a short stay, but we had to bring in everything for the next four-six weeks since we were turning in the rental car. He was also incredulous that we had spent ten days in Dundee. He queried "May I ask what you could do in Dundee that long?: I explained that it was our base and we had explored many other locations.
Our "deluxe" room was supposedly an "upgrade", but was quite small. But, superb view of Edinbugh Castle.
The desk clerk called Enterprise for us to see if we could return the car in the city instead of going all the way to the airport, and thankfully, it was possible to return it to Waverly Station. Ron suggested I stay in the hotel and rest. I didn't think it would be good for him to drive on the left in the busy city, so said I would go with him and, then we could go to lunch afterward. This was NOT a good decision!
We found the rental car return parking garage on New Street adjacent to Waverly Station without a problem. But driving to the return area was harrowing. Extremely narrow lanes. Finally returned the car. Took the lift to the ground floor, which deposited us on the opposite side of the station from where we weanted to walk to a restaurant. We then took the lift up a floor and walked along a foot bridge across the entire Waverly Station.
 |
| Very tired - walking through station |
We walked and walked, and eventually crossed Princess Street and made our way toward St. Andrew Square (as we had been told at the hotel there were many restaurants with a nice view). By the time we got near, I could hardly walk another step. We were about to go into a "hole-in-the-wall" just to sit. But, then I spied another block or so away, Harvey Nichols Department Store. I had read that the fourth floor was a great place for a nice lunch, so I persevered and walked that far.
We decided to sit out on the balcony overlooking St. Andrew Square. Lovely in the sun. Ron had soup with celeriac followed by Caesar salad with chicken. I had sesame noodles with tiger prawns. A very pleasant afternoon.
Then we had another LONG walk in search of a taxi. Cabs aren't allowed to stop in the streets, so you can't flag one. You have to find a taxi rank. I finally saw the bus station, and figured there would be cabs there. This was another long walk. Touring the train station and the bus depot were NOT on my list to do!
Eventually we found a taxi. It had been quite a few years since I had climbed into one of those "London-style" cabs, and it was an ordeal to get into the seat. You have to step into a floor area and then sit in the rear seats - you can't just slide into a seat like a normal car. Getting in was bad enough. Getting out was even worse. I won't even describe the embarrassment of it all!
When we got back to the room we had a much needed nap. When we got up, Ron walked a few blocks to get stamps, and said the adjacent neighborhood was a little spotty.
That evening Ron called UBER (NO MORE CABS!). The driver (Vadims, from Latvia) picked us up in a Mercedes E350, and we went to Nok's Kitchen, a Thai restaurant in the Stockbridge neighborhood. Ron loved the restaurant so much he said he might have to move to Edinburgh.
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| Me outside Nok's Kitchen |
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| Fish Cakes |
We then shared Crying Tiger beef steak and minced basil chicken. Beautiful presentation and tasty!
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| Minced Chicken |
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| Crying Tiger Steak |
Not only were the waiters friendly and engaging, but professional - changing cutlery after every course, etc. The piece de resistance was the complimentary dessert presentation, complete with candle, and the entire restaurant singing "Happy Birthday". What a wonderful evening!
We returned to our hotel in another UBER, and were thankful for a great day in Scotland, the home of my ancestors.
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