i am sad to say that the flat is feeling quite empty these days...mom and dad headed back to texas this past monday morning, after a memorable ten days in edinburgh. we've finally gotten back into the swing of things and are running a chinese laundry out of the flat for bed linens and the ten days of laundry we neglected during their trip. dustin has been extremely busy at work and i am in the midst of job-hunting and researching the upcoming architectural exam process.
well, here goes part two of the three ring circus, texas style...and i've separated the photos into individual galleries because i am OCD - i'm sure you'll manage.
where did i leave off...wednesday! yes, on wednesday, we headed out around lunchtime...had a fantastic (and very unexpected!) lunch at one of our local pubs called the bailie, on our way to the dean gallery. afterward, we met dustin at the apartment and went to see a hilarious comedian named daniel clover. he did wonderful sketches about being a new dad and all that comes with it. dinner was at the tower restaurant, above the national museum of scotland on chambers street. high above the city, we got to see the fireworks of the evening military tattoo show while we dined. spectacular!
thursday mom, dad, and i went on a tour to the scottish borders, rosslyn chapel (think da vinci code), and glenkinchie distillery. the countryside was breathtaking and the weather - surprisingly sunny! we had lunch in a small town called melrose, the home of rugby, and discovered the yummiest bakery ever. shocking, i know. we ended the evening at bar napoli - the real italian deal in edinburgh - and one of our favorites thanks to being introduced to it by dustin's boss during our scoping visit last march. after dinner, we had a beer at the vincent pub next to our house...with rex! haha, they allow dogs into the bar - he was quite a hit with the locals and scored some treats and water from the bartender.
friday was another late start...can you sense the momentum waning? :) we had lunch at harvey nichols' forth floor restaurant above the department store, overlooking st. andrew's square and the new town. i had amazing risotto and a delicious (and pretty!) tart for dessert. (dad and i don't miss an opportunity for dessert.) it was quite posh and we had to sit up very straight, but once we started talking football (soccer) with our waiter, our cover was blown. :) afterward, we saw the vanity fair exhibit at the portrait gallery and then went to see a scottish folk singer perform at a famous venue called the royal oak. it was an intimate (maybe, TOO intimate...12 of us in a tiny basement) scottish sing-a-long/storytelling event that i did not have enough whiskey beforehand to enjoy properly. :) it was enlightening though and we learned a bit of folklore and a good place for viewing local edinburgh hippies. after the show, we had some coffee, popped into some shops, stumbled across a fantastic evening market on castle street, and met dustin for dinner at gusto. more posh than bar napoli, i think people come for the swank atmosphere and low lighting...oh, and the wine list! yes, that too. after dinner, we wandered into the international book festival which was just across the street. the bookstore was awesome with loads of local authors and history and outdoors books. mom and dad picked us up a few necessities: for dustin, history of whiskey and a local pub guide and for me, a scottish cookbook and edinburgh history book.
saturday we managed to impress ourselves by mobilizing before noon...perhaps, the thought of tasty treats at the castle farmers' market!? we had the yummiest lamb burgers ever as we wandered past all the stalls, sampling the local goodies. after, we strolled through princes street gardens and witnessed some random bagpiping. in the early afternoon, we headed to robertson's pub - supposedly the best place to go before a local hearts match. (according to the young guys i bought tickets from...who also put us in the 'liveliest section' so we could get the 'full experience'...yikes.) we got to the bar early enough in the afternoon to watch another big glasgow rivalry match in the pub. (imagine my dad in all his maroon hearts gear, blending in with the large scottish local guys!) the shop boys didn't lie about the atmosphere - lots of drinking and lots of swearing...dustin said it reminded him of a UT v. OU game day. we weren't in foreign lands after all!? the game was great - small stadium and great seats. and we learned an entirely new, vulgar vocabulary whilst watching the game. could come in handy, you never know? the hearts managed to pull out a win (2-1) and we noticed that at the games they don't serve alcohol. so really, i think the brawls associated with scottish football really have to do with the sobering up process...just a thought? afterwards, we had dinner at a local restaurant near the stadium called the sizzling scot where my dad consumed epic proportions of unknown scottish meat and accompaniments. even the barman came by to comment. (kinda reminded me of john candy in the great outdoors...) that night, across the street from the restaurant, we went to the edinburgh acoustic music center saw the award-winning group, north sea gas. it was an all out clap your hands and tap your feet kind of night. hippies with good senses of humor and amazing musical talents. the energy of the musicians was contagious and the music was amazing..so many instruments! a very long day, followed by a very hard sleep.
sunday. last day. we got out by noon. sheer determination, i tell you. we headed to leith, the small city between edinburgh and the north sea, and spent the afternoon at the ocean terminal. this fairly new facility has shops, restaurants, and the royal yacht britannia. we had lunch overlooking the water and then toured the royal family's yacht. dustin's comments about the daily lives of the rich and famous were hilarious and kept the tour enjoyable, as did the great weather and stunning views from the ship. they posted schedules of the queen's typical day at sea which consisted of things like 'personal correspondence' for 3 hours, afternoon tea for 2 hours, and selection of formal evening wear for an hour after tea. aren't you stressing for her? we had an impromptu dinner at loch fyne - a stunning but cozy restaurant on the water's edge in leith. (edinburgh's hula hut?!) the food was tasty and the sunset was a perfect way to end my parents' visit.
mom and dad were out the door early monday - after dad packed his two enormous suitcases. with it only getting to 70 degrees like twice this summer in edinburgh, the man packed four pairs of shorts and two baseball caps...AND a swimsuit, just in case. needless to say, our place is feeling very empty now and we are wondering when we are going to get to eat another four course meal. (aside from toast, eggs, toast, and oj.) it was great to see my parents and have some familiar company in town for new explorations. it is very strange to think that we might not see them again until may, though. i don't think i have had that much good quality time with my parents since...before kevin was born? :) kidding.
thanks for enduring this exceptionally long post. for those of you that make it this far: i am in the process of compiling all of our travel blogs into a printed and bound photo/journal so that our adventures in scotland are not forgotten...so if the blog entries seem long, it's because they are also our journal text. two birds with one stone. see?
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