Edinburgh

August 4-8, 2022

Today Jennifer would do “her thing” and Dan and I would do “our thing”. “Our thing” was to finally climb Arthur’s Seat, the volcanic hill that towers over the eastern side of the city. We had wanted to climb it when we visited Edinburgh in 2016, but the weather was terrible then and we didn’t feel like it would be a good use of our time. Today was different: it was a beautiful blue sky and perfect temperature.

Ok, so maybe there wasn’t as much blue in the sky as there could be

The district of Leith on the coast

Some of the many tracks crossing through Holyrood Park

It was an easy walk, with the trails clear and in good shape. There weren’t many others out yet, as it was early on a Sunday and I think that most people were still recovering from a wild Saturday night.

View across to the monuments on Calton Hill

Up, up, up!

St Anthony’s Chapel ruins in the foreground

Bass Rock (Lighthouse) at North Berwick in the distance – I think!

Looking back at Edinbugh and the castle

The Forth Bridge in the distance to the northwest

We had reached the top. The stones were slippery and the wind was strong – really strong. I had to hold onto my camera carefully so that it didn’t blow out of my hand, and my hair whipped around my head. No hat would survive this!

What goes up, must come down. And down we went. It was a leisurely walk back “into the city” and we spent some more time strolling along the city streets and investigating nooks and crannies as we came across them.

We eventually met up with Jennifer and continued our meanderings. I was leaving tomorrow so this was our last day to enjoy each other’s company – and the city.

This guy was really giving it his all!

Scott Monument

The day came to an end, and on Monday morning I packed up my bag for the return to Basel. Dan would follow the next day, as ticket availability was limited when he made his last-minute decision to join me. It was a damp, grey train ride back to the airport, but the music theme continued when I stumbled upon a public piano in the airport itself. And much to my enjoyment, someone was playing it (and playing it well)

Short video of the piano playing

And that pretty much sums up my brief Family, Fringe and Fun visit to Edinburgh! Dan arrived the next day and I watched his plane land via FlightRadar. No sneaking up on me! This trip just reinforced how much I enjoy Scotland and that I need to go back and spend more time there.