Day One of the Great Edinburgh Expedition

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Flying over to Scotland was a breeze. Actually there was a definite lack of a breeze as the Gulf Stream seemed to have disappeared. El Niño was wreaking havoc with weather patterns both in the States and throughout Europe. Our pilot advised us shortly after takeoff that the flight would be at least an hour longer than normal because the usual Gulf Stream tailwind was absent. It hardly mattered to us as we enjoyed the amenities aboard our Continental 757-200. Personal seatback video players with plenty of movies, TV shows and games plus a steady flow of food and drink from the cabin crew helped make time pass swiftly. Now that I'm officially an old geezer I even found a way to take a nice little nap.

Preparations before boarding our flight came off without a major hitch despite the complicated and convoluted plan I conceived. Having two MINI Coopers is a wonderful thing 360 days a year but anytime you need to buy something bigger than an Ipod or haul four people with suitcases to an airport, they become impractical. Thus we decided we'd have to use Cassie's 1998 Nissan Sentra to get us from the Poconos to Newark Liberty Airport. At the sime time we needed to take the dogs to a new kennel located about half an hour away from home on the way to Newark. I packed the trunk of the Nissan with our four suitcases then loaded the dogs into the backseat. Meanwhile Gail, her mother and Cassie got into Gail's MINI. While I was transporting the hounds Gail headed off to do a few last minute errands. We planned to meet at my parents' house in Bethlehem.

As usual dropping the dogs off at the kennel was heart-wrenching. They knew what was going on the minute they saw the suitcases going in the car. Even though this was a brand new spanking clean facility, I still felt bad for the girls. Those two weeks at the kennel are like 3 months in dog years. I knew they'd be well taken care of, but throughout this and every other trip, I felt badly for them.

Although I was in a hurry to get to the airport I got waylaid at the dog camp by the friendly owner. We went on and on discussing politics and travel and before I knew it, I was a half hour behind schedule. As I hustled down to my parents' place in Bethlehem I came up over a rise on I-78 only to nearly crash into a long line of slow-moving traffic. A 10 minute trip took another half hour. Things were not going well.

Fortunately the rest of the crew was waiting for me in Bethlehem. After a very short chat with my father (my mother was in Paris with my sister) we left the MINI with him to safeguard in his garage, then hopped into the Sentra and sped off to Newark. The trip east can take anywhere from an hour to three hours depending on construction, weather or traffic but we were in luck. Clear sailing all the way.

My extensive research and planning helped me find a great deal on long term parking at the airport. Planner that I am, I programmed the location into my Garmin Nuvi GPS before we left home. Following the GPS' directions we soon became lost as we approached Newark Airport. The parking lot was located on a divided highway with no seeming way to get there from the direction we were approaching. After taking a lengthy roundabout course through one of the nastier looking neighborhoods of Newark, we circled back to the entrance to the parking lot. The place was jam-packed with cars, and many of them were covered in snow. Snow piles seemed to block our way into vast sections of the lot. Eventually we made our way to the far backend of the lot. We found a nice safe spot where we figured we wouldn't get parked-in or snowplowed-in while we were gone. As we popped open the trunk, a courtesy bus pulled-up next to us. The driver hopped out and grabbed our bags and put them right on the bus. In seconds we were headed out of the lot and on to Terminal C. Fantastic.

Continental Flight 36 was scheduled to leave at 7:50 pm and we were in front of the Continental check-in area at 4:30. Instead of checking-in right away we opted to wait for Tyler who worked that day. Cassie kept in touch with him via cell phone. I hate those stupid things but for situations like this they are a Godsend. Tyler told us he was 15 minutes away. Twenty minutes later and still no Tyler. Cassie called again. He said he was 15 minutes away. The check-in area was getting increasingly more crowded. I was getting a little panicky. All those years of flying standby when Gail and I worked for the airlines still make me a nervous wreck in the airport. I constantly worry about being bumped, not getting our seats, no place for our overhead stuff or getting stuck in a long security line. After another twenty minutes I was about to have her call him again when he walked up to us acting like nothing was amiss. As it turned-out nothing was.

We checked-in quickly and the security check was relatively quick. I did get irritated when after standing in line for 15 minutes, they decided to open another line where all the people far behind us promptly stormed ahead. For me security is a huge pain. I need four trays for all my junk - one for my winter coat; another for my shoes, belt, hat and change; one for my camera bag full of electronic junk; and one more for my netbook. I was so flustered by getting through the screening so quickly that after putting my shoes and belt back on, then gathering my other junk, I walked off without my passport and ticket. I had to hustle back and retrieve it from a rather confused airport security guard who had tried to pawn it off to someone else.

Since we hadn't eaten lunch and because we were sitting in the back rows of the plane, we knew there might be a chance of us having nothing to eat until we got to Edinburgh. While everyone else enjoyed Annie's Pretzels I opted to have what I considered a bland meal so as to not upset my delicate tummy. I went to the deli and got an $8 roast beef sandwich. Little did I realize it at the time but this would be my cheapest meal of the entire trip.

I only have one more gripe to make about this otherwise fabulous trip: After eating we waited in the dining area just a few yards from our departure gate. Exactly on time the gate agent called for the first to board. Accordingly, the call went out for passengers with children and others needing special assistance. Before these folks could even make their way to the gate, the agent was calling for the Aristocrats of the Sky to board. "We are now boarding all Platinum Elite, Gold Elite, Silver Elite, Special Elite Elite and Elitists with Compromising Photos of the President." Nobody ever invited us to join their stupid club. Next came the really irritating part - somebody at the home office for Continental actually had a brain and came up with a logical idea. He wrote up a truly logical boarding announcement. Little did he know that the knobs working the departure gate didn't understand how it worked. The announcement was made that all passengers sitting in rows 25 through 30 could board. Ok, this makes sense; boarding the back of the plane first. That way people don't have to crawl over other people in the front. Since 5 rows were called and seating was 3x3 across or 6 per row, that should mean 30 people would get on the plane. Instead when the airline rep made the call every person in the waiting area stormed the gate, most lugging suitcases they claimed to be "carry-on items". Of course the gate agent didn't have the brains or guts to tell the interlopers to sit down. Don't want to upset all the passengers. Back in the Good Ole Days the Pan Am agents would've screamed at the morons trying to barge ahead. By the time our seats were called during the next announcement, most of the waiting area was vacant. We had deliberately requested seats in the rear of the plane in order to get on first, find overhead bag stowage and to get situated before things got crazy. "Epic fail" as Cassie would say.

By the time we presented our tickets and walked onto the jetway there was a long line extending outside the cabin of the plane. It was a good ten minutes before we could even pass through the airplane door and toward the aisle. As we headed to the far back end of the 757-200 I noted that almost every single seat in front of us was already occupied. When I finally made it to our row I found our overhead bins full of luggage. We had to stash our stuff a couple of rows away. As a result I never had access to all my electronic toys in my carry-on. In the end it wasn't that big an issue because the in-flight entertainment package kept me fully entertained.

I was also fortunate in having an aisle seat with just one seatmate who turned out to be a pretty decent chap returning home to Scotland for the first time in years. Toward the end of the flight we started to chat. I told him we were on vacation and that although we were really excited about the trip I was kind of nervous about driving on the left while dealing with the snow. Scottie assured me that I'd get used to the other side of the road easily enough (even though he later admitted that the last time he returned to Scotland after 8 years in the US, he drove out of the airport on the wrong side of the road). He also said snow wouldn't be a problem. It never snows much in Scotland and when it did it disappeared very quickly. I don't think he had been reading the newspapers or watching the weather reports because as we began to descend he and his daughter were shocked to see all the snow in the Scottish countryside outside our window.

The flight was extremely smooth and the landing was a good one as we walked away unscathed. I barely felt the plane touch down. Of course it seemed like it took forever to get out from the back rows of the plane. We just sat in our seats watching the anxious folks in front of us jostle to be the first out. Many of them had hauled their suitcases or should I say "steamer trunks" as carry-ons because they just had to get on their way ASAP. We were probably the last off the plane. When we arrived in Edinburgh airport I instantly loved the place. It was a tiny terminal for international flights. I doubt it was much bigger than Lehigh Valley Airport. This meant it was a short walk to Immigration. The line for us non-Brits was quite short. In just a few moments we were standing in front of the humourless Ms. Smiley, the Immigration agent. None of us understood much of what she said but I guess we looked 'armless and they let us into Scotland. It seemed like ours was the only flight that had come in that morning. Being a fewer hours later than scheduled may explain the lack of activity. At the baggage carousel most of our flightmates were standing around waiting for their bags. All of them in a big hurry and guess whose bags came down the shoot first? We had all five of our suitcases before many of the others had any. We breezed right out of Customs and into the tiny arrival hall.

Having read-up on these things months before the trip I knew that the best and cheapest way to our hotel would be via the Airlink airport bus. While Gail and her mother went in search of an ATM so we could afford bus fare, the kids and I used two of the free (hear that Newark Liberty - "free") luggage dollies to wheel our bags outside. Our pilot had announced that the temperature in Edinburgh was 33 degrees which to us Pocono Mountain folk is downright balmy, but as we waited outside I was freezing my butt off as a light snow began to fall. It really seemed to me that these Scots didn't know much of anything about weather.

As soon as Gail and Grandma returned we made our way along the curb to the bus stop where we purchased roundtrip tickets for £6 each. In four days we would be returning out this way to pick up our Avis car rental. The bus was a doubledecker and we had the whole bus pretty much to ourselves. We climbed upstairs and grabbed the front row seats. I was very excited about going back to this city that I had so enjoyed three summers before. I couldn't wait for the kids to see this awesome place. As the bus headed east toward downtown Edinburgh I began to fear that either I had vastly over-rated this town or the Winter was a very dreary time to come to Edinburgh. There was packed snow on most of the streets and ice everywhere else. It didn't look like anything had been plowed. The sidewalks looked treacherous. The buildings we passed were grey or tan and depressing. It didn't look much different than Newark except sans graffitti. But when we finally entered the city limits my doubts disappeared. As we headed down Princes Street, the main drag, Tyler stared in amazement at the gray walls of Edinburgh Castle on his right while Cassie drooled at the fashion stores all along the right side.

Our bus discharged us in front of Waverly Station, Edinburgh's main train station and the hub for train travel throughout Scotland. As soon as I got off the bus with my heavy suitcase I was pleased to see that a Jimmy Chung's Chinese Buffet Restaurant was located right here and posted a sign indicating that they would be open today (Christmas Eve), Christmas Day and Boxing Day. A safety restaurant if you will. When I did my planning for getting to the hotel I was having some trouble pinpointing the exact location of our hotel, the Ibis Edinburgh Centre . I knew it was almost due south of us and just two blocks away, but I remembered a somewhat steep hill going up to the Royal Mile. With our suitcases and carry-on bags it didn't seem smart to try to chug uphill on sidewalks glazed with ice. A taxi stand stood nearby. We never use taxis when we travel but here it seemed necessary. Somehow we all managed to squeeze in and piled our bags next to the driver. At first I thought he might be taking us to a different Ibis because he u-turned and drove off in the opposite direction I expected. Due to restricted roadways and one way streets he had to travel a circuitous route but we quickly reached our Ibis. When we paid the cab driver we asked for small bills in change so that we could tip him, but he didn't have any nor did he seem upset when we gave him just one £ for a four £ ride.

The first thing I noticed when we looked around at our surroundings was that across the street from the hotel was the Tron pub, next door to the Ibis was the Advocate pub and on the other side was the Chocolate Soup restaurant. Perfect. Getting into the hotel nearly killed us. Ice and snow still covered the sidewalk. Inside was a modern and compact lobby with a little bar and lounge. Our streak of good fortune continued as we checked in. I had feared that getting here at 10:00 in the morning would mean we couldn't get into our rooms yet. I was thinking we might have to leave our bags at the front desk or in a utility closet. Our reservations were all in order, prepaid and our rooms were ready for us. After getting our card keys we all raced to our rooms to freshen-up.

On our ride into town Gail and I had agreed that with the holiday about to start and based on past European experiences, all businesses would soon close for the next three days. As budget travelers we weren't willing to pay over $10 per person per day for breakfast in our hotel. Our plan called for us doing a little food shopping and eating breakfasts up in our rooms with our own treats. With that in mind we gathered the troops and waltzed out of the hotel a half hour later. As we walked the 30 yards up to the main artery of the Old Town, the Royal Mile, we spotted a crowd of people gathered around a young guy holding a sign. The sign said "free tours". We were hooked. When we asked one of his colleagues what the catch was ( I expected either a timeshare con or a religious cult's pitch) she said that we could come and go as we pleased and if we stayed until the end we could make a donation if we wished. Sold.

We followed our guide Kate up the Royal Mile and began our four hour walking tour of Old Edinburgh just as a heavy snowfall commenced. We stayed with her until the end taking a nice warm 45 minute lunch break half way through. The walk was brisk but hardly strenuous. Icy steps made the going difficult at one point, but I think we all had a good time. At the end of the tour Tyler and I were still enthralled and could've gone on a few more hours. In fact, we thought seriously about doing the free ghost tour and/or pub crawl later that night. Meanwhile the ladies put up with our enthusiasm but complained that the tour was a little too long for them. They stopped complaining when they realized we had stopped right next to the stores of Princes Street.

Based on what we had seen in Germany and the Czech Republic on previous Christmas trips I expected stores to be closed or closing at 2:45 when our tour ended. But the shopping district was buzzing. I let the ladies look in a few shops but tried to hustle us toward the Mark's and Spencer's department store which is known for it's supermarket. We were very surprised by just how busy and crowded the food section was once we found the place. People were really loading up on supplies for the next few days. Tyler and I grabbed a couple of chocolate muffins, a big chocolate trifle and a bag of crisps (chips), Grandma and Gail found orange juice, a bagel, and mince pies, Cassie would glom off the rest of us. From there we casually strolled along Princes Street checking-out the souvenir shops and make-up stores. In one of the bigger souvenir joints we enjoyed a free sample of whiskey and for the first time encountered the music of "The Red Hot Chili Pipers". The store had this upbeat rock version of bagpiper music blaring throughout the shop. When I heard "Smoke on the Water" played by bagpipes I decided I wanted this CD. The store was charging £14 for it. I felt I could find it cheaper elsewhere and said that if I could find it for under £10, I would buy it.

We walked back to our hotel braving the climb up Cockburn Street. At 4:00 the sun had already set. The ascent was nowhere near as steep as I had thought, but it might have been rough with suitcases. Once we returned to the hotel we all went to our rooms and lazed around awhile. Before the kids could get too comfortable in front of the BBC on TV I decided we needed to eat dinner. The best trick I've learned from all these many EF tours is the need to keep active the first day you arrive in Europe. If you slow down and take some time to rest. before you know it you'll be asleep and won't wake up until the middle of the night. The best thing to do to get over jetlag is to adjust immediately to the local time.

We decided to walk up the Royal Mile checking the menu boards of the many restaurants we had passed earlier on our tour. But as we walked up toward Edinburgh Castle, few were open and those that were didn't appeal. I was looking for a new soccer or rugby shirt while on this trip and Tyler was looking for woolen scarves. When we saw a souvenir shop that was still open we diverged from our dinner quest to explore the Heritage of Scotland shop. We didn't find exactly what either of us wanted but once again "The Red Hot Chili Pipers" were playing in the background. This store was charging £13 for it. We heard the same music when we checked-out the competition next door. Same price=no sale.

Before we knew it we had hiked-up to the castle. We spent a few moments taking pictures of it and looking over the precipice at the lights of the Christmas Market down by Princes Street. The day's snow had left some great packing snow for snowballs so I of course tossed a few. There were no restaurants up there. Remembering that the restaurants next to our hotel appeared to be open, we made our way back down the Royal Mile.
We first looked into the Tron pub. There were no seats, the bartender was gruff and the place looked a bit rundown. We then looked across the square toward our hotel. The Advocate was indeed open. It was half full of diners, but we found a nice table near the heater. From past experience we knew that instead of table service, in an English pub one had to go to the bar to order drinks and food. When we attempted to do that, the bartenderette told us to go back to our table and she'd take our orders. The girls ordered fish and chips and split two orders between the 3 of them. Tyler had a steak pie and I had the chicken version. While Gail and I enjoyed Tennant beers, Tyler opted for a Deuchars ale. For some stupid reason, maybe hunger, I failed miserably on taking pictures of our food and drink. I like to remember what I inhale.

By 9:00 we were dragging. Our first dinner tab was a bit shocking. Right around $60. In retrospect it wasn't bad, but we hadn't exactly pigged-out and we deliberately tried to find an inexpensive place for dinner. Prices would get much worse. We walked the ten feet from the Advocate to our hotel and headed upstairs. I went straight to bed and slept very well until 4:30 when I couldn't fall back asleep again. Meanwhile, the kids who were "so exhausted" went up to their room where Cassie showered for half an hour and Tyler stayed up another few hours to watch British game shows. Wackjobs.

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Photos

The Waiting Game
This trip meant the debut of my brand new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35K camera. I actually read 75% of the manual but really didn't practice using the camera nearly enough. Hopefully you will note my gradual mastery of the camera as time progresses. In this picture we are waiting for the tardy Tyler to show up at Newark airport.

Dining with the Fun Bunch
Before boarding our flight we decided to take advantage of the large food court in Terminal C.

A Pensive Cassie
Judging from these first few photos you might think Cassie was in one of her sullen angry teenager moods. Well, she's no longer a teenager and she was actually a lot of fun on this trip. She just likes to act goofy when the camera is pointed at her.

"Ok, Over There is Edinburgh..."
Skipping ahead 8 hours....Gail enjoys the view from the upper deck of the Airlink bus from the airport into downtown Edinburgh.

Turning Onto Princes Street
The ride in from the airport wasn't all that impressive until we approached the center of town via Princes Street. You'll notice that the Edinburghians were not very adept at the fine art of snow removal.

Edinburgh's Christmas Market
Next to the Sir Walter Scott Monument in Princes Street Park a German-style Christmas Market was already open for business at 10:00 am. Ferris wheels seem to be a big hit in the UK as we saw them at a number of different celebrations.

The Balmoral Hotel in the Distance
Edinburgh's plush 5 star hotel lies at the end of Princes Street next to the Waverly Train Station. While we were shopping in this part of town over the next few days I often found myslef checking the time on the hotel's huge Big Ben type clock. According to Wikipedia: "For travellers arriving by train, the hotel provided comfortable and elegant lodgings, before they continued their journeys. To assist passengers in reaching their train on time, the hotel tower's clock, visible from a considerable distance away, is traditionally set to be two minutes fast. The building’s architecture is Victorian, influenced by the traditional Scottish baronial style." This was also the finishing line for a Top Gear race from London to Edinburgh where May drove a Jaguar, Hammond used a motorcycle and Jeremy travelled by train.

The Ibis Edinburgh Centre Neighborhood
After getting off the bus at the train station we hopped in a cab and rode up the hill to our digs for the next four days - the Ibis Hotel. When we first arrived I was rather excited about the prospect of quaffing a few brews in the Tron Pub across the way. When we went inside later that night we found it to be a rather unfriendly and unexciting joint.

Checked-in and Ready to Go
After checking into the hotel and depositing our bags in our rooms, we were temporarily delayed from taking a walk on the Royal Mile when Gail and her mom could trapped between floors in the elevator. Once they escaped we all met in the lobby and headed-out into the falling snow seeking supplies for our breakfasts.

Kanadian Kate
When we joined the free tour of Old Edinburgh we were put in bubbly Kate's group. As the tour started I remember thinking that this Scottish chick was much easier to understand than the rest of the Scots we had met so far. She had a cute accent and seemed very excited about leading our tour group up the Royal Mile. We later found out that she was a Canadian ex-pat who had only recently moved to Edinburgh. She kept the tour interesting and fact-filled.

City of Edinburgh Council
This was the first stop of our long tour. At about this time it started to look like we were walking into a major blizzard. The temperature dropped and even I was freezing. Kate however did the entire tour in an unzipped light jacket. This courtyard is in front of what is essentially city hall. Apparently there wasn't too much of interest here but it gave our guide a chance to give us a brief capsule history of the first 10,000 years of Scottish history and why they still hate the English.

Punishment Zone
On the opposite side of the Royal Mile loomed the cathedral of St. Giles. Next to it stood this structure which sat in the medieval market that was set-up in the shadows of the church. We learned that this was the place where thieves or unscrupulous merchants were pilloried and subjected to torment from the citizens of Edinburgh. They were left here for hours upon hours as punishment, yet could escape from the ordeal if they begged for mercy. The catch was that they had to get out of town forever if they wimped-out. Oh yeah, and at the same time there was this bit about having their ears lopped off too.

St. Giles Cathedral
A church has stood on this site on the Royal Mile since 854. Like all European cathedrals there have been fires, wars, alterations and rebuildings over the centuries. This church has a long history but is most noted for it's part in John Knox's quest to establish Protestantism in Scotland. It was here that he became the minister of the church and instituted reforms in the worship service and administration of the presbytery.

Jenny Geddes
In 1637 there was a riot in St Giles' opposing the imposition by the King in London of a new
prayer book written by Archbishop Laud. Legend has it that the riot started when a local woman called Jenny Geddes threw her stool at the Dean giving the service, James Hannay. in objection to the first public use of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Some reputable historians believe that the Jenny Geddes story was a 19th century invention, though the disturbance certainly occurred. In fact, during it's long history lots of riots occurred outside the steps of this kirk. Right around this time I realized that we were the only Americans in this group. The rest were Brits, Canadians and Aussies.

Honoring Mr. Knox
The revolutionary Reverend Knox caused the authorities and the Catholic Church no end of problems, but eventually his side won. His dieing wish was to be buried near his church. Kate is explaining to us the fact that the saintly Knox is now interred beneath stall 23 of the parking lot behind St. Giles. With all the snow that was falling and the ice no one had bothered to remove we were unable to discern even this humble spot.

Moving On Up the Royal Mile
I initially took this shot at the crosswalk near St. Giles simply to display the happy pictogram the Scots use on their traffic signals, but I am more impressed with the detail my camera's zoom captured.

Say Goodbye to our British Pounds
I recalled these specific stores from our previous visit in 2006 because it was at the Heritage of Scotland shop that I got a great deal on a long-sleeved rugby shirt flaunting the colors of.....Wales. Our tour stopped here briefly so that we could see the home where the poet Robert Burns once lived. It was also the entrance to Lady Stair's Close.

Lady Stair's Close
Behind the facades of the homes and shops lining the Royal Mile were numerous courtyards. The rich folk of the post-Renaissance period needed to live near the centers of commerce and government but had no desire to dwell above the stench and filth oozing up from the gutters of the Royal Mile. Instead they built homes behind the stink and noise of the main street. Over the years the names of these closes would change often in honor of the wealthiest or most prestigious inhabitants. This particular one was permanently named after woman who outlived her particularly cruel and abusive husband. She escaped his attempt to murder her and summoned help. He ran off to mainland Europe and never returned. She kept the house. Now it is the Writer's Museum.

A Closer View of the Writer's Museum
I failed to take a picture for some reason, but behind me at this point Kate showed us the outline of a stairway at the back of one of the medieval shops on the Royal Mile. We could make out the stone steps leading to the second floor, but in the middle of this series of steps was one over-sized step used as an early form of burglar alarm - when someone unfamiliar with his surroundings might be sneaking up or down these steps in the dark the suddenly different sized gradation would make him fall or stumble thus raising the alarm.

Just So You Know Where We Are
I was hoping to get a nice reference shot here but Tyler's big head and hat apparently popped into the picture.

An Avenue of History
We weren't quite at the top of the Royal Mile where Edinburgh Castle sits, but looking back down the street from here you could almost imagine a different time. Again, note all the ice and slush on the sidewalks and on the street. We would be seeing a lot more over the next two weeks.