Monday

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This was an easy day of exploring (and shopping).

Coffee was made with a press and tasted pretty good, but there were grounds and sediment in each cup. Roger had some local breakfast wrap two doors down from our outside door. I was putting together the books and maps we no longer needed to send home, so we wouldn't have to keep carting them around in our luggage.

Mid-morning Roger went out to take pictures and I headed off to a Mailboxes, Etc. The packed box was 5 kilos (11 pounds). Feeling much lighter, I went in search of other items to take home. There are so many places to shop.

Roger and I met up about 2:00pm and went to the National Gallery of Scotland and its Inspiring Impressionism: Daubigny, Monet, Van Gogh exhibit. We hadn't gone to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam because of the crowds. This self-guided tour was at our own pace in large rooms with few people.

During one of my walks to Sainsbury's Local I'd seen a traditional pub and restaurant with A-frame signs advertising its Ultimate Fish & Chips. We agreed to meet there after I registered for the conference at 5:00.

The Assembly Rooms were three blocks from the apartment. I'd asked about this before finalizing the Air B&B booking. Registering was simple and I met three other delegates from California as I was leaving. There turned out to be eight representatives from the USA.

Milnes on Rose Street is only about 100 years old. That's kind of young for the area. It's much bigger than it looks from the outside and the carved wood bar is gorgeous. It's where orders are placed and pints are poured. Food orders are delivered by wait staff when ready. Roger had the ultimate fish and chips, while I went with chicken and mushroom pie. The top crust was the lightest and flakiest I've ever eaten.

We took the circuitous route back to the apartment, as walking had become our after dinner routine this trip. This was the night I spent almost three hours updating the blog only to get an Error 500 when I clicked Save. More than a little frustrated, I called it a day.

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