Day 10 (In and around Edinburgh)

Mel?

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Just behind our pseudo-bagpiper this entrepreneur was gathering up farthings and shillings by posing as a famous movie star. He certainly got everybody passing by to slow down and look. Everybody that stopped to pose with the pseudo-Mel Gibson had to drop coinage into his music case. But for your one pound contribution you did get to pose with one of his many battle props.

Gobs of tourists can't resist the souvenirs

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It's a little embarassing to admit but this ultra-touristy shop was my favorite store in Edinburgh. Considering its location smack dab in the middle of the Royal Mile, the prices were pretty reasonable. I bought one of those rugby jerseys and a book about Scottish history.

Confused mimes

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All along the Royal Mile we enjoyed the free entertainment. Wiedos everywhere. These two didn't do a thing while we watched. Perhaps they only did their picture frame mime routine when somebody dropped money in their collection box, but while we watched no one even gave them a second glance. I'd like to know why their faces are white and his hands are covered by white gloves, so why are her hands bare? If you're gonna be a mime, do it right.

Confused me

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A little further down the way we passed this souvenir shop. Gail wanted a picture of this outfit but the picture also demonstrates how easily I got suckered here. Note the price tages on the rugby shirts. 25 pounds each or two for 40 pounds. That sounded like a really good deal until the next month when I got my Visa bill and realized I spent close to $80 on two rugby shirts.

"It's like a full body dry heave set to music"

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After shopping at a few more shops we decided to watch another sideshow right outside St. Giles' Cathedral. The blues guitarist's Tom Waites-like voice drew my attention. Once we sat down to watch we became much more interested in his sidekick's dancing prowess. George Costanza's description of Elaine's dancing came straight to mind.

We were fascinated

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We just couldn't stop watching this guy's spastic contortions. I thought Joe Cocker was hard to watch...

Running out of steam

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Steven Tyler and Aerosmith, Jagger and the Stones, Sinatra and Sammy; all the greats have to take a break sometime during a performance. And these two had put on quite a show. I suspect the dancing fool wasn't just tired but also needed a little more liquid refreshment to continue the act.

Local color

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There was a little of everything going on in the Royal Mile. This vendor was selling lavender and heather while nearby someone else was selling Celtic jewelry.

Can you tell this is a tourist hotspot?

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We walked further down the Royal Mile and no matter how far we strolled we couldn't escape the tourists shops. Not wanting to be too much of a tourist, I decided to walk into the local police station which also doubled as a museum. It featured a couple of display cases full of grisly murder weapons and confiscated items. After I spotted an area dedicated to the local police dogs, I had to get a souvenir t-shirt with a Lothians and Borders German Shepherd police dog on it.

World's End Pub

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We didn't feel like walking all the way down to Holyrood so we ended our walk where the old city wall once stood. Note the brass plates in the street: they denote the walls of the old city. This wall marked where the rest of the World ended and Edinburgh began.

Looking for his sheep?

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The Royal Mile is certainly interesting to say the least. Just as it was getting even crazier we had to leave the area to meet the rest of the group for dinner. Tonight it would be a Chinese buffet.

Beneath the castle walls

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To get to Jimmy Chung's gigantic buffet we had to hike back up toward the castle then find our way to the other side. Our route showed us just how imposing the situation of the fortress might be to an opposing army.

Another hen party

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After enjoying one of the biggest and best Chinese buffets I've ever been to, Gail and I decided we still had enough energy to return to the Royal Mile. We hiked back up toward the castle then detoured down a couple sidestreets until we spotted a cybercafe. After reading our e-mails and checking our bank acoounts we went to look for a bar. Along the way we spied these lovely bunnies on their way to a bachelorette party. Actually, I was more interested in the Porsche.

Lotus

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We spent some time exploring the multi-levels of the Edinburgh street system before finally escaping the myriad alleys and dead ends. We headed back toward our hotel but made a pit stop at a local pub. Sitting just outside the outdoor tables was this little beauty. After finishing off our pints we were back at the hotel and in bed just after 10:00pm.