Off to Edinburgh

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There are 21 photos included. Scroll all the way to the bottom, after the blog to see the rest of the photos.

I was sorry to say goodby to our lovely B&B in South Kensington, but I am afraid I will have some bruises. We love our B&B but the rooms in London are so tiny. I kept bumping into the chair, the door, the shower. The shower is so small you have to enter it sideways to get through the door.

We had some time to kill before our train so we walked around our neighborhood enjoying the sights. In the photos you can see some of the real estate options that are available. For the low price of 1,395,000 pounds we can get a 3 bedroom flat. Or for 1,990,000 pounds you can get a share of a Freehold (whatever that is) that requires a complete renovation. Don't think I will be relocating to London anytime soon.

We made it to Kings Cross train station. There was a wonderful fresh food market outside the train station. Everything looked fresh and wonderful-fruits, cheese, chocolate, pastries, breads. What a great idea for people boarding a train. Couldn't find Platform 9 3/4 for the Harry Potter fans, but there was a Harry Potter store inside. Line was pretty long to get in and we didn't have time.

The train from London to Edinburgh is about 4 hours. Dot was pretty proud that she booked reserved seats, with a table. We thought that would give us plenty of room for our computers, kindles, etc. What we didn't think about was that means there were 2 other people facing us on the other side of the table. The train was packed, and much tighter on space than either of us remembered. We had to talk to people (the Horror). This young girl (30 ish) sat across from us and would not shut up. She was actually very nice, but had an opinion about everything. This little old man had the other seat next to her and at first he didn't say a word, but I could tell he was listening. We were finally able to draw him into the conversation. Retired lawyer who is super nice. I would have liked to talk to him more, but she dominated the conversation and talked for 2 1/2 hours until she got off the train. So, Mary Ash - I am not the one one who talks to strangers!

Once they got off the train 2 more people came on and sat across from us. Damn! They started quiet, but then starting talking to us, too. They were much harder to understand, as they were from Scotland, and had a different but they were also really nice. It was good practice for us, getting used to the Scottish accent. Gave us some suggestions on things to do in Scotland.

We arrived in Edinburgh around 5 pm. Took a cab to our B&B, and the cab driver talked non-stop to us. I thought Dot was going to pull her hair out. It was just too much. And his accent was even harder to understand, so I really had to focus. Every cab driver in the UK thinks they are a tour guide. Luckily it was a pretty short cab ride. We checked into our B&B, saw our huge room - awesome compared to London. We wanted to stretch our legs after 4 1/2 hours on the train, so we thought we would hike up to Arthur's Seat, which is on a hill just outside Edinburgh. It's supposed to rain tomorrow so we wanted to squeeze it in. Awesome hike, but all uphill. Not easy at all. Great views though. I wasn't able to upload any videos to this blog site, so the video will be on Facebook only. Pictures don't even come close to doing it justice to the views.

We walked to dinner at the Old Bell Inn, another Rick Steve recommendation. It's always a little intimidating for us to walk into a strange pub in a foreign country. I walked all around and finally snagged the last available table. We never know if we are supposed to order at the bar, how to get a menu, etc. But of course, the couple at the table next to us was American, from Seattle and they had just been through the same ordeal. So of course we talked to them through the entire meal. Sorry, Mary Ash. They were here for a conference and had been in Scotland for a while. They guy ordered the lamb and haggis burger. It looked like a normal burger. He offered me a bite (yes, we became that close that quickly) but I declined politely. Also, there were 2 or 3 dogs in the pub, one at the table next to us. A very nice young couple that lives across the street from the pub and is coming to the States in a few weeks for a wedding. No, I didn't quite get their entire life history. So, it turned out to be a very enjoyable dinner, with excellent food, good conversation and dogs to play with.

Over 12,000 steps. Not bad for a travel day. Plus I hit my Apple Watch exercise goal without working out.

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Photos

Wandering around S. Kensington
Many of the houses have these gorgeous flowers

I just love the signs
"Royal Borough"

Food Market outside the train station
There was a fresh food market outside the train station. everything looked wonderful. Of course we stopped at the pastries

King's Cross Train Station
For the Harry Potter fans

Harry Potter store inside Kings Cross Train Station
Didn't have time to go in. It was packed the the line was very long.

Beginning of our hike up to King Arthurs seat
Lots and lots and lots of stone steps

Love the Old Bell Inn
Fountain soda with a few ice cubes-yay

My new friend, Winston
Inside the Old Bell Inn. All are welcome

Front of our B&B
Super clean and so much bigger than our London room

Comments

[Mary Ash]

Geeze....
Sounds like the whole of the UK knows you now with all your gum flappin! ? i hate when cabbies talk the whole time too. Hike looks beautiful.

[Don Keefe]

Particularly enjoyed this blog. The people and places came alive.

[Tanya]

Steps and Pasteries
After climbing all those steps along the looooong trail - claim your rewards at the bakery.