Days 5 & 6- The Days With No Agenda

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On day 5 we had absolutely no plans- it was a complete explore and see how we feel type day. We had a slow start, partly because Bec and I were feeling a bit seedy from the night before and partly because I had to have another phone call with work in the morning. Basically, the original location I was supposed to work at has fallen through due to a “miscommunication”, so I had another interview for a different location. Not quite the holiday vibe I was going for, but I’m just grateful I wasn’t dropped completely.

Anyway, once we left for the day our original plan was to visit some art galleries, but it was so nice and sunny outside we decided to just keep walking. We found ourselves walking along Circus Lane, which is now my favourite street in all of Edinburgh- a small street of cobblestones, hardly big enough for a car to drive through, with plants lining windowsills and a beautiful view of some old buildings. At the end of the lane we turned left and found the cutest little coffee shop, and sat outside at blue gingham tables with super warm hot chocolates.

Whilst sipping our hot choccies, we realised we were quite hungry and started planning where to go for lunch. Brewdog, a pub chain born in Scotland which also has locations across Brisbane (I used to go to Brewdog every Monday in Brisbane for half price vegan burgers- shout out to Aimee, Heather and Giorgia- and also went once because my friend Dave was hosting a trivia night there- shout out to Dave), so Brewdog was automatically on our list of places to visit. The nearest one was about a 45 minute walk away from our hot chocolate shop, so we figured we’d be ready for lunch by the time we got there. And boy were we ready for lunch!

Whilst their Brisbane vegan burgers are great, absolutely nothing compares to the Brewdog vegan burgers here. A seitan pattie with a kale and tomato slaw- it sounds too healthy to taste good, but I swear it’s one of the best things I’ve ever had. We also ordered some “winter ciders”- a cocktail made with apple cider, ginger beer, and vodka. Very dangerous drink- we could hardly taste the alcohol.

After lunch we started the trek back home. On the way we passed this massive park with the greenest grass you’ve ever seen in your life, so on the way back I said “should we take a shortcut through this park? It looks beautiful.” The other two stopped and stared at me. “This is a cemetery,” Bec said. Immediately I said “whoops never mind” but then the others agreed that it would actually be quite nice to walk through. So we took a shortcut through the cemetery which, yes, is incredibly beautiful. Trudi was glad she had a red coat on- “it keeps away the demons”.

We took the original route back home- along Leith Walk- and this time decided to venture in to one of the pubs along the busy street. We popped into Victoria’s, which is a “cocktail bar with Swedish snacks”. We didn’t order any cocktails or Swedish snacks, just a gin & tonic, but it was a very cool environment all the same. We eventually got home around 6pm and just chilled out for the rest of the evening.



Had another slow start today on day 6. The sun is usually up and waking us by around 8 but it must have been a very cloudy morning, as we had a bit of a sleep in. Today was another day with no agenda- such a fun way to live! Eventually we headed off for brekkie and caught the bus to a vegan cafe called Beetroot Sauvage. Well, we got there at midday, so it was really more brunch. I had avocado toast with tofu scramble (like scrambled eggs but with tofu instead) and vegan haggis! During my last trip to Scotland I kept trying to convince myself to eat some haggis but never could, and now this time lots of places have apparently managed to capture the flavour of haggis but in a vegan friendly way. Which I am all for. And it was delicious! Not sure if I could ever eat the real haggis- call me soft, I don’t care- but the vegan one is très delicious. Also at the cafe we saw the most GORGEOUS Dulux dog- he was absolutely massive and so shaggy, just the cutest.

After brekkie we popped into Nana and Pop’s for tea, planned more of our Glasgow trip with Uncle Robbie, and then started the journey home a bit later in the afternoon. On the way we found another cute Scottish pub so we stopped in and played cards for a bit, and then caught the bus home. Usually, in the morning and evening, we would have walked, but Trudi has blisters the size of Europe on her heels so we’re taking the less painful route. We’re always so knackered at the end of the day, but we are sooo close to finishing Game of Thrones so we always have time to watch an episode or two every evening! So that is what we did. Goodnight!

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