August 24 - Day 6

Rained heavily through the night but this morning the clouds are clearing with some sun, no rain.  We hear the pitter pat tucked up in on the charming but tiny second floor of Ferguson’s nearly 100 year old bungalow. Today we head to Edinburgh where we meet up with our bus tour group.  Have a quick breakfast with McLean and Marion and finish packing.  We bid them both farewell with thanks for the hospitality!  We are returning here for a few days at the end of the bus trip so we are able to leave some things behind.  The tour only allows one suitcase for 14 days, it will be a challenge.  McLean drives us to the Whitecraigs station where catch the 10:08 for Glasgow Central. We are able to get our Edinburgh tickets at an electronic kiosk.  We leave at 11AM for an hour’s trip to Waverly Station in Edinburgh.  The scenery is not too striking, but pleasant with rolling hills, lots of stone walls, sheep, cows and stone houses, little villages with church steeples being the high points.  It only takes about an hour to get from Glasgow to Edinburgh, but we have totally crossed from the west over to the east with different ocean waters.  Waverly is a large station with the same Victorian iron work and glass ceilings but it has its own character.  Edinburgh is Scotland’s capital so the station is much larger.  Luckily we get there early enough to stow our bags at a baggage drop off station and head off on foot to the Scottish Parliament building on the lowest end of the Royal Mile.  Edinburgh Castle sits at the top of the long incline and Holyrood Castle sits at the bottom.  Across the street from Holyrood Castle is the Parliament building completed in the last 6 or so years.  We take a free tour of the Parliament and get an insider view of the architecture including a view of one of their conference rooms where hearings take place and the main speakers hall where debate ensues and votes are taken. The only real nod to tradition is a scepter made out of solid silver with a Scottish gold medallion, crafted by a Scottish artisan and gifted by the Queen. The architect for the building is a Spaniard from Barcelona (which we thought strange for a very special Scottish structure) and his design is based on organic shapes that make the building appear as if it is growing out of the soil.  There is a lot of concrete, metal and wooden beams and Scottish stone floors.  They incorporated a lot of nuanced Scottish design, namely St. Andrews cross or the saltire, the white cross on dark blue background, the Scottish national flag. They used as much Scottish natural resourced materials as possible in the building.  Throughout the building any signage is quoted in English but also in Gaelic.  We are impressed in this effort to build a deeper sense of Scottish identity.  There is no way we can begin to pronounce the Gaelic but we really like seeing it.  We didn’t realize Gaelic is part of a grouping of Celtic languages, Welsh, Irish, Scottish etc. One of the tour couples from the Hebrides began speaking to the guide in Gaelic and he responded without hesitation.  There were many aspects of the ultra-modern building that were attractive, curious and feats of design but overall we were not terribly impressed.  Partly because the maintenance and upkeep on the oddly shaped windows, glass ceilings and external metal plates require a lot of time and are labor intensive.  Our guide was excellent.  The most impressive and most important aspect of this building is that it represents the devolved government for which it stands.  Scotland lost its independence to England in early 1700 (after having a sophisticated system of royal rule and as of 1998, the central government of Great Britain voted to allow Scotland a significant amount of independence under the definition of devolution.  Scotland rules over most of its various governance needs but still depends on GB for foreign security matters etc.  Scottish Parliament has its own MSP’s Members of Scottish Parliament (elected legislators representing regions/districts) but they also elect MP’s Members of Parliament to serve in the GB government on non-devolution issues and powers.  The guide made one thing clear, multiple times, the Scottish parliament is there to serve its people and respond to their needs, they have many checks and balances in place to assure transparency and accountability, something they pursue with vigor.  Must hurry back to Waverly Station in order to meet the three hour time limit on baggage storage and get a cab in time to check in at the hotel with the tour.  Fast walk up the incline, our age is showing.  As we leave the Parliament building there’s a new and very fancy Queen’s Gallery and Exhibition frontage on Holyrood Castle.  We have been there in the past.  The lower end of the Royal Mile is now a hopping place for visitors to see and experience. The path to Arthur’s Seat, a huge rocky incline leading to a high elevation outcropping is here.  We have not done the view over all of Edinburgh and surrounding areas, it would be awesome to do, especially seeing the parliament design from that elevation.  Pull the bags, get a taxi and high tail it to the Novotel Hotel on Lauriston.  We thought it was located way out of the way, but turns out we are just below the castle.  On the way here we see the crowds in Edinburgh for the Fringe, Art and Book International Festivals.  There are crazily dressed entertainers performing spontaneously on the streets.  We check in, we’re a large group and everyone is a stranger and a little awkward.  Off to dinner at a mystery location.  The bus is a behemoth vehicle that has a ‘downstairs’ restroom.  We are taken to the Edinburgh Zoo’s Mansion House.  A gorgeous red sand stone Georgian house with dark woods, hand carved and ornate plastered ceiling medallions and cove moldings and stained glass windows.  The view looks out over to Arthur’s Seat.  Where the wood floor is not covered there are carpets made of wool Lyndsay tartan patterns.  We are served beer and wine and asked to find the person who belongs to a name tag we are given.  It makes for a lot of spontaneous conversation and then we are seated at large tables, by the end of the evening there are few strangers.  Of course, we are all of similar age, Chuck and Pat tending on the younger side, so we have lots in common.  Meet 5 couples from Australia, some from Canada and US and a few Scots and Brits.  Our buffet dinner consisted of a Scottish smorgasbord: Cullen Skink soup with rolls, Haddock and chips, Scottish venison burger with a layer of black pudding on bun, steamed veg, Mull cheddar and pepper fritters, chicken satay (node to their love of Indian food), Scottish beef pies.  Followed by chocolate hazelnut tarts, nut custard and cream.  Really good, especially as it was made in large quantities.  We see a few animals in the zoo as we pass by, lemurs jumping in the trees.  We have pictures of Brenna and Seth as young children sitting in front of the Edinburgh Zoo sign, so it had special significance for us.  Bus trip home and itineraries discussed.  There is so much more to come.  We have two more days in Edinburgh until we leave cities behind for several days and enter the remote Scottish landscape.  We’re very tired but pleased.  Up early.  Nighty Night.