After getting Ray a room in London so that he doesn’t have to spend the night in the airport, we went to get groceries and breakfast at Morrisons. Saw the cutest fish sticks that Lincoln would love—they look like fish and have peas for eyes!!!
Ray had to pack, unpack, and repack several times to get it balanced out right. Then we went to the Royal Mile to the World’s End Pub for dinner. I love the low ceiling and the dark wood and stone walls. Very cozy and full of character. Yummy salmon for me, clansman burger for Ray, and we tried a great dark ale—Dark Island—maybe my favorite yet. We let our waiter, Fintan, choose for us and it was a great choice. Will have to remember it. I wanted to buy a cool T-shirt with the pub sign logo on it, but the only shirt they carry is one with the name on the front and the name of 10 other pubs on back.
This is the pub on the edge of Old Edinburgh. Right here were the gates across the Royal Mile—Netherbow Port. It was part of the Flodden Wall that was built around the city to protect it from English attack. The poor couldn’t leave the city because they couldn’t afford to pay the fee to get back in. Heads of executed prisoners from the Old Tolbooth prison were displayed on spires here to deter would-be criminals. There are brass cobbles in the street to show where the gates were.
Ray had to pack, unpack, and repack several times to get it balanced out right. Then we went to the Royal Mile to the World’s End Pub for dinner. I love the low ceiling and the dark wood and stone walls. Very cozy and full of character. Yummy salmon for me, clansman burger for Ray, and we tried a great dark ale—Dark Island—maybe my favorite yet. We let our waiter, Fintan, choose for us and it was a great choice. Will have to remember it. I wanted to buy a cool T-shirt with the pub sign logo on it, but the only shirt they carry is one with the name on the front and the name of 10 other pubs on back.
This is the pub on the edge of Old Edinburgh. Right here were the gates across the Royal Mile—Netherbow Port. It was part of the Flodden Wall that was built around the city to protect it from English attack. The poor couldn’t leave the city because they couldn’t afford to pay the fee to get back in. Heads of executed prisoners from the Old Tolbooth prison were displayed on spires here to deter would-be criminals. There are brass cobbles in the street to show where the gates were.
The World's End was the last place 2 girls were seen back in October of 1977. Before this, Edinburgh was thought to be a safe city--if you don't cound the VERY olden days, that is. There were over 500 suspects in the murders of the girls, whose bodies were found nearby. I just watched a TV program where Ian Rankin stated that he was one of these suspects as he, unwittingly, went to the police to ask how they would go about investigating a murder he was writing about. Talk about bad timing.
Across from where we caught the bus to go into town, there is what looks like an old train station. It has a post on top of one of the tall towers that seems to have what looks like a crown on it. Being that this building is so close to Holyrood Palace, we wondered if it might have once been used for the Queen when she came to town.
Bus to our stop then walked back home thru Holyrood Park with Arthur’s Seat standing 823 feet high, an extinct volcano. The winds are up and the trees had a cool whishy sound as the wind tossed the branches around. Sad to see Ray go, but he will be back soon. He encouraged me to get out and do things I wouldn’t do if he were here. He says I have a hard time deciding what I want to do because my first instinct is always to try to make others happy, so I will do this. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I can get to the labyrinth at the University of Edinburgh to walk it. May do the Museum of Edinburgh and a chapel or two to see the stained glass. We’ll see.
***pictures from top: World's End Pub sign; fish sticks Lincoln would love; “train station” that we figured was once used by the Queen; inside World’s End Pub; Royal Mile.
Bus to our stop then walked back home thru Holyrood Park with Arthur’s Seat standing 823 feet high, an extinct volcano. The winds are up and the trees had a cool whishy sound as the wind tossed the branches around. Sad to see Ray go, but he will be back soon. He encouraged me to get out and do things I wouldn’t do if he were here. He says I have a hard time deciding what I want to do because my first instinct is always to try to make others happy, so I will do this. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I can get to the labyrinth at the University of Edinburgh to walk it. May do the Museum of Edinburgh and a chapel or two to see the stained glass. We’ll see.
***pictures from top: World's End Pub sign; fish sticks Lincoln would love; “train station” that we figured was once used by the Queen; inside World’s End Pub; Royal Mile.
