Edinburgh

1^st day in Edinburgh and a cold one. Awoke to a light smattering of snow outside and temperatures hovering round zero most of the day. We headed off for a look around the city. Our first stop was the travel section of a bookstore which had well-thumbed perusal copies of local guides. From these we were able to find a nice cafe which we went to for breakfast. I had an almond croissant while Mark had poached eggs on toast with Haggis and Black Pudding. We both thought Haggis was quite nice. The coffee was good too (they knew what a Flat White was) After checking out a few department stores in New Town we climbed the Royal Mile to arrive at Edinburgh Castle. The Royal Mile is part of the Old Town and unfortunately it was mostly tourist shops selling package deals on kilts. This seemed a bit inappropriate to me. Edinburgh castle is imposing, being built on a tall hill in the middle of the town. Although it is old in origin it has had many modifications right up to the 19^th century and so is in very good condition. We stopped for lunch in one of the cafes that are part of the castle. A German waitress recommended that Mark avoided fruit cake because she wasn’t a big fan so he had some anyway. It wasn’t that good. The other German waitress suggested we check out the Christmas market which was at the base of the hill and next to the outdoor ice-skating. I really liked it. The freezing cold temperature combined with brightly lit stores, mulled wine and German sausage made me feel very “Christmassy” Mark tried hard not to feel “Christmassy” but I have a photo of him with a big smile on his face. We went back into New Town afterwards and checked out a few shops for warm socks and gloves which we managed to find. Mark also bought a pair of fashionable stylish long johns which I also have a photo of but perhaps shouldn’t be widely published. Afterwards we bought tickets to see a movie, had a beer in a local pub and then dinner in a Scottish restaurant. I had more Haggis and we both had cod for a main. In the freezing cold and dark, feeling full beyond belief, we trekked home to bed.