On Saturday we flew from Dublin to Edinburgh, Scotland. The flight on Ryan Air took about 45 minutes and was relatively cheap. But, oh, for the savings you do pay a price. From the check-in desk thru security was a short walk but from security to the boarding lounge was a good half mile hike. No place to sit but happily we had just a short 20-minute wait. Onboard, all rows behind row 1 were very tight-it really felt like we were in a sardine tin. Glad to arrive and reclaim our luggage. Airport to city was a 20-minute ride with the surliest cab driver I've ever met.
On the other hand... Once we'd arrived at Adria House we were in clover. The proprietress Maria is friendly and helpful. She and her brother Eddie run this family business which occupies one small slice of a 200-year-old 3-story Georgian building a few blocks north of the city's "Royal Mile." Our suite is huge, with three rooms plus an en-suite bathroom. Tall windows that can be closed with wood shutters overlook a green park space and a brick/cobblestone street.
We're taking things pretty easy here in Edinburgh. So far we've taken the tours through Holyrood Palace and the associated Queen's Gallery. Holyrood has been a summer residence for British monarchs over the last several hundred years, and was temporary home to Mary, Queen of Scots, before she was beheaded by her cousin on a treason charge. As palaces go, I'm told this is a small one. The Gallery exhibit is of paintings by Dutch masters of Vermeer's time and the audio commentary includes samples of music from that time.
Holyrood Palace (House)
In 2000 a creative interactive science "experience" was built near Holyrood House. Called Our Dynamic Earth, this site is for kids and adults...but mostly for kids. It's sort of a Disneyland of Science that introduces geology, planetary science, and ecology. Very well done, although the creators apparently had to tear down an old Edinburgh brewery to make space. 😠In the photo below you can just see a turret and wall that belonged to the brewery.
Kate & Mike: I don't know if you have the bandwidth to see this,
ReplyDeletebut it seems somehow appropriate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVbb6pZLfzU&list=PLeBCa_vJFn4Vz2p01kp3Q9XcCS4jNZg6K
Aliens turning Englishmen into Scotsmen.
J.
That's pretty funny, John. Kate tells me that a Scottish player, Andy Murray, cleaned the decks o' tennis this year. Haven't seen any hordes of stiff-armed Scots but we'll keep alert. That seems to be something more likely to appear after one of Mr. Trump's rallies. 😒
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