(Cute salt and pepper)

We went to Edinburgh on Monday. We came home on Wednesday. We fitted in loads and left out loads (sorry Dan and Carol and Amy and Calum and Aaron…) We didn’t bring blogging tools, so here’s a summary and lots of pictures. Edinburgh is well worth visiting and especially with lovely weather.

(Cobblestoned street near our apartment)

We were meeting Doris and Grahame. They booked a pretty apartment within walking distance of the city and we arrived on Monday afternoon to a warm welcome from them. Let me fill you in on these personalities. Doris is Canadian, Grahame is British, living in Canada for almost 100 years (I think that’s accurate.) Doris smiles a lot, Grahame laughs a lot. Doris is very, very generous, Grahame is learning to be patient. Doris loves to shop, Grahame is a fast learner. Doris make great pancakes, Grahame writes great Facebook updates.

(The American barista in Starbucks almost spelled my name right, but… hey, there’s my sister’s name – Moira!?)

Of course I knew all these things already so when Doris said, “this room is yours, I hope it’s ok”, I should have known she had given us the big bedroom, with the comfy chair (for mediating as Grahame calls meditating) while they had the little one with no chair. I have no idea where their sixteen suitcases (slight exaggeration) were stored. I also should have known that when we were offered pancakes for breakfast the pancake ingredients (including oil for frying, cups for measuring and maple syrup for pouring) had come all the way from Canada in one of those sixteen suitcases.

(The measuring cups from Canada)

I didn’t know these thing until later and I’m glad I didn’t because I really enjoyed the room and the pancakes and I didn’t feel even a little guilty.

(Big rivets in the big door at the big castle in Edinburgh)

We hadn’t realised that Doris and Grahame were vegetarian… and they weren’t… but they seem to have started a new health regime, possibly? So… none of us ate meat for the three days and we walked… a lot. Denis has an app that tells you how many steps you’ve taken over the course of a day and we were walked an average of 15km. We may have led the Canadians to believe that this was normal for us… but the truth is we might top 2km a day, normally. So… we kept up with them and they kept up with us keeping up with them! There was a moment when someone mentioned the possibility of taking a taxi to the restaurant but Denis said “not at all, it’s just around the corner” and the rest of us smiled wanly at each other and trudged on for a further 2km.

(Our guide around Edinburgh castle. Well… his kilt and socks and boots, anyway)

We saw Edinburgh castle (where the kings and Queens used to stay and fight), Holyroodhouse Palace (where the Queen sometimes stays and works) Marks and Spencer’s (where underwear is world-renowned) the Royal Mile between the castle and the palace and a beautiful castle called Tantallon near north Berwick – ahem, the town where Denis’ sister-in-law works… but we didn’t visit, sorry 😦

(The Bass Rock as seen from Tantallon Castle. Why is the rock white? We wondered too and Doris investigated. Each white dot is a bird!)

We didn’t have any arguments which could have been because of all the gifts Doris bestowed on us (you remember I said she was generous.) I didn’t even mind that I had to wear two pairs of leggings, all my underwear, all my tops, my fleece and my rain coat on the plane home in order to fit the gifts.

(The ruined abbey at Holyroodhouse Palace)

If you are thinking of going on holidays with some friends may I suggest you only go with the ones who give you the bigger bedroom, lots of gifts, make the breakfast, let you choose the restaurants and generally make you think you’re lovely people to spend time with… but don’t go with Doris and Grahame – they’re ours.

We’ll be back, Mairead.