Edinburgh II

After the rigours of yesterday we had a much slower start this morning, lingering over breakfast in the flat rather than rushing out and about. The rather drab and dreary drizzle outside our window also contributed to this decision.

When we did venture out we decided to head for the New Town - this is the 18th century part of the city, with the Old Town, where we're staying, being 17th century and earlier. After a quick coffee, we strolled down some of the wide and straight streets of the New Town in the driving drizzle until we decided to seek refuge in a nasty modern shopping mall just because it was warm and dry.

Finally the drizzle let up enough for us to walk to the Museum of Scotland, which is quite a nice building on the inside...

...with some excellent pieces on display...

Of course, all of this stuff fascinated Phil, but left Petra thinking about her sore feet. So Petra decided to do some laundry instead while Phil indulged his peculiar interests.

We met Phil's friend Tom for lunch again today, going to a very nice restaurant tucked away in a narrow cobbled lane off the Royal Mile. Phil completed his gastronomic self-destruct by having a dish that included slices of black pudding. He was nice enough to share it with Petra, and both pronounced it edible, if not tasty. Still best not to think about what goes into it.

Saying our goodbyes to Tom we then went to a nearby house run by the National Trust of Scotland with rooms furnished and decorated according to the age of construction of the room. All very well done, and the volunteer guides were a wealth of information about the house, the history of the High Street (the Royal Mile) and the development of Edinburgh.

We are now back in our flat with the sounds of a bagpipe wafting up from the street below. We may go to the pub later for dinner...