Edinburgh, Scotland Part One

Time for a quick summary!!  We flew into EDI via IAD on Sunday night, arriving at EDI at about 11 AM local time.  Scotland is five hours ahead of EDT.  We had skipped dinner on the plane since it was a 10:30 PM departure.  Got a good five hours of sleep in United  Polaris. Decent airplane breakfast which was a spin on a frittata.  I'd describe it as a goat cheese souffle on top of a croissant.  Tasty and helpful to get us going.  

Immigration was a breeze.  We scanned our passports at a kiosk, had facial recognition and we were through. No need to see an agent.  And no passport stamps.  That's becoming less frequent as many countries are streamlining the process.  

We found our transfer and made the twenty minute drive to our hotel. The Native Edinburgh is a quirky, boutique style hotel. I'd compare it to Hotel Indigo.  Our room wasn't ready but we were able to drop off our luggage in their secured area.  Then our first stop was some lunch!!  We found a pub called Slug & Lettuce.   It's a bit more modern than other pubs I've visited. 

 It was established in 1985 so the flowery vibe makes sense.  Angie had avocado toast with poached egg and I had a chicken sandwich.  Both tasty.  And of course some local beers.  

It was then time to head to our 2 PM timed entry to Edinburgh Castle. Once we got there we tried some creamy soft serve while we waited for our time.

  The castle is well preserved with many original buildings. They also house the Crown Jewels, however no pictures are allowed.  After seeing everything we wanted to see, we headed back to the hotel to check into our room. And it was also time for a mandatory rest period.  

Our next activity was a Literary Pub Tour which met at the Beehive Inn at 7:30. Angie has smartly booked us a table for dinner at 6:15.  At most pubs in the UK, you order all your food and drink directly at the bar.  But many pubs also have dining rooms where you can book a table and have table service. 

Angie had a pub staple of steak and ale pie and I had macaroni and cheese.  Plus we tried haggis fritters.  

Angie described them best:  Haggis has been taken on a date to the Minnesota State Fair!!    They were very tasty. All the goodness of haggis without the stomach!!

The PubTour was very fun. There were two actors who playfully guided twelve of us through Scotland's literary history. We visited four pubs and you were invited to grab a drink before you watched each of the performances which were done outside.  

Today we had a full day excursion. We met at 7:30 to join a large group bus tour to the Highlands and Loch Ness.  We had several rest stops where you could purchase food. We tried the mac and cheese and jacket potato with chili at one of the stops.  Pickled Onion crisps and Ness inspired beer at another. They were pretty close to traditional salt and vinegar chips. Very good beers.  And who said it was hard to see Nessie?  Several sightings right next to the gift shop.

 We were tired after the thirteen hour tour so headed back to the hotel.  

Tomorrow we will switch hotels to meet up with other guests who will be flying with us to Longyearbyen Norway. Our flight will be on Thursday and that's where we'll board my 100th cruise on the Seabourn Venture.