In a neighborhood not far from a prison and across the street from a pub sits a little establishment for betting called Ladbrokes in Saughton. It's been around for years and will probably be around for years more...that is if the landlord is kept happy! That landlord is Gordon and for the first time we visited the building and went inside the business. Here's what a betting parlor looks like on the inside:
Pretty boring eh?
Then Charli, Gordon and I went over to the Leith Flat. The place is so tiny I couldn't even take pictures that were worth loading. We met the assistant for the agent who will be selling the now vacant flat and made some decisions about the dilapidated interior! The unit is at the very top of an old four story building with a cupola in the corner facing the
Royal Britannia on the Firth of Forth. Out the rear windows is a spectacular view of the Castle, Colton Hill and Arthur's Seat.
So we wrapped up that appointment and headed off for a historical driving tour of Gordon's old haunts starting with the house he moved in to after living in the hotel for five years. It was his favorite home before our own on Skimmer Court.
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| The house on Russell Place |
Then we went past the old hotel and that neighborhood before heading back to the Marriott to drop off the car and cab it in to the Grassmarket behind the Castle.
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| Pedestrian walkway at the Grassmarket |
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| The street up to the Royal Mile |
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| We ate here. |
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| Inside the White Hart Inn built in 1516! |
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| Lovely buildings on the Royal Mile |
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| An elderly bagpiper! |
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| Cute pubs abound on the Royal Mile |
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| Another beautiful Scottish sky |
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| The old Tolbooth (jail) |
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| The Scotsman standing under his namesake! |
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| The Scots Monument from below in the Prince's Street Gardens. Check out the hydrangeas! |
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| Prince's Street Gardens. |
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| A view across the Gardens to the Castle and nearby homes. |
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| The Floral Clock made entirely of sedums. |
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| The groundskeepers cottage. |
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| There were these cute elephants throughout the Gardens. |
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| What a happy face! |
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| The Castle from the Gardens. |
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| A lovely fountain. |
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| A garden of peach colored roses. |
We walked a LOT today and completely exhausted ourselves. Not really sure if it's actual exhaustion or just the thought that we are at the end of our trip with Charli and perhaps we are a little depressed. Today we will leave her and go back to Moffat and Charli will stay one more night in Edinburgh before leaving first thing in the morning for her flight home.
We cabbed it back to the hotel and at 4:00 we said our goodbyes. The visit with Charli has been really, really good. She never said no about a thing; she was always on time; she was happy to sit and have a scotch and watch TV or read; she was game to go on every hike no matter the weather; she helped in the kitchen and was thrilled to be invited to our friends homes; she kept us entertained and awoke each day with a smile on her face eager and ready to attack the new day. All-in-all a wonderful visit and we would welcome her back anytime!
We are back in Moffat now and catching up on emails and trying to FB chat our girls. Managed two of them! Made a small dinner of organic tomato soup and a toasted Gruyere sandwich with a wee glass of red. I think it's early to bed for me tonight.
Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be terrible but that's okay because I've got laundry and cleaning to do. Plus I need to do some more reading about Paris and print our tickets and shuttle reservations and just generally prepare for our upcoming trip. We are getting excited!
It's kind of quiet here without Charli....no one "saying what a wonderful time" she's having but we'll look forward to catching up with her when we are back in the states in a couple of weeks.
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