Water of Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland (August 3)

Sunday, August 4, 2025

Starting: #165, Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland

Ending: #165, Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland
Highlights: Royal Botanic Garden, Water of Leith Walk, National Galleries of Scotland, La Clique Show, Dinner at The Ivy

After waking up at 07:30, I showered, shaved, and dressed. When Inna was ready, we decided to try a different restaurant for breakfast. We selected  Fortuna Coffee Bar (New Town) on 41 Frederick St. After arriving at around 09:30 and being seated, we ordered the following items:

• Boris: Mocha, Toast with Scrambled Eggs and Salmon
• Inna: Latte, Toast with Scrambled Eggs and Salmon

Although the breakfast was better than average, it wasn't anything to get excited about. Later on, we found a much better breakfast at Urban Angel Cafe.

At around 10:45, we walked toward Stockbridge, discovering a local Farmer's Market in full swing. We strolled around to see what was being sold. There were local berries, cheeses, breads, and the usual fruits & vegetables for sale. We noticed that many customers were strolling with their dogs, and Inna spotted a cute Irish setter. There was a huge stand preparing Spanish Paella with enormous amounts of seafood being cooked. Later on, when we walked back, we saw dozens of people eating Paella. The Paella was probably the best deal there.

We had heard that Soderberg at Stockridge was a well-regarded bakery and wanted to stop by to taste its pastries. At around 11:00, we decided to try a Blueberry Bun and a Scone with butter and jam. The Blueberry Bun (though highly recommended by the staff there) was mediocre at best, while the sweet scone was marvelous.

Since the Royal Botanical Garden was nearby, we decided to stroll over and see what flowers were in bloom in Scotland. We entered on the west side and asked about what to see. We saw lots of flowers (many in bloom and many past bloom), but none that struck me as being unique or amazing to Scotland. We saw a cute Scarecrow guarding the flowers from birds, and I saw a few beautiful sunflowers.

We walked south toward the Chinese Garden, which looked interesting. We were hoping to find the top of the garden for a more panoramic view of Edinburgh, but did not find any spot that was high enough for a great view.

Inna was really enjoying the Botanical Garden, while I was a bit tired of looking at flowers. I rested on a nice wooden bench, reading P.J. O'Rourke's on Driving Cross-Country in a Ferrari 308GTS on Substack, while she explored the garden further. 

Note, Google Fi on our iPhones worked intermittently in Scotland - sometimes well, and other times, not at all. In Edinburghm specifially, Google Fi worked in most areas (though especially poorly at the Edinburgh airport). In the Scottish Highlands, Google Fi reception was very spotty. 

Eventually, having explored the main attractions of the Botanical Garden, we decided to find an eatery for lunch. Inna was intrigued by the Books N’ Cup Cafe nearby, and we decided to try eating lunch there.

We first stopped at Harkness Pies, and the pies looked delicious, but there was nowhere to sit. We should have eaten there instead.

At 13:20, we reached the Books N’ Cup Cafe, finding seating indoors. It was a bit chilly to sit outdoors (we worried about unexpected drizzle). The menu didn't have all the items I wanted (I would have preferred eating a pot pie at Harkness Pies.) However, I found a few items worth sampling, and we ordered the following:

• Boris: Croissant with Salad and Brie
• Inna: Sourdough with Salad and Raclette
• Drinks: Sparkling water

The Croissant with Brie was not bad (but I would have preferred something meatier). Inna liked her Sourdough with Salad and Raclette.

We decided to try the Water of Leith walk (a popular stroll in Southbridge along the banks of a river). It was like a hike in the city, with trees providing shade and cover. We walked toward St. Bernard's Well, followed by a stop at a small Waterfall. It was a nice way to burn off some calories and see a less touristy side of the city.

Eventually, we decided to stop by the National Galleries of Scotland (Modern One), as they were located at the end of the Water of Leith walk. Arriving at 16:00, we decided to eat a few bites first, as we were tired and hungry from our walk. The cafe downstairs was still working, and we selected the following:

• Snack: Chicken Pot Pie, Mushroom Salad
• Drinks: Hot English Breakfast Tea

As we sat outside, we enjoyed sharing the Chicken Pot Pie and the Mushroom Salad. Having finished our lunch (and cognizant of the 17:00 museum closing time), we hurried to the elevator (riding to the top floor) and strolled through the galleries (continuing down after finishing with each flower). 

I am not a fan of modern art, and found most artwork here uninteresting. There were a couple of Picassos here and there (worthy of admiration), but not much else. However, the sculptures outside the National Gallery were much more intriguing.

Since we wanted to get some rest before seeing our next Fringe show (La Clique), we decided to order an UberX (buses were inconvenient and would have taken too long). We were quickly returned to our Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, where we rested for an hour.

The Fringe show La Clique in the Spiegel Tent at St. Andrew Square was only a 12-minute walk from our hotel, so we started our walk at 18:05, arriving about 18:25. We should have come much earlier, as seats were unassigned and were on a first-come, first-served basis. Both of us ended up sitting in the rear, and I didn't always have an unobstructed view.

La Clique started out as a miniature version of Cirque du Soleil, with multiple acrobatic acts, but with an unexpected twist for me - adult content. It was definitely a fun show to watch, as we could never tell what was going to happen next. Some of the stunts were amazing (like the Rubber Man squeezing into two tennis rackets), and others were a bit grotesque.

La Clique 18:30 / Adult content

-Act 1

• Girl acrobat on descending rope, during multiple acrobatic/gymnastic stunts
• Aurora: Woman with heavy makeup singing a song about the circus (nice voice)
• A guy & girl from Las Vegas changing costumes magically using a small box. The girl changed dresses to new dresses, but the guy changes from fully dressed to undressed. There is a lot of mayhem as the guy runs around naked (to a lot of laughter)
• Rubber Man: a guy squeezing into two tennis racquets, double-jointed (amazing)
• Girl throwing popcorn, hula hooping with a popcorn machine on her head, losing her top half way. Buttering herself like she is popcorn
• A guy acrobat is climbing a rope and descends quickly

-Intermission (15 minutes)

-Act 2

• An opera singer in a large dress makes intermittent moaning sounds while singing because a man is giving her oral pleasure, while hiding under her skirt. When the man finally leaves, we find that she continues to make strange sounds until it is revealed that there is a girl under the skirt, too.
• A Las Vegas duo is eating bananas and spitting bite-sized portions into each other’s mouths, really fast.
• A shaving guy getting naked and dancing around naked
• Rubber Man: standing on metal cans while putting his feet on his shoulders
• A girl balancing Japanese umbrellas, using her feet
• Transvestite in red heels (man in a woman’s bathing suit) doing acrobatic acts on a rope
• A woman is making red napkins magically disappear while doing a striptease
• Aurora: singing That’s Life

I had previously made dinner reservations at 20:30 at The Ivy Restaurant in St. Andrew Square. So, after the show had ended, we had a very short walk to the restaurant. After sitting upstairs, we looked at the menu and ordered the following items:

• Appetizer: Scallops, Zucchini frittata
• Drinks: Apple Cider, Sassy Cider, Brute
• Inna: Chicken Milanese
• Boris: Shepherd’s Pie

My Shepherd's Pie was excellent, as was Inna's Chicken Milanese. The Scallops were large with a generous portion. We liked the quality of food and fast service at The Ivy (and hope to dine again when we return to Edinburgh).

We ended the day with an enjoyable stroll back to our hotel.

Day Report  (August 3)

Highlights

• Walking along the river on the Water of Leith walk
• Watching La Clique show in the Spiegel Tent at St. Andrew Square
• Dining at The Ivy
• Exploring the Royal Botanical Garden

Lowlights

• Soderberg Bakery at Stockridge was a bit disappointing, as their signature buns were not up to par
• The National Galleries of Scotland (Modern One) was free, but the art did not appeal to me.