Starting: #165,
Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland
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). We strolled through the galleries (continuing
down after finishing with each flower).
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
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
At around 10:45, we walked toward Stockbridge and discovered a
local farmers' 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 cooking.
Later on, when we walked back, we saw dozens of people eating Paella.
The Paella was 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 stood out
as unique or particularly impressive in 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 reach the top of the garden for a more panoramic view of
Edinburgh, but did not find any spot 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 "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 Edinburgh specifically, Google Fi
worked in most areas (though it was inferior at the Edinburgh airport). In
the Scottish Highlands, Google Fi reception was very spotty.
Eventually, after exploring the Botanical Garden's main attractions, we decided to find a place for lunch. Inna was intrigued by the nearby Books N' Cup Cafe, and we decided to have 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 and found 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 riverbank). It was like a
hike in the city, with trees providing shade and cover.
We walked toward St. Bernard's Well, then stopped 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) because they were 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
I am not a fan of modern art and found most of the 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.
Here is a short video clip from the show:
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, since we never knew what
would 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. After the show 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 and more than
enough for both of us. We liked the quality of the food and the fast
service at The Ivy (and hope to dine there again when we return to
Edinburgh).
We ended the day with an enjoyable stroll back to our hotel.
Day Report (August 3)
- Walking along the river on the Water of Leith walk
- Watching the 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.
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