Edinburgh finally

10:25AM Edinburgh, Scotland
Although it is 3:25AM back in the good ol' US of A, it is the beginning of a new day here in Edinburgh. 

Yesterday, we arrived in London at 12:30PM and took another local plane into Edinburgh.  (Yes, the knitting needles made it through the security check, after a quick dismanteling and stashing along side my pens and pencils.)  We didn't see much on the flight between London and Edinburgh as it was a good chance to catch a quick nap. 

We caught a taxi to our Bed and Breakfast, where we were met by our hostess, Jill.  The accomodations are quite lovely and cozy.  Jill is a wealth of knowledge about Edinburgh, as she is a "surveyor" (local speak for real estate agent).

80 Great King Street

We dropped our bags in the bedroom and headed out to explore and stretch our airline travel-cramped bodies.  The streets are all cobblestones, cut into 3"x5" squares and quite difficult to walk on.  The cars make a funny wop-wop sound as their tires run across them.  We quickly learned to place each foot squarely on a cobblestone to negotiate without turning an ankle.

Along the way, we had our first kilt siting.  Whoot!

Jill suggested an Italian restaurant down the way.  We ordered the chicken cacciatore (slices of chicken breast mixed with penne pasta, tomatoes, capers and a light red sauce) and a small pizza (artichoke hearts, tomatoes, , watercress, and mozzarella on a hand tossed base, they don't call it a crust), along with a couple of Italian beers.  Rating on the food:  5...not the worse we have had and not the best.  Tomorrow we will be on the lookout for traditional Scottish food.

After dinner, we took a stroll around the block and marveled at the incredible light in the sky.  The clouds were back lit by the sun in a most surreal way.  Grace quickly pulled out her camera and got to work capturing a few of the old buildings: a school, The Salvation Army, and St. Vincent's Episcopal Church.

St. Vincent's Espiscopal Church

The days in Edinburgh are very long.  The sun rises about 5:30AM and sets around 10:30-11PM.  This is excellent as it will give us long, long days for exploring.