Next Stop...Edinburgh!

Wheeling our luggage, ukuleles on our backs, we are off for the train station, first in Oban, then a change in Glasgow and on to Edinburgh.  Brian sends us off, with instructions to let him know when we are safe in our own little beds...that’ll be awhile!

We’re getting better at hurling the luggage onto the train....and then ourselves.  I can’t imagine going with larger suitcases...or lifting them.

Things go pretty well with all the train travel and connections.  The last bit should be the easy part...just google map your hotel address and off you go.  I chose The Aparthotel on the Royal Mile as the guide book put it very very close to the Central Train Station.  Good.  But as we are moving along the mapped route, it tells us to just take a quick right.  I look up.  Oh sure...just a few stairs...with all the luggage.  Not going to happen!

It takes about 40 minutes of walking around and being confused as the map program took us to different addresses.  Finally I say to Steve, “Here look at this confirmation...” and he says, “Wow, you’ve reversed the numbers on the address.”  By now we have discovered that most of downtown Edinburgh is UP hill walking.  Although what goes up, must come down...it was most certainly mostly UP.  At times like this it’s really good to have a travel partner with a sense of humor!

We find room 410 in The Aparthotel Adagio.  It turns out the room views on line made it appear to have a separate living room and bedroom.  But, we find one room, with a bed in the middle.  Yes, a Murphy bed, and when you flip it up to the wall, a couch appears.  Bedroom to living room....in 10 seconds.

It’s a surprise, but a fine accommodation, especially because the location is perfect for what we have planned....and not planned.  Cute little kitchen too....also in the bed-living room.

The breakfast table and desk complete the room.  No, we didn’t really use either.  Was an “Aparthotel” a better idea than a hotel or a B&B?

A stop at the No. 1 High Street Pub for espresso and orange cake seemed to work for R&R....as soon we are off to explore our new neighborhood.  

We check out St. Giles Cathedral and note the church basement houses a cafe.  This turns into our go to breakfast place.  A bit of walking and we found the statue of Grey Friars’s Bobby, the little dog so loyal to his master.  

Check out this pup’s story: scotlandwelcomesyou.com. Click on the “History” link.  

Tomorrow we are booked for a”Photography and Historic Walk of Old Town Edinburgh, with guide Chris.  We have no idea just how cool this tour will be....