Wee note from Auld Reekie

Hi again

Haven't got my photo act together and anyway it might be difficult to upload pix on a computer at an internet cafe but did want to just make a note of what a spectacularly beautiful day I had yesterday. I'm in Edinburgh at the moment, aka Auld Reekie, exploring the city and meeting new people. Very interesting experience, and very different from my original plans for this visit.

Anyway, yesterday I spent hours up on Castle Hill exploring Edinburgh Castle and taking dozens of photographs. Clear blue sky, perfect views across the Firth of Forth and out towards the east. Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags are just spectacularly fascinating geological formations. The Castle itself also sits atop a volcano that's been extinct for millions of years. Listening to my landlady's advice I got myself kitted out with an audioguide, which provided fascinating information. She had also advised going early and starting at the top, i.e. at St. Margaret's Chapel -- had to see why a 12th century chapel was named in honour of that ancient namesake of mine... Poignant story, actually. Raised in Poland, she was brought over to Scotland to meet her husband-to-be, King David. Happily, they fell madly in love with each other. But he was a bit of a tearaway, went off to fight the English and was treacherously murdered just as he was about to return home. One of his sons had to bear the sad tidings to his mother, who was already ailing and died a few weeks later of a broken heart. (At any rate, that's how I remember the story I heard yesterday.)
A few hundred years later, another Queen, I forget which one, gave birth to her baby son in a tiny room, more of a walk-in closet, really, than a bedroom, albeit with a small window -- confinement taken literally -- next to her sumptuous bedroom, which affords gorgeous views south-west. The great reception rooms next door have been renovated beautifully to ancient patterns and examples and are now being used occasionally for state receptions.

Have had a good time so far, with the weather behaving better than I had expected. Only got a bit wet the day before yesterday, when the skies opened just as everyone was knocking off work, and the wind drove the rain sideways. Very unpleasant, indeed. But everyone very chummy about it and bus drivers generously allowing me to use their buses even though my bus pass didn't really cover their lines.

Ah, that's a bit of a gripe with me: bus transport in Edinburgh. Very, VERY confusing! Apparently it's confusing even for the locals. For one thing, there are about four or five companies operating buses into and out of Edinburgh. One or two of them operate in the city centre as well as beyond. The stops have signs but you have to go right up close to them to be able to read them. The shelters obscure the signs so you can't read them as you stand inside. The shelters also obstruct the pavement: woe to anyone wanting to pull or carry their suitcase on the park side of Princes Street... Drivers have no idea where other buses stop -- believe me, I asked several the first night I arrived. Some buses run every fifteen minutes or so, others only every half hour or only every hour! And most of them are ancient, spewing horrendous amounts of black fumes -- great stuff for everyone's lungs.
Apparently, the council is thinking of replacing the buses by tram lines. Might be a good idea! Might be cheaper, though, to replace existing buses by new ones with particle filters.

That's it for now. My half-hour on this computer is nearly up. Talk to you later -- photos will hopefully follow sometime next week... :)