07-06-2023 Visiting Edinburgh, Scotland

Approaching the east coast of Scotland

As I read over the comments on my previous posts, I can see that some might think that this trip was a disappointing one.  As I said to Nickie, I am sorry it sounded as if I was disappointed with our cruise.  It might seem that way because when writing about our memories and our experiences I do attempt to cover all of it, the good, the great, and some of the not-so-good.  We don’t in the least regret our choice to experience this cruise on a beautiful ship to beautiful locations.  

There were momentary disappointments, sure, but in retrospect, as I write, I am so grateful that we did the trip.  I am grateful for Oceania, and even for the tours.  As Mo said this morning, “For the time we had, the places we wanted to see, the area to cover in just a short time in port, I think the tours did a very good job.”

Approaching Edinburgh along the eastern coast of Scotland

There are only so many ways to experience the outer islands of Scotland, the Hebrides, the Orkneys, and the Shetlands.  Fly there directly, fly there from Scotland, or take a ferry from the mainland to each of the islands.  Any of those choices would require a lot more time and money than we chose to spend.  Our beautiful cruise on a beautiful ship allowed us to see parts of the country we might not have seen on a land tour.

So, as I continue to write about this trip, if I sound a bit negative about some things here and there, please understand that in the end, overall, it really was a great trip.  It just takes a bit of time to return home, rest up, review the photos, and begin to integrate the experience into our life.

The Queensferry Crossing bridge on the Firth of Forth

On this day, as we cruised along the coast of Scotland and up the Firth of Forth, with the Queensferry Crossing bridge in the distance beyond Edinburgh, I was excited.  I learned that a “firth” is basically an estuary, but in this case, the Firth of Fourth is geologically a fjord, formed in the last glacial period between 11,000 and 100,000 years ago.

This was the heart of Scotland and a city I had wanted to see since forever.  Before we left home, I didn’t book a tour for visiting Edinburgh, thinking that we could find public transportation easily and visit the city on our own.  Early in the cruise, however, we realized that the possibility of visiting a port on a short day was limited by tender service and the distance to the city center from the pier.

On day three of our cruise, I went to the Destination Services desk to inquire if there was any chance of a tour to purchase for our day in Edinburgh.  We got lucky, and for a reasonable price were able to get two tickets for “The Royal Mile Walking Tour”.  This tour didn’t include a visit to the castle in Edinburgh, but we loved the idea that we would get transportation from the port to the downtown area with some interesting tidbits about the city as we walked.

We enjoyed a nice morning on the ship, with breakfast on the terrace of the Terrace Cafe, one of the first mornings when the weather was actually nice enough to dine outside. Above is a photo of one of the waitstaff that cared for us often, and sadly I have forgotten his name, but never his smile.  He was from Indonesia, as were many of the employees on the ship.  It seemed that the happiest people were the folks who told us they were from Bali.  Such smiles!

We had some time to play with our puzzle, enjoy the views as we approached the city, have a light lunch, and read a bit as we waited for our afternoon departure for the city.

When visiting Edinburgh, a walk on the Royal Mile leading up the hill toward Edinburgh Castle is a must-do. The Royal Mile is a group of streets that form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city.  It is the traditional processional route of monarchs, between Edinburgh Castle, occupied by humans since the Iron Age, to Holyrood House, the official residence of King Charles III when he is in Scotland at the beginning of summer. 

The ride from the pier to the city was about 20 minutes through interesting complex neighborhoods, and once we reached the downtown area we were especially happy that we hadn’t attempted this part of Edinburgh on our own.

There were so many huge buses and so many people trying to get off the buses that it was nearly impossible to keep track of our tour guide.  We nearly got lost in the crowds, and with the craziness, I was very grateful I had my little red walker as a sort of buffer between all the people.

Our guide was quite short and used a small umbrella as her marker for us to follow.  The problem was that she didn’t hold it high enough above her head and it was difficult to find her in the crowds, much less hear her commentary. After a bit of squeezing through the thousands of people trying to do what we were trying to do, she led us up some stairs to show us a view of Edinburgh Castle.  It was a bit of a bust however because Rod Stewart was setting up for a big show that night and we couldn’t see anything.  The castle was actually closed for the day because the new King Charles III was visiting Scotland, so I was glad we hadn’t booked a castle tour.

After that bit of wasted time walking through the crowds toward the castle, our tiny tour guide took us back down the main road and then suddenly slipped into a hidden quiet courtyard.  It was so different from the crazy bustle of the Royal Mile that it was almost disorienting.  

Here she explained to us about living in the “tenements”, actually very nice apartments with private and quiet courtyards on the side streets of downtown Edinburgh.  I noticed the plumbing attached to the outside walls of the buildings, which I found a bit fascinating.  I guess with thick stone walls there isn’t much room for plumbing, or wiring for that matter.  I wondered about the wiring.

She led us through more side streets to Makar’s Court, with another ancient stone building that housed the Edinburgh Writer’s Museum, which we didn’t have time to visit.

The juxtaposition of these ancient stone and cement buildings stacked with what appeared to be modern apartments with more outside plumbing was endlessly fascinating to me.

I do have to share a photo of my dazed expression that I took, trying to get a selfie amid the Royal Mile Crowds.

What struck me most about Edinburgh, and Scotland in general is how old it is and how massive the architecture is.  I felt like I was wandering through the dark castles of Game of Thrones, with such huge stones blackened with age everywhere I turned.

St Giles Cathedral

St Giles crown steeple is one of Edinburgh’s most famous and distinctive landmarks.  The steeple has been dated between 1460 and 1467, and it has been said that Edinburgh would not be Edinburgh without it.

A visit to the interior of the St Giles Cathedral wasn’t included in our tour, but our guide provided a great deal of information about the cathedral, the famous tower, and surrounding landmarks in the square.  Sadly, due to the crowds and her lack of voice projection, we couldn’t hear much of what she was saying.

I had hoped for a bit of shopping for some Harris Tweed or tartan woolens for gifts, but our tour kept moving with no time for meandering or entering any of the dozens of shopping venues.  The finer shops were at the upper end of the Mile, close to Edinburgh Castle, with the more touristy (read inexpensive) shops down the hill toward our final stop at the Holyrood Castle.

At the end of our tour, we were given 20 minutes of free time to shop, find a pub, drink a beer, and get back to the courtyard.  It was daunting to make a decision as to what to do, but finding an open pub in the crowded city was a priority, and with a couple of new ship acquaintances, we finally found a space open with an available table.  I looked longingly at the shops but knew that there wasn’t time for both and I was tired from all the walking and noise and really looked forward to relaxing, if only for a few moments.

After meeting our guide again in the courtyard of the cathedral, we walked to the Holyrood House, where King Charles was currently in residence.  We could only take photos through the heavy wrought iron gates and no tours are available when the King is at home.

Scotland is steeped in legend and history, and no place more so than Edinburgh.  I would love to stay at an Airbnb just on the edge of town and walk everywhere for days and days, reading about the history and experiencing the city in ways that are only possible on a more extended land tour.  Still, I was thrilled to spend even a few hours immersed in all the dark stone surrounded by gargoyles and colorful family crests.  Below is the crest for the joining of the royal houses of Scotland represented by the unicorn, and the royal house of England, represented by the lion.

Listening to our guide recounting so much of the complex history and relationship between Scotland and England was fascinating as well, even though we couldn’t hear all that she said.  I am a fan of Outlander and understood a bit more of that complex history after visiting Edinburgh, but still, so much to learn and understand.  My Kindle list of books to purchase now includes several volumes of Scottish history, both real and fictional.

Back on the ship, just in time for the sail-away, we changed our clothes for another dinner at a specialty restaurant.  This evening our restaurant would be Jacques, the fine French restaurant, on the 5th deck.   I was delighted that there were windows and our waiter offered to open the curtains for us so we could watch the sail-away.

Dinner was truly superb, and when I couldn’t decide between the Coquille St Jacques, so classicly French, or the Maine lobster baked in the shell with a mushroom cream sauce, the waiter said, no problem, I will bring both to you. 

The scallops won hands down, with a divinely silky sauce that I wanted to eat like soup. 

Mo enjoyed a beautiful herb-roasted chicken that was done in the Julia Child French style, and it was perfect.  

The wine we chose for our meal was a surprise to the waiter, who recommended all sorts of French wines, but when we chose a great pinot noir from our own Willamette Valley, he gave us a great big smile. A good price point and a truly delicious wine that went perfectly with our dining choices.

The cheese cart for dessert was delightful as well, and I have no idea what this hard French cheese was that our waiter cut with a spinning knife, but I loved it with the wine we still had left from the meal.  In fact, we only drank half the bottle and once again had the rest of the bottle sent to our room for the next day.

I really can’t say which of our two favorite restaurants, Jacques or Toscana, I enjoyed most, with the food at each one being simply superb.  I watched the coast of Scotland slipping away on the western horizon as we finished our dinner and sailed toward Newcastle, England.

After our long day visiting Edinburgh and our delectably slow delicious dinner, neither of us felt like doing anything but returning to our stateroom for the rest of the evening.  There is entertainment on board for the taking after the dinner hour, but Mo and I weren’t inclined to stay out late partying and dancing.  I guess that just isn’t our style.