Day 1:EDI: Zombie Day

It has been a long time coming, but after 19 months THE day has finally arrived! Knowing it will be a very long day we have breakfast at Cracker Barrel with Drew’s family and Tim’s mom and step dad.

We have a flight delay in Charlotte and sit on the runway in Philadelphia for an hour as has come to be expected when leaving there but arrive in Glasgow on time—7 am.

 We still do not sleep well on planes and we had an uppity flight attendant who reminds us we are in steerage when she announces: “bring your seat back and tray table in the upright and locked position and for those in elite class STOW YOUR FOOTREST!  Our feet are crammed in like sardines and they are in Lazy Boy’s. We clear immigration quickly and are on the Glasgow Flyer bus to Glasgow central by 7:40. The pilot told us we are landing to find 60 degree temperatures so we pull our sweaters out of the outside pocket of our luggage before going outside. We wear them for about 10 minutes before we take them off not to put them on again all day until late tonight. Being a Saturday morning there is very little traffic out and we are at the train station before 8, get tickets, have a quick smoke and on the 8:15 train to Edinburgh. The hour train ride goes quickly and through scenic countryside. Our hotel, Princes Street Suites, told us to ask for the Balmoral Hotel steps exit and we are in for a surprise! Only about 60 steps to street level! With luggage! With cruise luggage! A nice man helps us with our luggage after we ask him where these steps are. Our room is not ready yet but they store our luggage and we set out exploring.
We grab something to eat and make our way down to Charlotte Street Gardens where the International Literacy Festival is taking place and pick up tickets I had reserved online and visit the book tents where we purchase several.. Tim and Stacy stay for the Gaza aid workers event and Harry, Diann, Drew and I decide we are just too tired to walk back and take a taxi. It is a van which seats 3 on the bench and has 3 fold down jump seats which Drew loves and now she is asking if we can take a taxi so she can ride in there. It is now after 1 and our room is still not ready so we decide to wait on the roof top terrace which has great views over Edinburgh. Harry, Diann and Drew take a nap on the roof. Finally at 2:30 we check into our room, a 3 bedroom penthouse apartment.

About everyone takes a nap before dinner but Drew and I go to Mark & Spensers to pick up a few breakfast groceries since we have a kitchen in our apartment. Our cab driver thanks us for bringing the beautiful weather with us.

We have Harry’s birthday dinner at the Cellar Door. Drew eats her first Chateau Briand and loves it.

If the fried potatoes here are any indication of what’s in store for us in the UK, Tim might as well forget checking his sugar for a while. They are the best tasting ones we have ever had! Upstairs at the Cellar Door is a wonderful pastry shop and I had asked the restaurant to prepare a carrot cake for Harry’s birthday and it is wonderful. They present it with a sparkler candle. Although we are stuffed, we manage to eat a piece to keep from having to carry it back to the room.

We walk back to our hotel and now that the sun has set it gets a little chilly. I have been in a short sleeved shirt all day and felt wonderful. Because of the knee surgery and setting off airport x-rays Harry flew in shorts and was comfortable in them all day. We are amazed at the number of people out on the streets knowing that 16000 are at the Tattoo, either attending the first show or in line to enter for the second one. After we get back to the hotel we go back to the roof terrace to watch the fireworks after the late Tattoo performance and it is cold. The down jacket will feel good when we go or at least before the performance is over and the sun goes down. At midnight we finally call it a day.

From Drew:  It is amazing here!! There are soo many old buildings and it’s so beautiful. As G said, I love riding backwards in the taxis! I would ride across the street in a taxi just to get to ride backwards, haha. Macy, I miss you and love you soo much, and my frozen lemonade was awesome haha. Cade, I love you and I miss you soo much, I hope your hiccups are gone! Haha. I love it here and I told my family I don’t want to leave, you just come visit me haha.

I actually slept pretty good on the planes, I didn’t sleep at all on the 1st one, because it was only 30 minutes. The other airplanes I slept when I could. The Chateau Briand was reallllllyyyyy good. Me and Stacy split it and it was delicious. I want there to be a Cellar Door in Texas haha. Everything is soo beautiful and I miss you Mom, Dad, Macy and Cade!!