Caledonian Sleeper - Who Rules the Waves Now?

Popped next door for a simple continental breakfast and notice it's raining - I can't complain, it's been beautiful the last two days. So I'm trying to work out what to do - maybe buy an umbrella, taxis, change of plan? Then I remembered that I have my waterproof, non-leather hiking shoes and my waterproof snow parka for Iceland and I can walk about in the rain just fine!

After breakfast, I came upstairs to pack. While I'm doing this, the fire alarm goes off! What?!? Didn't this happen in the last hotel? What's going on? Went downstairs and it's just testing. Good-oh. Back upstairs and finish packing.

My first port of call today is listed as a must-see of Edinburgh and seeing as I never came down here the last three or four times I was here, today is the day. First, to the station to store my luggage for the day, then off along Princes Street and the other side of town to...

Dean Village is the cutest little hamlet and just 15 minutes from town. It's on the Water of Leith walkway. I'm wanting to walk along the walkway to Stockbridge but can't find which way so I ask a lady walking past for directions. She's so sweet and more than happy to give me directions and a bit of information about her village. She's very proud of it. There's the mill, the schoolhouse and the oast house. 

Here she is, walking towards the schoolhouse.

And the old building that's been painted an awful dirty yellow/brown by the government - to her disdain! I didn't dare take a photo of it!

Now it's the walk along the Water of Leith Walkway and it's so pretty! And everyone you pass nods and says good morning - that doesn't happen in town.

According to my village lady, these are water art sculptures...

At the end, I get to Stockbridge and while I'm trying to work out directions on my screen shots of google maps, a parking inspector walks by and gives me directions back to Edinburgh. And it's all uphill...

Now to the bus stop for the Leith bus. I'm pretty sure this is the bus I took to work as it goes in the right direction and I'm guessing Cadell Plumbing was down one of the side streets. The bus continues down to the waterside and to...

The decommissioned yacht is moored here and you can tour it. And that's what I'm doing next! After getting the ticket, you go through an entrance foyer with lots of information. I liked this chart of the order of command - the commander in the middle and all the departments feeding down - sailors, engineers, musicians, cooks, all the departments needed to run the ship.

Then it's the actual entrance way where you pick up your audio tour and head on in, starting in the bridge. 

And the flag deck where the flags are stored and the codes for which flags to fly. (That's probably a very untechnical sentence!) (As is that one...)

Along the deck where Diana famously ran to hug her boys...

..and it's here I took the slight detour to Royal Deck Tea Room for cream tea - coz you have to do that. I've been wanting to have a cream tea all week, and finally found one - and it couldn't be a better one, really.

See the napkin!

The Queen and Prince Phillip had quite a bit of input in the decoration of the yacht and they didn't want it too opulent, more a country home feel. They have separate quarters, with single beds, connecting door, designed to their taste. It's obvious which is which...

And the honeymoon suite...

..with the only double bed onboard - Charles brought it on for his honeymoon with Diana.

All the windows of the royal apartments are higher than normal so no one can accidentally look in! Next on the tour is the Queen's office, state dining room and the drawing room, among others.

The audio tour is great, lots of information and it's really well organised. There is also the galley, laundry, hospital, officers' messes - different ones for the different ranks, their living quarters - all communal and cramped.

They have tiny lockers in which to store all their belongings. One of the most important departments is the musicians - they have around 16 different outfits depending on the event and they are all kept in the tiny lockers and must be pristine and ready at all times.

It is a magnificent boat, very 1950s and I'm pretty sure the Queen would have been very sad that it had to be decommissioned but it cost the taxpayers too much.

Then it's back into the rain and onto a bus into town, heading for Hendersons, one of the top vegetarian restaurants in Edinburgh - not sure who that is according to but it was indeed delicious! I had a mushroom, squash and spinach pie with cabbage and salad. The pie crust was that lovely traditional old pie crust and it was good! Doesn't look great but it was...

Love the address...

After dinner it's yet another walk. This time to the Edinburgh Playhouse for...

Perfect place to see this show!

This isn't a good sign - hordes of tweenagers! Shouldn't they have been at a matinee?

 But they actually combined with lots of other young'uns to create a great atmosphere - they weren't littlies but teenagers, who actually appreciated the show. They may have laughed at different things, but they were good. The guy next to me must have been late teens as he proceeded to withdraw two beer bottles to drink through act one and two more for act two.

The show was fantastic and I really loved it! So glad I got to see it, I only decided last minute to get the overnight train to London meaning I could go. It wasn't on Monday or Tuesday (even though the website advertised it being on Tuesday and I even rang to ask why it wouldn't take my booking).

The music had snippets of other musicals here and there that were hilarious - bits of Wicked and Sondheim and so on. I think the ensemble cast was even better than the leads. This is not saying the leads were bad, just the ensemble was terrific. And Lord Farquhar was sensational - on his knees throughout as the gag is how short he is.

After the show, I walked back to Waverley Station to catch the train, very happy with the day. Then at the station I can't see the gate for the Caledonian Sleeper. So I go to ask information and they say, "Didn't they contact you? That train is leaving from Glasgow." What???!!!? I had an email from them at midday saying departing Edinburgh and that was it.

So what do I do? Go to track 15, they say that train won't make it in time, go to track 8. Go to track 8, they say that arrives in Glasgow at 23:40 and the sleeper leaves at 23:00. So back to track 15 and they contact the train. They are sending a replacement bus at 23:40 which will take us to Carstairs where we'll pick up the sleeper. I'm saying 'we' coz they expect there will be others. So now I sit in a station pub with the sparkling water I had to buy in order to sit here and wait...

There were 48 others in the same boat (unfortunately not a train) as I was. And the bus driver had been contacted early afternoon to drive the bus. What they didn't do was tell all the passengers. And, more importantly, tell the information people at Waverley so they could pass on the correct information and not scare the life out of me.

The bus ride is an hour and the train is waiting for us. It's 1am when we get on...

To top it off, there's no wifi! So I can't post this til the morning.

On a good note, driving past the castle at night was lovely - it was all lit up and mystical. And on another good note, I got an email from St Giles Hotel saying they were refunding my full night's accommodation for the Saturday night flood drama!

Edinburgh - Blasts from the Past

A late start this morning (8:05) after the usual 2am awakening then it's off for breakfast and then a stroll down memory lane. First stop - 12 Dalkeith Road.

When I arrived in England all those years ago, I got a job as a housekeeper/companion over the Easter holidays to an old money family in the country. This was followed by a job as a nanny (yes, really) just north of London to a nouveau riche family. Old money family usually means very nice and welcoming. Nouveau riche means snobby and not very nice. And this was true in both circumstances. It was here that I developed my 'dislike' of young children. I pretty much taught them 'please', 'thank you' and 'excuse me' and when to use them.

I had met another Australian nanny in the village and we planned to leave and go to Edinburgh and that's what we did. We got a flat - 12 Dalkeith Road and settled in. A New Zealand girl, Vicki, joined us and we were set. I worked as a cleaner for a while and so traipsed all over Edinburgh. Then I got my first-ever real office job, data entry at Cadell Plumbing. 

My main claim to fame there was that I lived 10 minutes away from Ramsay Street on Neighbours. I remember going in for morning tea and the girls all talking and me not understanding a word - a Scot in full flight is incomprehensible! My other claim to fame was that within two weeks I was outputting as much as some who had been there for years (piano playing hands) and they were offering me a full time job.

So my first stop this morning is 12 Dalkeith Road. I had no recollection of it being as far away as it is! Google Maps listed it as a 20-minute walk. My walking with only vague directions and a 25-year-old memory took at least double that! There was some interesting sights along the way - some looked vaguely familiar. I would have walked these streets all the time.

After going round a long way, keeping Arthur's Seat on my left and asking directions from a lady walking her dog (always a good indication of a local), I finally came to it.

It wasn't the Great Grog shop back then!

Number 12 is the one with the green 'To Let' notice. We were on the top floor and looked out over Arthur's Seat - can't see it from the street. I loved sitting in the window, looking across to the Seat, listening to music and writing letters home - coz that how we used to communicate - weekly letters sent through the post!

I tried looking up Cadell Plumbing but they don't seem to exist anymore. And they were at least a bus ride away, so I'm not going to look them up. Instead I take a walk along Arthur's Seat - I feel no desire to climb it as I have done it before and it's monstrously steep.

Nice walk though...

This leads to the Palace of Holyroodhouse - the Queen's home in Edinburgh. I stop for a great coffee, a sit down and a peak in the gates.

Then it's up the Royal Mile - so called because it's the mile between Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle - except it's 1.4 miles... It starts off fairly simply before becoming the tourist Mecca that it is further up.

The Royal Mile has a heap of closes off it - tiny side streets, or alleys, leading down where people used to live and work. They were named after people or what happened on the streets. Hate to think what happened in this close...

I love how the stairs are worn down so they're almost a downhill tread. There are heaps of closes, so cute and all much easier to go down than to go up! This is a hilly city!! 

Back to sit for an hour before heading out again. 

It's off to a different blast from the last - The Real Mary King's Close - a close from 1635 that had been covered over when they built the Royal Exchange and only rediscovered recently. It's the only close named after a female and that shows how important she was. She was left a couple of properties and a title when her husband died and she worked to raise her standing.

I added these photos coz you can't take any on the tour - it's basically the basement of a government building and they don't want people taking photos there! It's a fantastic tour and gives great insight into the lives of the people in the 17th century. The description on the brochure says, "Buried deep beneath the streets lies the city's deepest secret; a warren of hidden streets that has remained frozen in time since the 17th century."

Our guide is Stephen Boyd (real name is Daniel - they guide the tour in full character). He is excellent! He leads us down into the close and into one of the lowly homes. Basically one room for a family of 8 to 10 or more. There is a bucket for the latrine which is emptied just out the door twice a day. They call out 'gardyloo' as they throw it, a variation of the French 'gardez l'eau' - or 'throw the water'. This would then drain down to the river.

He shows us some wall decorations made at the time and preserved. Also told the story of a woman who killed her daughter's husband when he demanded the unpaid dowry. She was sentenced to death in the typical way for females - hands bound to feet and thrown into the river - the same river that the latrines drained into. They couldn't execute the daughter (even though she was innocent) as she was pregnant. They asked her to come back after the baby was born. She was long gone.

Into more upmarket areas, three rooms for the family instead of one. The last remaining family didn't want to move and demanded £300 - which was a lot of money in those days. This family had one of the first flushing toilets and he was so proud of it he had it positioned so that if the front door was open, it could be seen from the street. He'd leave all the doors open to do his business and the neighbours would come and see...

Lots of information, a lot about the plague - pneumonic and bubonic - the doctors who wore heavy leather coats and the mask with the long beak/nose. This held herbs and lavender to ward off the smells.

A place on the close for the souvenir photo to be taken - it's quite ghost-like.

Great, great tour!

The next blast from the past was the White Hart Inn, where we would go often to listen to Denny - the Scottish folk musician, or just to sit and chat with the locals. Loved this place a lot.

As the sign says, it's Edinburgh's oldest pub. Robbie Burns used to drink here. Inside it's tiny but much as I remember. I don't remember them doing meals but maybe I just didn't order any. I ordered vegetarian haggis, neaps (turnips) and tatties (mashed potato) and whiskey cream sauce. Unfortunately  they didn't have any tatties so I got chips instead. And it was delicious! 

Had a chat to the bartender about the old days. He said it was great to hear about the old days. Now to see if I can stay awake to go back at 9:00 to hear some music...

Managed to stay awake and headed down the Grassmarket - all of 1.5 minutes away...

The ceiling has quotes on the beams. You can sort of see them here...

There was a guitarist playing and singing a few songs. Had a sparkling water and listened for a while before heading back. Just like the old days...

Edinburgh - Country Life and the City

After going to the third floor and standing in a corner facing the wall to access the wifi - it is a 12th century castle after all, headed downstairs to bed. I almost wish Andrew hadn't told me about the ghosts because I was sure one was going to pop up as I headed down to my room. I'm in room 27 and one of the ghosts comes from room 29 - coz that's where the dungeon was.

Even this morning, I was waiting for a ghostly appearance as I was awake well before dawn. At one point I heard a rustling but ignored it. Then I noticed a piece of paper had been slipped under the door. I was thinking it was the check out bill and information, and thought that was a bit sad - reminding you that you're going hours before you go. But it turned out to be a lovely note about the day's weather and what activities you can do at the castle. Nice touch - even if it is advertising.

Wandered around to get a couple of better shots of the entrance hall, dungeon restaurant and the library. Really like the library!

Then it's down to the Orangery for breakfast - all part of the service! A large spread of cereals, fruits, pastries, meats, cheeses and so on. And then you order your cooked breakfast. 

And look how they served the toast! Mum would be so happy! And the toast might have been cold but it was crisp!!

Side note - they have classical music playing throughout the whole castle and it's lovely.

After breakfast, there's time for a stroll through the grounds...

..before heading to the first of two of the activities on offer I've booked to do.  And it's archery! Coz why not?? Jodie is the instructor. She's been running this area for over 15 years and is great. She demonstrates how to load and shoot the arrow. At the end of the arrow are the three feathers. The white one is the cock feather and it has to go on top - if not, then you 'cock it up' and that's where that phrase comes from.

When you collect the arrows, you have to walk to side and then cross to gather them. This is so you can see them from the side and don't walk into one by approaching it front on. It is harder than it looks but we have an hour and I finally get some on the target. And even on the yellow!

The next activity was a bucket list one...

Jodie has a flourishing business here and she loves it! They provide falcons and owls to a number of locations in the area and supply owls for weddings - to carry the rings. After our archery she is off to the next lesson and so Georgie does the falconry bit.

I'm meeting two birds today - first is Brennin, who is a Harris hawk and is magnificent. When we reach the area, off he flies. Then Georgie places a bit of food on my glove and down he swoops. Here he is on my glove. 

It's quite amazing standing there and watching him approach. Then he lands on your hand and you can feel his weight. Apparently these are the most intelligent of the raptor birds. Our next bird is one of the most stupid - the owl. This is Flash.

How cool is this?! Loved it. This guy is heavy and he does love a pat. His claws have the strength of a Rottweiler bite and he can take down a fox. When he looks at you, he really looks at you and it's quite disconcerting.

This is my attempt at getting him on approach...

..and I like this motion-type shot... Flash gets his treat then he's off for the nap of the well fed. On the way out, I meet Jack the raven, who is quite the character. Apparently if there's a raven in a movie or TV show shot in England, Jack is the go-to guy. 

Look at him posing for the camera! 

What a great couple of activities to complete the castle visit. A quick sandwich for lunch and then into the car and it's farewell to Dalhousie Castle and hello to Edinburgh and the Grassmarket.

Very cute and quirky room! I love that it's right on the Grassmarket, next street to the Royal Mile, next to the castle, right in the old town. Went for a bit of a walk around...

 

Across to the Princess gardens in the middle...

Walked all the way over into New Town for one of my favourite viewpoints of Edinburgh...

I love that in the middle of a town, there is the massive edifice that is Edinburgh Castle! It's such a lovely town.

Then it's back to relax for a while before popping out to get a takeaway of vegetarian chilli and get an early night. I have a tired left arm from bowing and holding up two heavy birds, but that's just fine!