Pete made chocolate chip and banana muffins again for breakfast. Very, very, good!!! After breakfast we got ready to leave for our expedition to Edinburgh. We took the subway down to Queen Street Station and bought two round trip senior tickets to Edinburgh. Then we had a big decision to make...get coffee and wait 15 minutes or take the first available train which was leaving in 4 minutes. We took the train and barely made it to see our seats, so obviously there was no time for coffee.
In Edinburgh we did stop for coffee and a chance to charge the phone. We had asked abot charging the phone on the train, but the conductor apologized and explained that the train was too old for such conveniences. At Cafe Nero we had coffee, charged the phone for a bit and met an interesting young man who had missed his plane to Aberdeen because he had lost his boarding pass, and the airline would not allow him to get on without it. He had already missed a meeting and was waiting to catch a train. He talked to us about the States and particularly Memphis, Tennessee where he had a job offer for $120,000 as an engineer. Nancy asked about his train, he looked at his watch, and said that he had to go. Then he took off at a run. He came back and told us that he was pushing the button on the door when the train took off and left him. I think perhaps after he makes the call to tell his boss that he will miss two meetings, he should seriously consider taking that job in Memphis.
We finished our coffee, disconnected the phone and set out. From the station we set off down -- also downhill-- Leith Street. We walked several blocks seeking a hobby shop. On the way we saw the Nelson Monument. We had discussed walking up to the monument. However, when we saw the hill that had to be climbed to just get there before even reaching the monument, we decided against that and kept looking for the hobby shop.
We found the hobby shop. It was wonderful with trains, dollhouse furniture, models and supplies. Neil bought a three unit Scot-Rail passenger train. Nancy bought a tall ship for her doll house. On the way back, which of course was uphill, we stopped in a charity shop. We found a set of espresso cups and saucers for Pete who had just purchased a stove top espresso maker.
Most of the way up the hill, we stopped for lunch at Frankie and Benny's, a chain that says they serve American food. Lunch was not fantastic: Nancy's was burned, and Neil's was soggy. However, it did have refillable sodas with lots of ice which is not only unusual but was great.
On the way out of the restaurant it began to rain so went through a department store/ shopping center letting escalators do the heavy uphill work. We emerged from the shopping center at St. Andrew's Square. We made our way to Princes Street and the High Bridge. Once into the Old Town we went looking for a particular cup for Janet. We walked quite a ways but did not find exactly what we wanted, so we settled for second choice.
From that errand we went on to the Royal Scottish Museum where we visited a museum that had been closed for remodeling two years ago. We paid the fee to see the traveling exhibit about Catherine the Great. It was quite interesting, but we were running out of energy. We took a look around a style 1865 to 2000 exhibit. We decided to call it a day even though we had two hours before our first available off-peak train. We checked out the gift shop where we found a number of beautiful things. We headed back to Waverly Station.
We had time on our hands, so we stopped for a lemonade at Cafe Nero. We sat and did Suduko puzzles and charged the phone. Next to us was a well dressed lady who met a friend and was having such an animated conversation that she knocked over her almost full coffee drenching herself and a small bit of Nancy. She was quite embarrassed and apologetic. We felt sorry for her because her obviously expensive outfit was quite soiled.
We headed for the train where a mob of first off-peak train passengers were pushing and shoving to get through the ticket machines and on to the train. It was the pushiest crowd that we have encountered in Scotland. We had poor seats. It was a good thing there were no bicyclists or wheelchair patrons that evening.
Back in Glasgow we made arrangements with Pete to order Chinese from Amber. When we got to Hillhead, we picked up the order and trudged up the hill taking the staircases through the University of Glasgow....154 steps from University Avenue to the top.
Dinner was great.....Some TV and then bed.
STEPS 18, 986 Nancy steps
National Scottish Museum Those are radiators at the bottom of each pole.
The very firt apple computer....the circuit board in the suitcase.
The Nelson Monument Hill
The entrance to the Scottish National Museum
A stone with a lion carved in it. St. Andrews Square
A street in Edinburgh
Staircase in the museum
Steel Giraffes outside an Edinburgh office building
The grand court in the museum
the moving hill at Buchanan St. Subway Station
Grand courtyard at museum
an early car
The entrance hall at the museum
Nelson Monument
Scott Monument
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