Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:  Edinburgh/Dean Village

Day Fourteen: Another Great Scott, Where’s Anne?, The Church That’s Never Open, Eerie Graveyard, Deans Of The Village, Let’s Skip The Goth Pub, Surprising Lunch, Not Spiro Agnew, Tea For Four, Goth Head & Still The Best!

After a quick caffeine stop and some delectable pastries at Gordon Street Coffee (try the cinnamon swirls … excellent) next to Market Street Hotel, we headed on a little walking tour of Edinburgh. Before entering the Princes Street Gardens, we stopped by the Scott Monument, which is dedicated to Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, a poet and novelist who introduced an “almost new genre of writing, the historical novel.” It is the second largest monument to a writer in the world. (That honor belongs to Cuban author José Martí.)

                      

 Looking at his statue, I remarked he looked a little like Harry Anderson in the television show Night Court. My mind wanders a lot.

This would be our first stroll through Princes Street Gardens since our “encounter” with my friend Princess Anne in 2017. Speaking of royalty, although Scotland was rather cool toward the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the gardens did honor her in a small way by planting this bed.

The first thing that strikes you walking through Princes Street Gardens is the imposing Edinburgh Castle looming over the gardens from its perch high atop Castle Rock.

               

Wherever you walk, the castle is ever present.

             

Pretty flowers almost make the photo cut.

We checked out a few of the monuments in the park including the Royal Scots Greys Monument. The 1906 statue commemorates the famed cavalry regiment and those that perished in the Boer War.

1914’s The Call is a 1927 statue, a memorial given by Scottish Americans to honor Scots who had served in the First World War. 

                           

I remembered the Wojtec The Bear Monument from our previous trip. Wojtec was a Siberian bear that was adopted by the Polish Army “and became a hero at the Battle of Monte Casino in the 2nd World War in 1944.” Wojtek, who was officially a private, carried heavy ammunition loads for the troops. I’m sure he grew tired of the soldiers saying, “Hey Wojtec, bear with me.” He was eventually promoted to corporal and lived out his remaining years at the Edinburgh Zoo, where he died at the age of 21 in 1963.

Passersby were bemused by a crazy tourist posing with a bear.

We stopped by a fountain that looked quite different than the one we saw in 2017 (on the left), although it is the same fountain. 

         

The Ross Fountain was created in France in the early 1860s and then gifted to the City of Edinburgh by a local gun maker, Daniel Ross, who saw the fountain in London at the Great Exhibition of 1862,

It turns out the Ross Fountain underwent a restoration project in 2018 and is now a dazzling turquoise, brown and gold.

As you can see, we like taking photos of the fountain with the castle in the background.

I told the group that since this is called the Ross Fountain, it was good to be among Friends.

Really you can’t get enough pictures of the castle.

                             

Then the morning went to the dogs.  We saw a statue of Bum The Dog, who is not from Edinburgh, but San Diego.  I guess since Edinburgh has its famous Greyfriar’s Bobby (see more about him in 2017) and San Diego has Bum The Vagabond Dog, there is a canine synergy going on here.  The legend says that Bum disembarked a ship in San Diego as a stow-away in 1886 and became San Diego’s first and only official dog.  Subsequently, San Diego and Edinburgh took on “sister city” status because of their two official dogs and there is even a statute of Greyfriar’s Bobby next to Bum in San Diego’s Gaslamp District. (we took the photo on right in 2017 after dining at Greyfriars Bobby’s Bar) 

                               

Before exploring the graveyard, we tried to enter St. Cuthbert’s Church, which knowing my past, had its doors locked on this morning. That’s too bad because, among other things, it is the oldest Christain site in Edinburgh, has a glorious Tiffany stained glass window, plus Agatha Christie was married here.  Why it’s often closed remains a mystery to me.

                                                               

We walked around the graveyard for a few minutes.

      

Yep, it’s a graveyard alright.

My beloved childhood friend, Bob Black, passed away nearly a decade ago, so I had to stop and see his namesake before leaving.

                                                          

We checked out this unusual duo on the corner and a cool looking pub/restaurant as we headed to our next destination.

                                       

Much to Kim and Mary’s relief, we managed to pass by another church without popping in.  St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral is from the 19th century and soars to a height nearly the size of a football field (American football, that is).

A captivating walk in 2017 took us to Dean Village, and we wanted to revisit this scenic area. Situated alongside the Water of Leith, there are plenty of scenic views. 

              

Houses in this area are quite photogenic.

                                                      

So are the dogs frolicking in the water.

                                     

Some of the best photo ops come from a bridge that crosses the Water of Leith, but there are a number of terrific vantage points.

This is a part of Edinburgh that is missed by many visitors, but it’s a tranquil spot away from the masses on the Royal Mile.

If you have a decent amount of time in Edinburgh …

           

… Dean Village makes for a peaceful diversion.

                                     

On the way back toward the Stockbridge neighborhood of Edinburgh, we traveled alongside a portion of the Water of Leith Walkway. There are even marked signs to stop and listen to an audioguide by using a QR Code. The entire walkway is 19 1/2 kilometers.

One of the most famous stops on the trail is St. Bernard’s Well (no rum available), an 18th century temple-like structure that actually was constructed as a well that held, according to locals, water that could cure some of their ills with its medicinal qualities. As it turned out it couldn’t. The well shut down in the 1940s when they found out the water contained arsenic and many not-so-healing properties.

                 

Soon we found ourselves at the statue of Thomas Chalmers, “Scotland’s greatest 19-century churchman,” meaning we had hit New Town, with “new” being a relative term. This part of the city was built between the 1760s and 1850.

We walked along George Street, one of Edinburgh’s main shopping streets.

           

Remembering there was a nearby walking street with restaurants, and since lunchtime was upon us, we went in search of possible dining spots on Rose Street.

          

It was about a quarter to 12, and we spied a place that had what looked like a good menu. It didn’t open until noon, so we walked a bit and got back a little before 12:30 It was still closed, but a few of the employees were standing at the front door smoking like it would be prohibited at any moment. Someone mentioned that this was a Goth Club, and having forgotten my black lipstick, we decided to move on.

Then we hit the lunch jackpot. Not knowing anything about Auld Hundred, we walked upstairs to a great lunch.

The interior was inviting, and the waiter was knowledgeable and personable.

                 

I’m telling you, they love their dogs in Scotland, and they all seem well behaved. 

We all enjoyed our meals immensely. Kim and I tried something we had never eaten before, Scottish rarebit. It looked like just cheese on toast, but the the sauce is more complex than that. Oh, the drizzle of whisky sauce didn’t hurt either. Delicious!

Next up we walked over to the Scottish National Gallery (free), where Tracy was eager to see one of her favorite paintings ever put on canvas. The oil painting on canvas of Lady Agnew of Lochnaw is an 1892 portrait by John Singer Sargent.  This painting, along with Sargent’s Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose (which we have seen at the Tate Britain … on the right) are two of Tracy’s favorite paintings she could see over and over again. 

                                
 
The museum is just finishing renovations, and we love how this museum is laid out, and doesn’t overwhelm you with an overabundance of artwork.  

We checked out the painting of Alexander III of Scotland being rescued from an angry stag, and one of Dunnottar Castle, which reminded us of our 2017 visit to that imposing castle.

               

You can’t miss the 19th-century Italian sculpture by Bartolini of The Campbell Sisters, or the Reverend Robert Walker Gliding on a Scottish Loch.

                                    

Even when not in the garden, Tracy will find her flowers. John Duncan’s Saint Bride popped.

              

As did this 16th century painting from Raphael’s workshop. It might have been done by Raphael, but most art historians believe it is mostly the work of one of his assistants. Unlike the mason at Rosslyn Chapel, Raphael did not not clunk this guy on the head with a mallet.

We were serenaded as we walked back to our hotel for a little R&R. First though, we all met on the 7th floor for a spot of tea on the balcony.

               

We were very excited about going to dinner on this evening.  Well, I was. In 2017, I had the best steak tartare of my life at L’Escargot Bleu (56 Broughton Street). I always worry about trying to replicate something done in the past, but I had been craving this dish since we left town.  A cab ride there would take 10 minutes, while the walk was ten, so we walked through the Waverley Train Station (named after a Sir Walter Scott historical novel) short-cut. Edinburgh also happens to be the first Unesco City of Literature site.

Along the way, we meandered by a statue of the Duke of Wellington wearing a traffic cone on his head. We learned that this “coning” of Wellington actually started in Glasgow.

                   

We reached L’Escargot Bleu’s blue building that still emphasizes a “french twist using the best of Scotland.”

The inside of L’Escargot Bleu is charming …

       

… … after I shared with our server my wonderful steak tartare experience on our prior visit, and she said for me to look at the chalkboard.  “It’s still on the menu.”                 

She asked me what heat index I wanted from 1 – 10. The last time I had chosen seven, and although I was so tempted to kick it up a notch, why mess with perfection.

                               

The dish is then prepared tableside, my mouth watering as I watched every ingredient being melded into what I hoped would be a repeat performance of deliciousness.

Our server was meticulous in her preparation …

                                      

… and a couple of minutes later it was formed into that circular mound of flavors I had been waiting five years to enjoy. But was it as good, or was that meal five years ago just a “tartare of the moment?” One bite and I knew … today’s dish even surpassed my memories of 2017. Perfection!!!

The rest of the table didn’t fare too badly. Tracy ordered a delicious escargot in parsley garlic butter with chorizo, which she ate at a snail’s pace, while I dipped some fresh bread to scoop up the juices. I’m always here to help.

              

She and I each had the spectacular Lincoln red Organic Beef Bourguignon for a main.

Mary started with an an exceptional Fish Soup with Cheese, Rouille and Croutons. She continued the seafood route with the Sea bass Fillet and Monkfish Cheeks with Cockles, Shrimps and Saffron Sauce. Both dishes earned “Wow”s from Mary. She even commented, “It tasted like the sea.” And Mary should know, since she is the only human who has fish taste-buds and has been known to sprout gills on occasion from the plethora of fish dishes she consumes.

                       

Kim was not to be denied either. His tastebuds, bolstered by a Snowgoose lager he ordered, enjoyed the Steamed Mussels with Smoked Salmon as his starter followed by the Wild Sea trout with Shallots, Beurre Blanc and Langoustines. It, too, was phenomenal.

           

Although pretty darn full, our server enticed me with the apple tarte tatin with crème anglaise. It wasn’t a hard sell. As happened with some of the desserts before on this trip, when I said “we’d share,” I meant well at the time, and we’ll just leave it at that. It was fantastic.

                       

On our uphill walk home, we passed by the Balmoral Hotel, looking good in the land where the sun never goes down.

We also saw Sir Walter in a different light.

 

As we gazed out the window of our room with those cool Edinburgh clouds as we discussed the plan for the next two days.

Tomorrow, we would take a long walk to our first stop, Queen Elizabeth’s royal yacht for 43 years, and then we’d visit a royal garden where we would finally see more than rhododendrons showing off their spring colors.  

NEXT: CHAPTER FIFTEEN: A Royal Time In Edinburgh

Day Fifteen: Yacht See, Find The Corgis, Exceeding Expectations, Ready For The Scrum, “Cleanse Your Soles,” Peonies From Heaven, The Poppy Family and The Devil’s Advocate