28th & 29th August

I arrived back to Edinburgh on Sunday, and moved in with the very generous, kind Helen, and her daughter, Katie. They are beautiful people, and kindly put up with my giant loads of washing and dirty shoes. I have my very own room, and am incredibly blessed to be living in such a central place, with such lovely people.

On Monday night, my friend David joined me for a fifteen kilometre run around the city. It was the last night of the festival, and there was a giant fireworks show at the castle. We found a suitable place to stop and watch, and one of the nearby cars played the accompanying orchestra on the radio. It was quite magical! It felt like the whole city

had come to watch, and the lights and fireworks were in perfect timing with the music. I was glad to be running, as after the show, we were able to escape down the street before the crowds followed, and I arrived home just before Helen and Katie, who’d had up-close tickets.

The next day my friends Tash and Gareth arrived. Friends from Australia, we discovered we were both going to be in Edinburgh at the same time, with a couple of their friends. We met briefly when we both arrived at the same restaurant for dinner, and we arranged to have breakfast on Wednesday.
Wednesday morning, five of us walked up to The Caffeine Drip, where we spent longer deciding on the menu than we did eating. It was delicious, of course, and we followed up with a trip to Edinburgh Castle. It was my second trip to the castle, but visiting with friends, after the festival, made it so much more enjoyable. The guide had similar information to the first, but with a wicked sense of humour. The first guide we bumped into at the large cannon, where he gave us a detailed history of its use.

Three days later, Helen and I joined the other four for breakfast at Henderson's. I'd ordered the tofu florentine, which came with a hollandaise sauce so incredible you'd never know it was vegan. We spent a good hour salivating over our collective food, before going our separate ways.
I joined up with Annika, on a mission to find trousers for work. Yes! I found a job! In a cruel joke from the universe, I ended up in a tourist shop on the Royal Mile of Edinburgh, selling snowdomes and magnets to very enthusiastic customers. The store also happens to make traditional kilts, and is known for it's tartan expertise. I've learned quite a lot in a short time about tartans, kilts, and appropriate wear and accessories.

In case you were wondering, it's still inappropriate to ask a Scotsman what he wears beneath his kilt, but that doesn't stop people from probing. Some of the men I work with have their photos taken on a regular basis, as they wear the full getup as their uniform. I am content to wear the more conservative black trousers and shirt, and have learned that "pants" is not a term used for outer-garments over here.

Annika and I discovered Pumpkin Brown, another cafe on Grassmarket with salads and cakes. On the way back, we passed Piemakers, a pie and pastry shop with vegan options. Far from healthy or gluten free, but my belly was feeling more settled, and who was I to resist a sweet cherry pastry?

Life in Edinburgh is somewhat settled, what follows next will be the highlights since arriving back.