Part II

So much of day to life is exciting when you travel. Simple things such as food, buildings and plants suddenly take on an extra dimension, whether it be colour, shape or taste. Big events become even more exciting, given a new environment, and the mundane is interesting again. This entry is a catch up post of everything that didn't fit in the last one!

The first Saturday of every month, the local markets in Leith host a "vegan quarter". This basically means an abundance of vegan food, all within a few square metres. Helen drove down, with Katie, Becky and myself. We met Annika there, and what followed was an hour of foodie happiness. I bought food for immediate eating, food for work, and a giant home made "oreo" biscuit - essentially two round brownies with cream jammed in between them. Every bit as good as it sounds.

Following with the foodie theme, Helen and I went out to lunch a few days ago, at Grams. Here, I found a bowl of sweet potato heaven, followed by cheesecake and some very satisfied taste buds.
The most important food discovery was in Bruntsfield, the weekend of the Scottish Half Marathon.

There was one weekend in September, during which Helen had pre-promised my room to another friend. It happened to be the weekend of the race, and so my friend Lucie kindly offered for me to stay with her. Arriving after work on Friday night, I was surprised with the keys to her parent's house, just two doors down. By house, I

mean mansion. This three storey building probably dates back several decades, if not longer, and the inside was newly renovated. I had views over parkland and a giant bed, all to myself. Amazing!
The Saturday I'd taken off work, in order to rest before the race. I met up with John for a quick breakfast, and I walked back to the unit. I discovered "Coco" on the way, a local chocolatier with many vegan options, including Haggis Spice and Gin & Tonic flavours.

Next was a catch up with Kirsty and her boyfriend. We headed to Moon & Hare, a vegan cafe just a short stroll from my accommodation. Sad to say, this place fell short of expectations, and the food was overpriced, cold, and the portions so small we were still hungry afterwards. Given that I was running a half marathon the next day, I was keen to carb up! So we simply had to visit the Chocolate Tree, another chocolatier a few doors down. In total contrast to the cafe, the Chocolate Tree had the best chocolate torte I've ever eaten in my life. It's a big call, and I'm willing to stand by it, and perhaps return for a second slice...just to be sure.

We took our desserts to the park, and sat in the sunshine catching up on a month's worth of stories. Still hungry, we walked through The Meadows to the Mosque Kitchen. Cheap and cheerful Indian style food, I took home a dahl and rice, determined to fill up before the big run. The walk was beautiful, with wildflower beds growing from tree stumps, and gothic style buildings towering above big, green parks. Wooden doors, metal fencing, all textures and colours weathered and adding character to the personality that is Edinburgh. We even walked past a game of quidditch!
Food and friends mission complete, I took my laptop off to Starbucks for two giant mugs of peppermint tea, and some writing catch up.
Despite the bed being incredibly comfortable, I couldn't sleep that night. Somewhere around 2:30am I think I drifted off, and at 6:00am

my alarm woke me, singing for me to get ready to race.

It was a simple process catching the bus from Bruntsfield to Meadowmills, and I was befriended on the way by an Englishman in the same time category. He kindly took some photos of me before the race. I was placed in the orange category, and I decided it was more to do with my home club's logo being a carrot, than the fact that we were estimated to finish in over two hours.
The race itself was easier than expected in some respects, but also challenging in the way that only a long distance run can be. The course had been described as flat, and it was...by Scottish standards! I also wore the wrong socks, and ended up with blisters so big I couldn't walk properly for a few days afterwards. The scenery was beautiful, and we ran past the coast, along the beach, and through the town of Musselburgh itself. People had come out of their homes to cheer, children lined the roads to give hi-fives to the runners, and I ran most of the way with a smile on my face. Unfortunately the smile was translated as a grimace, as I discovered when I saw the official photographs.

John picked me up after the race, along with another friend. After I'd showered and sworn profusely (hot water on blisters is not nice!), we returned to Organic Delicious, where I wolfed down a sausage sandwich in record time. A nice snooze and a few hours later, I arrived back at Helen's house; sore, tired and ravenous.
Helen had kindly ordered a pizza, and waited on me hand and foot, so I didn't have to move from the couch. She fed me apple crumble, and I hobbled to bed, feeling like the luckiest woman alive.
A race weekend wouldn't make a good story without a good time, and after running a whole ten minutes slower the previous year, I finished with a personal best of 1:52:34. My feet aren't sure if the pain was worth it, but my stomach and my ego sure think it was!

The last few days have been relaxing. I've visited Annika in her new home, and worked a few nights with some fabulous people. I managed to re-merchandise the shop, and have enjoyed waking up in my bed at Helen's home, where the light shines through the curtain-less window and the occasional seagull swoops by, right outside the third floor.
The balcony here overlooks Arthur's Seat. The light is constantly changing. The other day I went to take a photo, a flock of swallows flew past, with perfect timing. One morning Helen awoke to see a four wheel drive parked on top of the right peak! How they got it up there is a mystery, how they got it down, even more so.

In another few days I'm off on another hiking trip, and so will be off grid, and back to good old pen and paper. Thank goodness for those travel journals gifted to me!