1st - 6th October

Saturday there was a vegan festival in Edinburgh. Helen and I drove to The Corn Exchange, and walked into a giant room full of food. So much food. All vegan, all delicious. The hardest part was deciding what to eat first! There were pastries, cakes, wraps, tacos, sandwiches, crepes and pies. That was just a fraction of the options available.
We bumped into several friends, and spent a couple of hours wandering around stalls of food, shoes, t-shirts, body products, chocolate, more food, and more chocolate. In case you were wondering, chocolate and food are two separate categories. This is important for sample tasting, take note.

By the afternoon, I was full to the eyeballs, and I went to meet Michelle, a friend and colleague from Australia. Michelle had three days in Edinburgh, and we spent some time exploring the city. We visited Hula, where we indulged in a chocolate tiffin, and visited quite a few touristy shops, admiring jewellery. It was lovely to have someone to explore with, and I enjoyed being a tourist again, looking at buildings, statues and the ever changing light of Edinburgh. This is a truly beautiful city.
Just in case I hadn't had enough food that day, (noticing a theme here?), we met with Annika, Jay, and John at The Auld Hoose.
The Auld Hoose is a pub known for pub food with big portions. They happen to serve the largest bowl of vegan nachos I've ever seen, and it comfortably filled all five of us. I fell asleep that night with the fullest belly possible, and a promise to myself to eat something vaguely healthy the next day.

Michelle and I met the next morning, and took a walk up to Arthur's Seat. The day was warm (for Scottish standards), and we had clear views all around. There were less people on the hill than the first time I'd been up, but it was still buzzing with visitors wanting the perfect photograph. From a distance, you can see everyone on the hill. They look like spikes moving up and down the slopes of the summit.
We became two spikes moving down the slopes, and headed towards town for more window shopping. We visited Henderson's for lunch, now my favourite restaurant, and the waiter recognised me instantly.

Before I'd gone camping, I went to Henderson's with Steve, an Australian friend visiting for the day. I returned the very next day with John, and the cafe staff were grinning ear to ear, and looking suspiciously at me. Arriving with Michelle cemented my face in their

memory, but the service was excellent, and the food it's usual delicious standard.

One of the things I've wanted to explore in Edinburgh is the live music scene. On Tuesday night, I arrived at my first open mic. The Black Rose is a gothic styled rock pub, with a cool vibe and a very average open mic. The man running it was a fantastic performer, and as such, the majority of the night was dedicated to him singing. He had "guests", most of whom had a very short slot. He forgot I'd requested to sing, and later, when I finally was on stage, one drunken woman fell off her chair, narrowly missing a meeting between her head and the bar. I befriended Cathy, an American visitor, and avoided the advances of an equally drunk man, enthusing about the music and his home sound system. The final act was a friend of the host, and sounded like he wanted to be Tom Waits, but presented more like a sad cross between ACDC and Bob Dylan. Cathy and I left early, while

the drunken man and women sat in an awkward, drunken embrace.

The next night, I tried again at a different venue. Cathy and I walked to Mercat, where Timothy ran a quieter, more encouraging open mic. There was talent, respect and pink champagne gelato.
An Edinburgh colleague, Ross, had told me he was at the Black Rose with friends, for karaoke. It was on my way home, so I dropped in, meaning to say a quick hello and leave. At 1am, we had sung our hearts out, clapped, cheered, danced and went home for a much later sleep. Planning a repeat soon.

I'd received a message from Kumi to say she and her husband were visiting Edinburgh. We met on Thursday night at Henderson's (of course), and they very kindly treated me to dinner. Kumi and Terence are thoughtful, intelligent people, and it was lovely to spend time with them. I hope we'll stay in touch, you do meet some wonderful people when travelling.
Speaking of which, I'd forgotten to mention a delicious dinner at David Bann, shared with Faisal and Carrie a couple of weeks ago. Chilli bowl with chocolate sauce, oh my gosh! Of course, the company

was fabulous as well; another two lovely friends. Carrie and Faisal have been instrumental in helping me settle into Edinburgh, and I can't thank them enough. Also to mention is an afternoon with John walking the city, while I practised using my new camera. I love this city so much.