We were tired of driving and wanted to see more deer and pheasants, so we bought train tickets to Edinburgh from our Airbnb in Perth. The earliest train on weekends runs from 9:00-10:30, so we had planned to take that one. We had picked out a church to attend that had an 11:00 service, but our train ended up being canceled. We took another train that didn’t get us there in time for the service, so we had to cancel that part of the plan.

We had been to Edinburgh a wee bit in 2022, so there were several things we wanted to do again, as well as several things that we had missed and wanted to see this time.

By the time we got there, everyone was hungry for lunch, so the first order of business was revisiting The Fishmarket. It was about a 45 minute walk so we set off posthaste. It was a beautiful walk through the city and along a quiet wooded trail. We saw beautiful potted plants and flowers along the way, as well as a large plot in the middle of the city that seemed to be lots of individual gardens.

We’ve noticed that lots of people here leave their dogs unleashed all the time. The dogs we have seen have been very well behaved though.

We had been to The Fishmarket in 2022 and had locally made rhubarb soda and what Lyndon said were the best fish & chips of that trip. Ever since, we have been longing for more of that rhubarb soda, and the time had finally come.

Newhaven is on the harbor and there are cute little boats and fresh ocean air there. We got takeaway and ate outside with an ocean view. The cashier was a little surprised when Lanita and I each ordered 5 rhubarb sodas. They were the most delicious fish & chips of the trip according to me.

We took the tram back to the main part of the city and walked to Dean Village – an area that my friend Anne had recommended. It was my favorite part of the day. There were a fair amount of tourists, but it was still away from the busiest part of the city. There was a beautiful stream and ducks and bridges and colorful trees. There was also a huge waterfall and a street called Miller Row that used to have 11 working mills along it.

We emerged to the main city and headed towards Greyfriars Kirkyard since we wanted to see the statue of Bobby. The rest of the graveyard was so interesting as well, with old gravestones on the walls and all around the church. Since I knew Bobby’s story from childhood, it was a dream come true to see where he had slept on his master’s grave every night for 14 years, as well as where he had gone to eat lunch every day.

After wandering around there for a while, we headed to the train station to catch a ride back to Perth. We spied a bagpiper on the loose and stopped to appreciate his lungs for a bit. We also saw bits of Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile, and Victoria Street.

Walking 7.5 miles in a city like Edinburgh is not easy. There are lots of cobblestones, steps, and hills. I was exhausted and thus made the executive decision that we should sleep a little longer the next morning. It felt wonderful to relax our weary muscles.

Love and goodnight,

x Ella