We woke up slightly "pickled" from the night before. We made a cup of coffee in our hotel room, showered and headed out for breakfast. We walked through the city and laughed recalling our wild night with the locals and looked for the "perfect" breakfast cafe. Our feet led us to the Royal Mile, a tourist mecca. We passed several breakfast spots that looked less than interesting. To be noted, we always try but rarely find the "perfect" spot to grab a bite. We finally stopped walking around 11:30, hungover, hands in the air- we had a sandwich, soup, and salad at cute little cafe.
Our journey continued down the Royal Mile, passing one Scottish trinket shop and street performer after another, until we reached Edinburgh Castle. The castle is huge and is dominates the center of town. As you look out from the castle grounds, we could see most of the city. Edinburgh has deep medieval roots evidenced by twisty alleyways, old dark stone, and spooky graveyards. We imagine that there can be no better place to celebrate Halloween. In fact, the author of Harry Potter began writing the novels in a cafe in town, and we can see why.
We decided against spending our precious time touring the castle and instead headed over to the nearby tartan warehouse to find out what the Clan MacPherson tartan looked like. A tartan is a woven wool pattern that is unique to specific clans and that are used in kilts and other Scottish garb. Gavin's family members in Largs informed us that the Archibald (and Archbald) family is part of Clan MacPherson. We walked through the massive tartan museum, warehouse, and store and made our way to the bottom floor where loud and impressive weaving machines were hard at work making intricate tartans. We met with two men who showed us two tartans specific to the MacPherson clan. Carmen cried when viewing the tartans for the first time thinking of the years of ancestors that we will never have the opportunity to meet but somehow are acquainted with by viewing this material.
We learned that there are 3 tartans specific to clan MacPherson, (1) the traditional tartan which is mostly red, green, blue and gold, (2) the modern tartan which is red, forest green, blue and gold (but a bit brighter), and (3) the hunting tartan which is gray, blue, navy and orange (our favorite). Unfortunately, the hunting tartan was out of stock so did not purchase any material. However, Carmen fully intends on doing so via the internet in the near future. Gavin hopes to use the hunting tartan material to make an amazing pair of golf pants.
After the tartan shop, we walked with a pep in our step to lunch and decided to treat ourselves, REALLY treat ourselves, to a fancy lunch at The Witchery, located just down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh castle. As previously stated, Edinburgh is a spooky town, so The Witchery was the perfect spot to indulge. We walked down a dark, narrow alleyway to the vine laden entrance. We were seated in the most gorgeous, vintage, rustic dining space you can imagine. Our hearts skipped a beat. Not only was the menu expansive, the wine list...oh the wine list! It was thicker than the phone book for a small town. The interior space was decorated with a tower, candles, amazing natural light, ancient looking ornaments, and indoor vines. We indulged in a very leisurely lunch lasting nearly 3 hours. We dined on cream or cauliflower soup, artichoke tart, risotto with fungi and a bottle of amazing white wine. Oh my goodness- we were on honeymoon!!!! Yay, us!
After lunch we took a walk through the streets of Edinburgh and decided it is one of our favorite towns. The cobblestone roads twisted and turned, streets merged and split, and we wandered into adorable art shops, shops, and an old bookstore with historic maps and prints of the city. We were amazed by how many people were out sharing tea/coffee and a sweet mid day. We also passed burly looking men, characters with scary face paint, and college students. We grabbed a treat at a cafe, then walked into a cemetery where we became acquainted with the grave site of Greyfriars Bobby, a widely celebrated dog who, after his owner died, slept at his grave for 14 years no matter the weather. The cemetery workers tried to chase Bobby away, but he always returned. Eventually the cemetery workers gave up and built Bobby a dog house on his owner's grave. He lived and died protecting the site. Bobby was eventually buried in a nearby garden and now a monument to Bobby is prominently featured a the graveyard. What a loyal dog! The story is celebrated in the city and has entered the modern era (you can become a friend of Bobby on Facebook).
We waked the streets of Edinburgh till after dark. We passed hopping Octoberfest celebration tent, then stumbled on a hip bar/restaurant/live music venue. Downstairs you could join the masses and grab a drink in an atmosphere that buzzed with excitement. Upstairs you could sit for a 3 course meal at long tables, elaborately decorated, and listen to live music. The lights were down and there were candles burning everywhere. We loved the space but were too hungry to wait for the 9 PM dinner, so we walked around the corner and grabbed a bite at a cozy restaurant nearby.
After dinner, we attended a comedy show at a small venue across the street from our hotel. There were four acts and we really enjoyed the local acts. Unfortunately the closing act was an American with such distasteful humor we decided to leave, feeling that almost anything would be more enjoyable than listening to this blowhard try and pass off offensive diatribes as comedy. We felt embarrassed and saddened that he tours with his act, putting a lousy face on Americans. But, a super fun night all the same and we walked home happy campers. What a great time in Edinburgh and last full day in Scotland!
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