Edinburgh

After a nine hour bus ride from outside London we arrived in Edinburgh, happy to see the LiDL just around the corner from our apartment. The next day I began my quest for the original Scottish scone. Those from Seattle are likely familiar with the PCC grocery store. When I first moved to Seattle I was next door to a PCC and soon familiarized myself with their pastry case. PCC offers a nice selection of freshly made food, similar to Whole Foods in approach but somehow nicer in my opinion. I learned quickly one of the best quick breakfast options was the PCC Scottish Oat scone. The other scones will entice with their "heavenly Blueberry" names but as I have informed others reaching for them, the Scottish Oat scone is a superior choice. I don't begrudge their inferior decision but I do feel compelled to at least make them aware of what they are missing. Since first being familiarized with this PCC scone I assumed it was a standard option in the bakeries of Scotland. I poked my head in every bakery I could find and while most all had a scone option I never did see anything like the PCC version. Of course I sampled as many as I could but was left slightly disappointed. Even traveling over to Glasgow for a day trip did not satisfy this quest. I have concluded that PCC has invented their own Scottish style and I commend them for the quality result.

Spent most of the time in Edinburgh proper with only the day trip over to Glasgow. First impression of Scotland is if you don't like the current weather, just wait 3 minutes, it will change, for the better or worse depends on your perspective and preferences. Sunburn, rain soaked, and blown over; all in less than 5 minutes. One quickly learns to dress adaptively. Overall the weather did not really impact what we wanted to do each day but it was really never clear what was going to blow over the hills next.

Edinburgh is block after block of similar looking older styled buildings. Reminded me of 19th century walk-ups lining the blocks. I don't think this is what most were but that was the sense I got. The first few blocks are a neat experience. By block 50 one wonders why no one thought about any other building styles. Old town is where most of the tourists seem to be. The waterfront is there but the nicer parts are a ways out of town and fairly quiet when we visited if you ignoring the howling wind. I certainly recommend the hike up to Arthur's Seat, overlooking town. It is a bit steep in spots with loose gravel but take your time and you will find it worth the 2 hour commitment.

Glasgow felt like a more modern city with an energetic vibe. Since it was only a few hours I am not sure I got a real overall sense of the place. We did tour the Riverside museum with its exhibits focused on transport options over the years and made it over to the Glasgow cathedral and the David Livingstone statue. The 70 minute bus ride was certainly worth the trip.