Edinburgh and the sad goodbye...

It was on my last weekend in Ireland when I said goodbye to many great friends from Ireland. We celebrated in a pub owned by a Kiwi, and there was a good turn-out of people – probably there to at last celebrate the fact that I was finally leaving their green shores. It was a mix of emotions on the night, and even frustration crept in when most of our group had made it into the night club and a few of us (including me) were unable to enter. After a disappointed beer elsewhere, and a persisted effort to return and get in, were could finally enter. After the night was over I returned home, and I was sad… sad because unlike saying goodbye in New Zealand (where I knew I would see everyone again at some stage), this time there would people who I would probably never see again. I was in quiet contemplation for a while afterwards. After that there was a busy few days getting packed and tying up loose ends before Kristin and I headed off to Edinburgh.
My mind over the last was largely focused with getting organised for Italy and all the preparation for that had just about seen Kristin and I forget that we were headed to a lively Edinburgh packed full of rich history – and a chance to see my wonderful friend Sharon again! Sharon and Wendy kindly welcomed us into their small (but very central) apartment, which was incredibly handy for seeing the sights of the fair city. We walked the Royal Mile; climbed (King) Arthur’s Seat – a hill overlooking Edinburgh; had a look at the Holyrood Palace; Various churches and cathedrals; The old town; Princess Street; the Gardens, of course the impressive Edinburgh Castle, the Elephant Cafe where Harry Potter was written, and much more. The first day was fantastic… at last the cold of winter had disappeared and was replaced with a beautiful blue sky and warm sun touching porcelain-white skins. Kristin and I had a good climb up Arthur’s seat in perfect climbing footwear –Jandals (Rick will testify that these are not ideal in surfaces that are wet, too dry, are flat or have a slope, are made of marble or rock, surfaces that crumble, or when you have to move fast). Sharon managed the climb twice to find us - due to no credit on her mobile!
The second day was equally impressive, but totally different… a heavy fog settled in and around Edinburgh, giving the whole city a creepy and very Scottish feel. The Edinburgh Castle surrounded in fog was like something from a dream, looking out into an impenetrable whiteness that our audio guide to the castle said we were lucky to experience. We were actually lucky to experience anything at all on the second day as we were locked ‘into’ the apartment, which required us to shout out into the street for willing volunteers to enter the apartment and unlock our door! That night Sharon and Wendy took us to a good feed at a local restaurant, and we had to say a quick goodbye and jumped onto the bus (with a very grumpy bus-driver) to Glasgow. It was in the airport there where we spent the night on the floor, to catch a very early plane to Pisa.







As always, any time around Sharon makes me miss the other two partners in crime: Beck and Rick. Well I can only hope that maybe we will unite again in the near future… who knows, maybe even under a Tuscan sun?
-Marty