So, I was out and about in Edinburgh one fine day, and I found this creature wandering the streets looking very lost. I shall call it: Boyfriend.
Erik and I had a bit of trouble finding each other when he first arrived, actually, due to a lack of phone on his part and some miscommunication about where we were meeting, but we eventually found one another and have since begun our precious two weeks together. Beware: the following blog posts are going to contain a whole lot of pictures of him, me, and us together. Prepare yourself.
We went to a cafe just off the Royal Mile and behind a Starbucks called Chocolatesoup. We weren't sure about it, but have since decided that it has the best chocolatey drinks ever. I have never had such amazing dark chocolate in liquid form.
I was sitting in front of a fogged up window, by the way.
Erik imitates Robert Fergusson. They look astonishingly similar, actually...
A quick detour into the Dunbar Close Garden. Not much green stuff left, but there were still some pretty bushes and things. We appreciated the ivy on the wall.
My fanciful middle-of-grassy-lawn pose contrasts starkly with Erik's very purposeful, determined middle-of-grassy-lawn pose.
Nap is not a happy world-conquering dragon. He came all the way to Northern Ireland, but I failed to take a single picture with him in it. He has yet to forgive me, even though I promised I'd take him back
and find him an impressive castle to conquer.
He was even less pleased when I stuck him in this relief sculpture. But it was just too cute.
I have never actually gone to Holyrood Palace since I've been here. I wanted to save it for when I could tour it with someone. And here was the perfect chance.
The interior was beautifully decorated for Christmas, but I was not allowed to take pictures.
They wouldn't even let us sit on the thrones in the throne room.
Kill joys.
Royal double lamp post above!
At the end of the tour, we went into the ruins of a beautiful abbey.
The sky cleared up a bit, but it's been raining pretty much nonstop since Erik arrived. The weather reacts badly to tourists, I think.
Boy enjoys the impressive structure.
I would have loved to see this place when it was complete with the stained glass windows intact.
Me and a column.
Me attempting to scale column.
Erik also attempting to scale column.
It was a Nap-sized nook.
This picture was Erik's suggestion and I love it. I think Nap does too because it makes him look big and impressive.
Small Hobbit door
must lead somewhere awesome. But it was locked.
A very cool gravestone that eloquently narrates someone's fall from fortune and the lesson we should learn from it. People used to have such a gift for making normal things sound dramatic.
Precious, precious sunlight!
A gate to the garden. Once again, I am taunted by the locked gate.
They could be twins...
We had a lunch break in the World's End restaurant. Erik wanted fish and chips, and I have not had them in Scotland yet. In London and in Northern Ireland, yes, but not in Scotland.
The World's End did a great job on their fish and chips. We both enjoyed them.
Om nom nom.
Our final adventure on our first day out was climbing up Calton Hill so we could enjoy the view.
The weather turned bitterly cold and windy at that point.
Hey, we were just at that palace!
Erik liked the cannon. Surprise!
Giddyup!
We went into the nearby graveyard and were a little startled to recognize this gentleman atop one stone.
Graveyards remind us both, sadly enough, of video games. I don't know what that says about us...
But I do love them for the silent, sad beauty as well. The stones are so interesting.
Illuminati!!!!!!????!!!! Who was
that guy?
Our journey home took us through the Christmas Fair, where I met a very large penguin.
We got a mug of hot cider to share in a cool souvenir mug and were very delighted with ourselves for finding the one nonalcoholic beverage until we realized that it did, in fact, taste of alcohol.
Since neither of us likes the taste of alcohol at all, we dumped the drink out on a patch of traumatized grass.
We kept the awesome mug, though.
Day 2: David Hume has a new hat!
And Erik is being the normal tourist and rubbing his big toe.
And now we begin our climb of Arthur's Seat. The weather was grey, but not rainy.
Not yet, anyway.
So much energy!
The road goes ever on and on... and on.... and on.... and....
Getting a little tired...
At the top, crows would simply drop over the side and sail down below. Luckily, it wasn't a windy day because the wind up there can be dangerous.
My hat is... well.... it's impressive.
It started to rain, causing my already intimidating hood to take on the look of an enraged porcupine.
Squishy grass is squishy!
A quick stop at St Anthony's Chapel.
Erik does his usual pose.
Forward! Toward the... door?
Boo!
After dinner (Erik made us curry!) we hurried out to follow the torchlight procession back up Calton Hill for the fireworks that initiate Hogmanay. Edinburgh loves its fireworks.
And just fire in general, apparently.
We're pretending the blurry photo was intentionally artistic.
Fireworks set off in time with dramatic movie trailer music... Yes, Edinburgh
loooooves its fireworks.
The background behind us was aglow with beautiful lights, but little cameras can't handle that sort of complication, unfortunately.
So we must content ourselves with an overbright picture of me squinting in a deranged fashion and no background at all.
The background that
should have been in this picture is featured below.
And so ended Day 2!
