July 27: Yesterday we started our North Sea travels. The day began with a 12:45pm flight from Columbus to Atlanta, Atlanta to Orlando and then Orlando to Edinburgh (they pronounce it "Ed - in - br - ah"). We were expecting the worst, with flight cancelations and lost luggage being something of the norm these days. To make matters even sketchier, we were flying one airline, Delta, to Orlando, and a different one, Virgin Atlantic, on to Scotland. What could go wrong with this plan? Well, now, nothing practically did. Flight to Atlanta was smooth and gave us just enough time to board the next plane. That flight was then delayed at the gate for about an hour, because of bad weather in Orlando. When we finally got to Orlando we were told that the Virgin Atlantic flight was "on time" and we had 15 minutes to run to the international gate. We made it, only to find out that Virgin had been delayed. We had to show our passports, and then waited comfortably until the plane boarded about an hour and a half later. I actually think this was all good as I think the flight delays were likely responsible for the understaffed airports to be able to get our luggage to Edinburgh at the same time that we did this morning.
Sandy was immediately handed a champagne as she boarded the Virgin plane. After that, I think she was pretty satisfied with the flight, especially the laydown seat compartments. As for me, I was greeted with "This way ma-luv; then later "Don't be daft, ma-luv; then later yet just "Don't be Daft". The "ma-luv" part was starting to disappear, still, I think they were meant to be endearing terms.
Once in Edinburgh, we grabbed a tram to get us to within a few blocks of the Hotel. Walked the rest of the way and to our good fortune, our room was ready. All things considered, this was pretty smooth travel.
After a brief rest from our travels, we walked the lower half (eastern) of the Royal Mile. We admired the architecture along the way which Sandy referred to as old Episcopalian. I'm not sure that this is an actual architectural style, but it perfectly described the buildings. Along the way we observed the John Knox house. John was the firebrand reformationist and a real pain in the neck, literally, to Mary Queen of Scots. We walked by St. Andrews Close, the reputed center of M16, the working haunt of James Bond. Visiting the Cannongate Kirk (Church) we found the gravesite of Adam Smith. This is also the church that the current queen attends when she is in town. At the bottom of the hill is Palace of Holyroodhouse with the adjacent ruined abbey. (Ruined by the English of course.)
We walked back up the hill stopping at Cadenhead's Whisky Shop. I did a little sampling, got a little education about scotch, and purchased a wee bottle of their blend to help me along while in Scotland.
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