Edinburgh Continues to Charm - Day 2
The next morning I couldn't walk up to Arthur's Seat given my jammed toe, and I doubt we could have made it very far with a stroller anyway. So instead, we took a taxi out to Craigmillar Castle, where one of the oldest towers in Scotland still stands (from the 1300s) and where Mary Queen of Scots convalesced after the birth of her son.
Though only about three miles from our hotel, it feels world away from Edinburgh, surrounded by forests and fields and with a far-off view of the ocean. (They also filmed parts of Outlander there, but I haven't seen more than a few episodes of the show.)
We had the castle almost to ourselves and were able to walk around in peaceful silence, marveling at the ancient walls and imagining those who walked and lived and fought so long ago.
The castle also had some fun features for Elowen, including a giant chess set and a craft station so we could crown her like the little royal she is.
From there we went to the Palace of Holyroodhouse (the Royal Family's official residence in Scotland), but it was closed since I was not responsible enough to plan anything. So we walked up the Royal Mile to take in more sights and eat at Sichuan House, since Sichuan cuisine is a shared passion and the spicy stir-fried string beans are just not the same in Texas.
The real stars of the meal, though, were the pork and chive dumplings--holy heck they were good.
From there, we wandered over to the Grassmarket, which has a fascinating history. I'd like to take a tour and learn more, but it was a livestock market in the 15th century, the site of public executions in the 18th century, and in present day is host to a number of historic pubs and artisan shops. The one I was most excited about was the White Hart Inn, dating to 1516. Robert Burns stayed there, William Wordsworth drank with his sister Dorothy there, and allegedly the serial killers Burke and Hare also stayed there.
I couldn't go in, because Scotland has some incomprehensible laws regarding its pubs. Some you have to be 5 years old to enter; some kids can't go in at all; and pretty much all of them kids have to be out by 9 pm, even if they also serve as a restaurant. I did run in to take some pictures, but while Taylor had a beer Elowen and I meandered back up Victoria Street and then went into an awesome vintage shop where I encountered a very terrifying Bogart.
The Grassmarket also has astounding views of Edinburgh Castle.
And because I refuse to believe you can cram too much into a day, from the Grassmarket we walked to the Johnny Walker Experience. It sounds touristy as heck and it is--but in the best way. They had an impressive assortment of whiskys from around the world, a station to customize a bottle, and another station to develop a taste profile and direct you toward which whisky you'll like best.
They also had a rooftop bar with delicious, inventive cocktails--you may wonder how can a banana pesto cocktail be good, but it is! I was full from lunch but I did make room for a fluffy-as-a-cloud pistachio cheesecake with raspberry sugar brittle; I'd love to go back and try the restaurant, where two Michelin-starred chefs pair small plates with whisky.
Elowen of course was a big fan of the yellow Johnny Walker, as that's her favorite color. And because she's mostly an angel, she played happily with her sticker book while we enjoyed our cocktails and the beautiful city views.
But the day is not over yet! Being an appreciator of high-end hotels, I wanted to check out the Waldorf-Astoria (especially its Peacock tearoom). It did not disappoint, and I had a lovely raspberry-rose cocktail. Elowen, ever the classy baby, yelled "I POOPED" and then giggled hysterically.
Despite that, the very nice Scottish doorman adored her and insisted on pushing her to the cab for us to go back before a nap before our Michelin-starred dinner at The Kitchin, located in the quirky Leith area of Edinburgh. It's renowned for its use of fresh, seasonal produce and meat butchered in-house, and it did not disappoint.
While I'm always nervous eating a nice meal with Elowen, as at times she's like having a feral raccoon at the table, she did amazing during the almost three hours (I skipped the tasting menu and did a la carte, as I was worried about the three-hour tasting menu runtime--but in hindsight I certainly wish I'd done the three-hour vegetarian surprise menu).
I had a blueberry lavender cocktail and the amuse-bouche was a perfectly fried little potato with caviar whip; followed by pea and herb soup; my appetizer was a vegetable plate with 14 different types of vegetables, all soaked in the most delicious savory broth that I soaked up with bread until that plate was clean. (The morel was divine.)
For pre-dessert I had an apple sorbet on frozen peeled grapes and it somehow tasted exactly like crumbly, cinnamon-caramely apple pie; everyone else had macerated strawberries on cream, but I lucked out with the apple because I ordered a strawberry dessert (a version of an Eton mess).
The chef made Elowen a plate of cheesy penne, and came out to joke that she challenged his culinary skills.
From there and to complete our very full day, we walked over to The Barologist, an awesome bar decorated like a Victorian parlor with fancy cocktails based on the seasons. We only had 12 minutes to finish our drinks due to the "kids out by 9 pm rule," but we rose to the challenge and I'm glad we got to experience it, even if just for a bit.
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