Friday, January 27, 2012

15 Dec 2011 Edinburgh Castle , Edinburgh U and Surgeon's Hall

Edinburgh as seen from the castle
9am.  Edinburgh Castle greeted us  in all its morning glory, rising from volcanic rocks from its base. From the castle grounds ,we saw the sea and enjoyed the sun rising from the distant bay, visible for where we were standing.

We  managed to visit  a weaving and mill hall located at the corner. I was hypnotized by the weaving machines and to seal the memories of an interesting visit, bought a big 100% lambswool scarf ( Mcclaren Clan )  for 19.90 GBP that is woven in the premises.

Lunch was café food  at Deacon's Café. Hubby and I had Scottish smoked salmon sandwiches, H , cheddar cheese sandwich, basically a heap of a  mound of extremely creamy cheddar cheese held between 2 slices of bread. Tomato soup and carrot cake were similarly delicious ( 30 GBP ) .

Edinburgh is paved with cobbles along the Royal Mile
We walked southwards seeking out the student admissions office of the University of Edinburgh, located at George Square.  I took a copy of the prospectus for HF , who is interested in studying veterinary medicine. H was just as excited, checking out admission criteria for medical studies.

Edinburgh U situated at St George Square
After  Nicholson Square, we visited the Surgeon's Hall and spent more than 2 hours going through medical exhibits and reading the stories of distinguished medical personalities.   H was fixated with the displays, taking notes and making sketches.
Old Surgeon's Hall

We had an afternoon tea break at Coffee House located along High St.  Compared to Deacon's Café, the carrot cake was moist and they enhanced the flavor by adding coconut cream in the cheese frosting. Sublime tasting and the coffee was full flavored as well.
 
There was still an hour or so of sunlight and we walked along High St again, checking out stores and taking in everything on this last night in Edinburgh. By 5pm, we were back in Travelodge, laden with many packs of Scottish shortbread  and  even a box of whisky.

Haggis with oat cakes.The reputation is bigger than the cake itself
It was 6pm, but the early sunset made it felt like it had been night for a long time. Our hunger, obviously activated by the lack by daylight, needed   attention. Dinner was steps off Travelodge at a  pub called Whiski, which provided much prompter service and nice food even if it was a tad more expensive than The Tass. Patrick had haggis, the must-eat in Scotland. It was a mash of sheep lungs and other meats perched on a mound of mashed potato, decorated with 2 oat cakes. Taste wise, the haggis was not as gamely as feared and the sauce was too thick. H had herby sausage and mash but the caramelized onions was her favorite part of the dish. I had battered haddock, freshly caught, with lots of peas and chips. Admittedly, the batter though light, did not stay crispy as long as that served in Tass. Overall, the service was cheerful and prompt, a far cry from our first pub meal in Edinburgh.

Then it was back to pack up for an early departure the next morning. 

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