June 21, 2024
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| Edinburgh Castle Dominates the city as we walk along Princes Street to our lodging |
Our LNER tickets for an earlier train to Edinburgh were good enough to get us onto the next coach that chugged north to Waverly Station in Edinburgh's City Centre once the track was opened after an earlier train wreck. As we became acutely aware in London, and now again in Edinburgh, ADA (American Disabilities Act) has no effect in the UK and we needed to muscle our entire set of travel luggage up and down multiple cataracts of stairs and steps in most places. This included climbing to street level from Waverly Station in Edinburgh. A modest-sized Scotsman noticed my struggles to climb the steps with suitcase in tow and handily seized it from me an hoisted it up the steps, deposited it on the sidewalk above and was gone.
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| We finally arrive at Waverly Station, Edinburgh. Delayed, but pleased our worst case scenario didn't materialize. |
My pre-travel research in Texas assured me that Edinburgh was an immensely walkable city and in addition, trams and buses were an easy way to get about town. I asked two bus drivers the best way to catch a ride to our destination on Stafford Street in the West End. Neither of them could help. I had a paper map pre-printed and we walked the 1 1/4 mile straight shot along Princes Street to our place, having failed to decipher the local bus routes and schedules.
Our luggage wheels clattered and clacked as we traversed the paving stones along Princes Street, passing the gothic Scott's Memorial, build to honor Sir Walter Scott all the while in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle on high.
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| Scott's Memorial Build in honor of Scotland's renown author, Sir Walter Scott. The original orange sandstone is blackened by the soot from coal-burning locomotives that stopped at nearby Waverly Station (named for one of Scott's novels, published 1814) as well as the coal soot used for heat by the people of Edinburgh throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. |
Great to be Edinburgh, same day as we expected, just a few hours later after the delay out of Kings Cross in London. Our son Grant and his wife Kaileen had arrived earlier and were waiting for our text upon our arrival. Grant arranged supper at a place near our place and we met for a late meal and drinks, watching the sun set at 23:00. What a day.
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| 11 Stafford Street Edinburgh, Scotland - Our home for two days in the West End |
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