I met up with Walter, Susan, and Sid in Princes Street Gardens... eventually.
I texted Walter when I arrived in Edinburgh to find out where they were, to get the reply that they were by the floral clock in Princes Street Gardens. Righto, I replied. That didn't sound too difficult to find. It wouldn't have been either, if I had turned right instead of left at the Galleries. D'oh.
Never mind, we found each other in the end. It was then time to meet up with Annie, Margaret and Paul at Waverley station. Annie had travelled all the way up from York just for an afternoon out with us! Now that's dedication to the cause of friendship and is also the second time she's done it in a matter of weeks!! I am so, so glad she made the effort because it just wouldn't have been the same without her! She's a star!!
Margaret and Paul were on holiday in Northumberland, and it was sooooo good to see them again... you may remember our trip to Glencoe and Rannoch Moor earlier in the year? As soon as we'd all met up, (which was not as easy as it should have been, but quite amusing as Margaret and myself wandered about the station concourse with phones stuck to our ears, "where are you?", "opposite Smiths", "well we're opposite smiths too", "can you see the sandwich shop?", "we're right outside the sandwich shop"... how hard could it be?!!) Anyway, all together at last, we went and got fed and watered before heading off into the city.
First stop was the Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens. All 287 steps.
Sid led the way and I followed along with Margaret and Annie as we climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed... yeah, well it was a lot of steps anyway! It was also VERY narrow up the stairs and VERY twisty too. I'm not good on roundabouts or any spinny things, I can't even watch the telly when they do that spinny camera thing they seem so fond of just now (why do they do that? I really do feel sick when they do that!). Anyway, these steps are so twisty that I felt dizzy and sick before we'd even reached the first floor! We bravely climbed to the top though, and despite calling for oxygen and Kendal Mint Cake, we made it. And it was worth it.
The views are tremendous and well worth the climb, and also the thought of the descent. There were several occasions that we were forced to get well and truly stuck into the personal space of the other tourists, as we gingerly squeezed past each other in the extremely narrow and rather precipitous winding staircase, but, thankfully they all saw the funny side and nobody had eaten garlic at lunch, so it wasn't too unpleasant an experience!!!
Back on terra firma, we leapt on a bus to the Botanic Gardens, where obviously it was time for tea and a fruit scone. Can't be too careful you know, it would have been a terrible thing to let the blood sugar fall after all that exertion up the monument! Not that I'm diabetic or suffer from hypoglycaemia, but that's because I'm careful and always make time for a fruit scone at the most appropriate moments!! It was actually going to be a date slice, but a girl came out from the back carrying a tray full of warm and fresh scones just out of the oven... the date slice was tipped unceremoniously back from whence it came and a soft, warm, lovely scone took its place on my plate. mmmmm.
We then had a stroll round the gardens before getting back on the bus and meeting Paul at the station cafe for another brew. Annie, Margaret, and Paul headed back south of the border; Walter, Sid and Susan headed off into town for supper, and I set off back up the motorway to head home after a very pleasant, and extremely amiable afternoon. Perfick.
Rebecca, x
http://www.rtphotographics.co.uk/
rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk
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