My final stop in the UK is Edinburgh. The train from York, efficient but expensive, was packed and it was a struggle to find space for the luggage. Although I haven’t done a lot of shopping, I seem to have acquired a surprising number of bits and pieces along the way and my two bags are both full and heavy. Luckily the hotel is right outside the train station, another ex railway building - Victorian, Grade 5 listed, and beautiful. I’ve included a photo of the outside. Inside, the Scottish theme is strong with all the staff in “costume” and a bright tartan carpet throughout. Jason bought me a Scottish title some years ago and I AM in Scotland, so…. in a moment of whimsy I MAY have signed up to the hotel loyalty programme as Lady Anna Starrett. Anyway, the front desk and the breakfast check in team addressed me as Lady Anna and it’s on my invoice too.
My days here have comprised two separate walking tours, a few fabulous meals and a good deal of wandering. I feel like I’m in a beautiful sandstone storybook - the architecture, the accents, even the inescapable sound of bagpipes from the buskers. I had a good look through St Giles, the church where Queen Elizabeth lay in state (picture of the floor tile included). The gift shop carries themed religious socks called Faith on your Feet. Think loaves and fishes, Jonah and the whale, seven fat cows and seven thin. You name a bible story, it’s on a sock. I also went to the “Georgian House”, a restored period house, run by the National Trust. It’s in the New Town, which is actually old, but not as old as the Old Town.
I’m frustrated by the lack of time to do everything I want. The more I see, the more I want to explore. I wish I had the luxury of long blocks of time to wander. I’m also still juggling work and study commitments. Numerous work emails where people are actually expecting a reply, a 5.30 am meeting that needed an hour of prep prior, a dissertation proposal for Oxford due early next week (which I haven’t started yet!)- I can’t quite escape and it’s impacting my ability to completely relax. People are always saying to me that they don’t know how I fit it all in. Right now I’m not sure!
Leaving Edinburgh was sad but I have booked a few final days in Singapore on the way home. When I arrived at the Qantas lounge in Heathrow, I was escorted to a reserved table for dinner. All this travel has landed me at Qantas Platinum One level, leading to some special treatment. Fancy!
In true team Starrett style, I’ve taken advantage of the proximity of my birthday and mentioned it when booking meals and hotels all week. This is a family tradition, started by Flynn, age five, to get a free birthday sombrero at a Mexican restaurant in New York. That success was followed by Starrett boy birthday claims (both accurate and spurious) during our trips to Walt Disney World. On this trip three free desserts have appeared at last count. My birthday itself is a casualty of time zones — the 14-hour flight and the calendar flip wipe out the 31st — so I’m happily taking the wins now.
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