Europe 2024

 19 June - Edinburgh Had an enjoyable weekend staying with some Scottish friends in East Calder.  East Calder is a little village located in West Lothian, Scotland about a 20 minute train trip west of Edinburgh.  It's now a commuter suburb for both Edinburgh and Glasgow.  Lots of new builds out there and lots of young families who have been priced out of Edinburgh have moved there. Got taken to dinner at local restaurant which as usual for here is very old and is on the side of a very scenic canal. It is not all new builds out there.  Lots of old buildings in very cute villages.  My initial reaction was it's a bit like the new builds in outer Western Sydney but no it is better, as they are built on the edge of very old established villages. Stayed up very late chatting about the state of the nation.  Essentially everyone is very worried about what is happening world-wide and on a less important note - what on earth is happening with the volume of touri...

 12 June - Edinburgh After yesterday's domestic day we headed out for a walk along the Water of Leith to Stockbridge. Saw 2 more of the Antony Gormley Statues in the water.  Now seen 3 out of the 6 statutes. The water was also a lot calmer than the last time we walked alongside it when some paths were flooded.  Everything is very green now.  Stephen is contemplating taking a fishing rod to have a go at catching something.  Didn't see anyone fishing but you can do so with a permit, which being Scotland, costs nothing but you still need a permit. Also went past very old building in Leith that dates from 1675. Already photographed it but interesting seeing it from the riverside. Stopped at a really good Italian coffee shop in Cannonmills.  The Scots, at least in Edinburgh, have really got their act together in terms of decent coffee. We ended up at the Colonies in Stockbridge, which we had walked past some 2 months ago.  At that stage I thought the coloni...

 11 June - Edinburgh to Porto and back again Just back from a long weekend in Porto with some Scottish friends (David and Barbara).  Great little city for a short break.  Did lots of walking up and back down cobbled streets. Overall impression - poorer than Andalusia.  But lots of building works going on.  Were told that a lot of the vacant flats (of which there were a fair few) in the centre were due to covid.  A lot of owners in the older age group died during covid and their families, who inherited their places, cannot currently afford to renovate/ update them.  Hence the places are slowly becoming derelict.  Also there is a shortage of housing due to a lot of foreigners buying up cheap property - looking at you Britain - where a large number have second homes. Lots of tourists and some places only wanted cash payment for meals etc which we haven't come across for a while.  Nearly had to find an ATM as never thought we'd need a lot of cash...