5 June - Edinburgh

Found my new home - Victorian cottage and garden - only issue is it is located in Princes Garden which is in the middle of Edinburgh.  Gather it is vacant though. 

Today (Wednesday) has turned icy again so got out jumpers and warm coats and headed off to our friends at Three to buy another months worth of a UK phone number and data.  Getting used to acting pathetic and asking them to do it all for us.  Three is in my officially favorite shopping center in Edinburgh - the St James Quarter.  Found out why a shop we bought some tops and jeans at a very discounted price for were giving such discounts - they were emptying the shop of stock and closing.  We got lucky it seems.

After farewelling our friends at Three for another month, I said to Stephen we were having a coffee at The Marketplace which is on the top floor of my favorite shopping centre.  Very good cup of coffee - probably trained by Australians.

While it was cold, we wanted to have a walk through Princes Garden which runs alongside Princes Street in the New Town area.  Used to be a loch that was part of the city's defensives and then had to be drained as was a cesspit full of sewerage.  Now it's a lovely garden running from Waverley Station past the National Gallery and onto the far end of Castle Rock. Aside from the above Gardeners Cottage, it has lovely trees, flowers (all starting to blossom now) and many statutes and a fountain.  Took lots of pictures of flowers and as it is directly below the Castle in part and the Old Town, there are some amazing photos to be had of the Castle etc.  Probably overdid it but hard to resist.

The baby elephant is there as elephants never forget.  It is to do with a scandal concerning the cremation of babies and then telling the parents there were no ashes to be given to them.  Happened in a Government funded and run Crematorium. Inquiry said it happened due to Management's "laziness and bad attitudes". Sigh.

This statute below is to do with some Siberian bear adopted by the Polish Free Army but then the plaque also referred to some other bear who lived in the Edinburgh Zoo.  I don't know.  There are many statutes concerning Wars in the Gardens.  We just liked the bear.

This fountain below is much photographed as it also captures the Castle above it.  I read that it was part of the Great Exhibition in London in 1862.  I wish I could be transported back in time to see the Great Exhibition.  If only Doctor Who was real.

And many photos of trees and flowers, views of the Old Town, the Castle, the New Town, the Bear again etc from our Garden walk.  It was cold but very sunny.  (As opposed to later when I looked up from my book to see it hailing.  Summer in Scotland...)