[June 2021] I would like to write down what I noticed and what I was surprised at, during our one-month stay in Edinburgh, Scotland, which I could not cover so far.
We stayed at an Airbnb on Wellington Street, just behind Calton Hill.
It was in a good location in the heart of the city, but we had to keep going up the hill to get to the Royal Mile, the main street of the old town.
Edinburgh is a town whose streets are almost all slopes.
If you are born here, your legs will grow stronger.
At the Royal Mile, which we finally arrived at, the closed souvenir shops were noticeable, and the open shops seemed to be frustrated.
Most of them put up a bill on their windows, saying, “SNP has abandoned us.”
SNP means Scottish ruling party, Scottish National Party.
Perhaps they are dissatisfied with the lack of government support as tourists plummet during the Covid crisis.
However, the things they were selling were almost the same everywhere, the usual tartan check and Harris Tweed products.
I thought they need a little more ingenuity.
Most of the people on the road were white.
It’s very different from London, where all races are mixed.
I noticed that there were many redheads in particular.
Surprisingly, there were many young Chinese people, too, and they were probably students studying in Edinburgh.
However, the driver of Uber on the way back to the airport was a Muslim who was rarely seen in the town.
I wondered if there was an area where many Muslim people live, but he said that he lived in our Airbnb neighbourhood.
I have talked about the dark colours of the buildings in Edinburgh, but one of the things that makes the image of the whole town harsh was the fences.
There were sharp fences all over the place, which were rather hostile.
However, in June when we were there, flowers were in full bloom, and the colourful flowers were peeking out from those fences, so the impression was a little softened.
Although the image of the town was heavy, the air itself wasn’t heavy.
The air was clean in the town where the wind blows everywhere.
One thing that surprised me was that despite being a Scotch whisky country, alcoholic beverages were sold only from 10 am to 10 pm.
My husband tried to buy wine several times at a supermarket where he stopped by during his morning walks and was refused, so I looked it up, and found that it was ruled by law.
Also, it was a small surprise that the sugar wasn’t on the table at the cafes.
We couldn’t get the sugar without asking the waiter.
I also noticed that there were many construction sites in the town.
Perhaps it is to help the economic recovery that was depressed by the pandemic.
At Elm Row, Airbnb’s neighbourhood, construction of a tram leading to the airport was underway.
I wonder if I can ride this the next time I visit.
In June, when we were there, the daytime was long and the weather was good, and we came back to London from Edinburgh with a good impression.
I’m sure they have a different face in winter.
