Arthur's Seat

Sunday, June 30th

I tried to go to church today. I looked it up on the Internet and mapped it out. I figured out which bus to take and when to leave. But I couldn't find the church. Sigh.

I had decided that Sunday would be a good day to hike Arthur's Seat. They say it doesn't really have anything to do with the famous King Arthur. More likely it's a mispronunciation of Archer's Seat, because it's a big hill and would have been a good defensive place.

 

From the bottom, the hill looks like a nice gentle hill. A pleasant climb. It is very deceptive. The hill is STEEP. It is for real a hike. It's rocky and windy. The higher you get the windier it gets. I swear I was close to getting blown off at the top.

 

 

 

I was standing on top, taking some pictures when my Australian friends came up! They had been hanging out around one side of the hill for a while. They pointed me to a nice grassy area where it was less windy and I could hang out. By less windy I mean I wasn't about to get picked up like a kite. But still really windy. I sat for a little bit and took some pictures. You can see from the sea all the way up the Royal Mile to the castle. It's amazing.

Then I noticed some clouds coming. And I thought "I should start heading down so I can get inside somewhere before it starts raining." I started down the hill. But then the clouds over the city looked ally cool so I stopped and took some pictures. Then I thought "those clouds are moving fast, I better get going." But they looked so cool I took more pictures. Then it finally hit me how fast the rain was coming. But it was too late. I made it about ten yards down this really big hill before it was pouring rain. I was dripping after a few minutes. Did I mention I was wearing sandals not real shoes?

 

 

I warmed up in a Starbucks, then went in search of dinner. I was too ate for Sunday roast but I did have this yummy soup called Scottish skink. I also had fish and chips. I could get used to eating in pubs.