August 18 ~ Our last full day in Edinburgh, Scotland

One final lunch together

Today was Dick’s birthday.  Our three weeks in Scotland was coming to an end, but we had this one day left to enjoy this beautiful stone city.  Dick said that a big bowl of Bolognese pasta sounded good, so we suggested an Italian restaurant where we had eaten a delicious dinner a week earlier.

Unfortunately the menu was limited at lunchtime compared to the dinner offerings and we settled for the special of the day.  It was good, but not the memorable meal we had hoped for.

One of the things that had stood out for me on our previous visit was our waiter, Giovanni. He had questioned us as to where we were from, and hearing that we were from the Los Angeles area he informed us, “I knew it!  I watched Desperate Housewives, and I could tell you were from there”.  

I’m still not sure if I should be flattered, insulted or both, but it certainly did give me a chuckle to think that his impression of someone from the USA, California and/or Los Angeles was based on him having watched that particular TV show.

He did make an effort to get us into the celebratory mood by bringing a candle to the table and setting it in front of Dick for the special occasion.

Happy birthday Dick!

Once again we walked up and down the Royal Mile.  The Fringe Festival was still in full swing and hundreds of plays, musicals and one-man-shows were being performed all over the city.  The Royal Mile was the place to watch a sneak preview of an act, or to talk to individual actors that were hawking their particular show.  We were in search of a comedy to watch.

One that caught our eye was “An Evening With Dementia”.  Sadly it was being performed after we were leaving town or we would have selected it to see.  It was quite entertaining watching people on the street however.  The actor (man with sign on his back) was in character as he moved along the walkway.  People stared and often gave him a wide berth.

An Evening With Dementia

We ended up choosing an improv show “Men with Coconuts” that was similar to the old Drew Carey show, “What’s my line”.

Improv show

Although nowhere near the caliber of Drew Carey and crew, we still got some chuckles and enjoyed their creativity.

On a completely different note – Scotland has a HUGE vote coming up on the 18th of September.  The question being voted on is:

“Should Scotland be an independent country?”

I had an opportunity to speak to a couple of people while here to try to get a feel for which way the wind was blowing and came away with the impression that the vote will be a close one.  For more information about the Scottish Independence Referendum, 2014 you can click here and here.

“Scots are about to take the biggest decision of their lives in 300 years – a vote on independence, yes or no?”

If however I was to go by the percentage of “Yes” signs I saw posted in windows all over town, then I think the tide may swing in that direction.

“YES” signs in the windows

This is one more reason that I love traveling.  It opens my eyes to different situations throughout the world.  When you have seen the place involved, talked to the people and read a bit about both sides of an issue, suddenly you become more involved, even if just to find out what the outcome will be.

It will be very interesting to follow this election.

I am both sad and happy to be leaving Scotland.  I have enjoyed the warm, friendly people and the amazing stone buildings dating back hundreds of years.  The music, culture, lively festival, gorgeous country (especially in the highlands) has been a treat I will not soon forget.  I even liked the haggis.

On the other hand, the weather here has made a mockery of my telling my husband that we would be following the sun. I am ready to be slowly making my way back toward home and with us turning south back to England seems to be a step in that direction.

Next stop:  Liverpool

We have less than two weeks before we depart from Warwick (near London) for our transatlantic cruise back to the states.

Gratitude Moment:  Today I am grateful to be watching history in the making.  I am also grateful that the people of Scotland are able to have their voices heard through how they vote in a free election next month.