Neeps and Tatties

It was raining when we got to Edinburgh.  The rain wasn’t particularly aggressive- just a light mist, but it was enough that we didn’t want to make the ten minute walk to the hotel.  There was a spot on the sidewalk where folks were lined up to catch taxis, and we got into the line.  That got us deposited right at the front door of our hotel for not too much money.  That puts our transportation for the day at two subways, one international train that runs underground, one overland train and one taxicab.  We’re in for the night.  It’s kind of early for that, but the weather is being a bit uncooperative, and honestly, it was a long day of shuffling from point A to point B.  We checked into our room and found it to be pretty fancy.  There’s a shower and a tub.  I am sitting at a nice writing desk, now, and if I am so inclined, I can loaf around in one of the two fancy hotel robes they provided.  I’m opting for PJs and socks, but it’s good to know I have options.  

One of the things we did when we arrived was hop on the WiFi and ask a few AI platforms about what we should do.  We have things planned and booked for tomorrow, but today, we knew we’d be wiped out and kind of in need of food, a pillow and a blanket. Chat GPT and Gemini both agreed that we had several good options near our hotel, if our true intention was to eat haggis.  

And of course we wanted to eat haggis.  We’re in Scotland, for heaven’s sake.  We had escargots and beef tartare in Paris, and we will most certainly have fish and chips in London.  When you go to a place, you should try the thing they do the best.  That’s why we needed to have haggis today.  

We zeroed in on a “Taste of Haggis” appetizer at the White Hart Inn.  It was a good, little plate, and it left us wanting to try this dish at other restaurants while we’re here.  The haggis came with neeps and tatties- that’s turnips and potatoes- and a lovely whisky sauce.  We also had some whisky that hadn’t been made into sauce, because when you’re in Scotland, you try a little Scotch.  We drank wine in France, right?  It was pretty great to soak in the vibe of the pub and see that, while there were loads of tourists, there were lots of Scottish folks around, too.  It’s kind of cool- you walk down the street where our hotel is, cross and head to the pub.  Takes no time at all- and while you walk, you can glance up at Edinburgh Castle.  That’s just their normal background scenery.  Wow.  We’ll be touring the castle tomorrow along with the Royal Mile.  More on that when the time comes.  For tonight, we’re well fed, we have a little Scotch Whisky in our bellies and we’re about to tuck ourselves in so we can sleep soundly in a nice bed and not fitfully in a train seat.  

As always, more photos are here in the album: tinyurl.com/dunlap-pl