Ches and I were only in Edinburgh for a few hours before we reached the conclusion that we far prefer smaller cities to the large such as Paris. Even with Edinburgh's population of just under 500,000 swollen by tens of thousands of visitors for the Fringe Festival, it's just more comfortable.

Alison met us at the airport where we waited for over 30 min for the worst rental car company in the world to provide us with a pre-booked car. Their customer service really Hertz. They used to market themselves as delivering customer service till it Hertz, but that's not been my experience in Brisbane or here in Edinburgh.

Alison has arranged for us to stay in her apartment (Drew joining us for two nights from Tuesday). She has moved to Ann's home around 20min away and we are so grateful but feeling very guilty for putting her out of her home. Her apartment is the top floor of a three story terrace, similar to the Crescent in Bath. As Alison pointed out, they are all superior to Bath because while Bath has a wonderful façade there is nothing behind, while here in Edinburgh, the rear is wonderful gardens. She has stunning views from the front and the rear.

She cooked us a Scottish steak dinner that was fantastic and then set off for the night. We were in bed and asleep just after 9.00 (10.00 Paris time)

We had a great Sunday walking Princess St and the Royal Mile. We walked into town from Alison's apartment and then perhaps 2/3 of the length of Princess St, then up to the Royal Mile (High St) and then down to the Kirk of the Canongate or, Canongate Kirk. Alison had surprised me with the information that atop the façade there is not the usual cross but a stags head with a cross between the antlers. This is the Crawford family crest. So what is it doing on this church?

By family tradition, for his part in saving the life of King David I in 1127, Sir Gregan Crauford was granted the use of arms of a stag with a cross between its antlers, and that is the crest of the Crawford clan today.

"The church was founded in 1688 and completed in 1691. Previously the residents of the Canongate had used the Abbey Church adjacent to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, but King James VII ordered the construction of the new Kirk of the Canongate, allowing the Abbey Church to be converted into a Chapel for the Order of the Thistle. (The current Thistle Chapel is attached to St Giles' Cathedral).

Architecturally, the Kirk has a Dutch-style end gable and a curious, small doric-columned portico over the entrance. The end gable is topped with a golden cross inside a pair of antlers, the now obsolete coat of arms of the Canongate, first placed on the apex of the roof in 1824 and replaced by those from a stag shot at Balmoral by King George VI in 1949"

The royal family regularly attended services in the Kirk. Zara Phillips married Mike Tindal here, the Queen and Phil attended a service last year and Edward and Sophie last week to launch the festival.

Scotland's physician to George III and a popular Edinburgh University Professor by the age of 23, James Gregory's stumbling block appears to have been his temper. He reputedly beat up one of his academic peers, earning him a fine of £100, but the recrimination apparently didn't improve his attitude, and he offered to pay the fine (around £6,000 today) if he could repeat the assault.

Gregory is one of several inimitable figures buried in the Canongate kirkyard - a cemetery on Edinburgh's Royal Mile used between the late 17th and mid-20th centuries. Adam Smith, the forward-thinking economist and a key player in the Enlightenment, is another. It is right next door to his old residence, Panmure House."

Also buried here are 'Clarinda' - the muse for much of Burns' love poetry - and David Rizzio, the secretary who was murdered in front of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Clarinda's is not the only memorial with a Burns connection, poet Robert Fergusson gravestone was paid for by Robert Burns. Fergusson's use of Scots in his poetry inspired Burns greatly, and on visiting Edinburgh he went to see the grave only to find there was no headstone. Burns paid for one and wrote the inscription.

Elsewhere, a group memorial recalls the Coachdrivers Society who operated the Edinburgh to London route, taking an arduous ten days - 12 in winter - to make the journey from 1754 onwards.

We then decided it was time for lunch however rather than seek out one of the café/restaurants with seats in the sun, we decided that Mini's Bakery looked promising. They have won the latest cake baking awards in Scotland. A family business it turns out who have now opened three shops in the last 5 years and this one on the Royal Mile is tiny or mini.

There is only seating for 8 and we managed the last two, otherwise we might have missed out on the experience. Not only great cakes and slices but Ches confessed, Pulled Pork that is better than hers. That's what we had for lunch and then bought 6 slices to take for supper with the Crawford family.

We walked on up the Royal Mile where there were temporary stages set up in the street which was closed to traffic. The crowds were as thick as New Orleans on New Years Eve which were the thickest we'd ever seen. Performances from all over the world on every stage and eventually we decided that it was time for home to get ready for meeting the family.

Two days later, I'm still kicking myself. I didn't take any photographs of the family. Alison had cooked dinner for us and we finally met Rhona and Charlie (John's daughter and Son), Zoe and Paddy (Charlie's children), Jeanette (Alison's friend) and Alison, my cousin. We are all descended from James Crawford who was born in Antrim (Ireland) to parents Robert Crawford and Mary Gibson who were born in Elgin Scotland. My Great Grandfather remained in Australia and Alison and John's Great Grandfather was taken to Scotland when he was around 16 y.o. when James and Mary returned to the U.K. in 1870. It's a long story!

Unfortunately Ann (John's wife) was away in France and we met at her house on the fringes of Edinburgh with typical Scottish heather clad hills close out the rear windows. We had a wonderful time meeting the family and we will have to return. We also hope they might make it back to Australia as well. They have all visited at some time in the past.