It was a relatively quiet day today. We even took time out just before our fast walk to sift through 5 or 6 thrift shops looking for pieces of old, interesting English or Scottish china. What has gotten into us?

Later we had another really good meal at another great Edinburgh restaurant, The Queen's Arms -- I know it sounds as we do, but we actually do not eat all the time. I must admit that I do talk about it a good deal. But the food here is good and worth talking about! We usually have a light breakfast of yogurt and fruit and maybe an egg at the apartment, then we chow down on a great lunch around 1:30 or so. Finally, we have salad in the apartment at night -- it's a great routine that seems to work for us.

Back to the point. . . after lunch we meandered through town and then made our way to Calton Hill which is a tall, volcanic hill that literally looms over the city. It has royal history -- good grief, doesn't every site around here have royal connections somehow?? But it is most famous for having Edinburgh's first observatory and several important monuments on it's top. Most of all, it provides an incredible 360 degree view of the city -- old town to the north and west, new town to the north and east, the highlands to the south. We are the luckiest people on earth. Today was the clearest, best weather day Ediinburgh has had all year. We could see for miles.