Last full day of trip!

My peaceful morning at the Airbnb was disturbed by horrible noise nearby that I discovered later was stonework.  The whole back of the building next door which was numbered 1A and this one is #1 was covered in scaffolding!

Escaping the noise, it was a short walk to the post office and a 15 minute wait for it to open at 9:30, Then I went the the Royal Botanic Garden which is just down the street, so close! Although the season is unpromising, I still found it lovely. And it's free! Of course, there was a nice restaurant and an art gallery! It's about 50 or so acres but, unfortunately, the glasshouses are closed for reconstruction.

"Linder" (Sterling), artist, 50 years of collage and photography work, at the Inverleith House Art Gallery

She did the cover for a Buzzcocks album, "Orgasm Addict", 1977.

Then I went to the Museum of Childhood which had a small toy store on the front. Being Scottish,  I didn't recognize a lot from my childhood,  but there's always Barbie!

Remember knitting with spools with little prongs? 

I revisited the National Gallery, thinking I had only seen the first floor, but Olga and I had seen most everything, albeit quickly. So I tried to go more slowly this time. I really liked The Skater by Sir Henry Raeburn but not enough to buy a magnet, wooden bookmark, tea towel, or postcard with that image.

Then I was exhausted (6 miles today) and it was 5:00, closing time for almost everything except bars and restaurants, so I found a nice restaurant called Mother India. The street and restaurant were jammed full of mostly older people and I wondered how many tourists buses could have left them all at the same place! While exiting the loo in the restaurant a woman seeking the ladies' (although her grandchild had told her she should use the Gents because she was wearing pants) told me it was the afternoon play, "War Horse" that had just ended. The whole audience seemed to be wandering the streets and because it was a weekday, they were mostly retired folks.

Picture near my table at Mother India

   "War Horse" which is based on a 1982 novel by Michael Morpugo is about the bond between a horse, forced to serve  in a war, and a man trying to find his horse

Edinburgh's geography confuses me and it still does after 7 days here and now these 3 (and staying in 4 different places doesn't help) so I guess I would need more time. 

I ran into my guide from the walking tour a month ago, Graeme, who has since grown a beard (to cover his double chin, or so he said)! He's a sweet funny man and it was nice chatting with him again.