Today we rise early to organize (with 3 women sharing a bathroom, it takes a while), then walked to the Scottish National Museum—in that turned out to be an all-day rain.

We were meeting Sue and Pat Lawrence, friends of our Cotswold friends, Paul and Hilary. Pat is retired RAF, and Sue is an author—21 published cookbooks and 7 published novels! They were lively, interesting and so kind.

Pat and Sue left after brunch, while we continued on to the museum, met shortly by Steve. We learned a lot about Scottish artists, especially the Glasgow Boys and the Glasgow Girls of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. We had a chance to wander through the Impressionist section before leaving for a walk (with many detours—and stories—by Steve) to St. Gile’s Cathedral.

St. Giles’ was founded in 1124, and oldest pillars still support the elaborate spire. The stained glass is bright and alive, even on a rainy day. John Knox, founder of Presbyterianism, first preached there in 1559. Queen Elizabeth lay in state there in September, 2022.

After St. Giles, we went to get coffee, then had to take our back packs to the hotel where we are staying Saturday night. Early tomorrow we take off for a 3-day bus tour to the Isle of Skye, but we can only take our small suitcases and small bags to carry on, so we had to take our backpacks to store. It costs 60 £ to store them 3 days! But the good thing was we were right near the Royal Bar, so we ducked in there for a tasty fish and chips dinner.

We had to say a reluctant goodbye to Steve. He was so kind and generous with his time, and made our two days in Edinburgh unforgettable.