Edinburgh Thursday

This blog post is a sequel to the series ‘The Recap of the Day – Edinburgh 2017’.
How my first day – Friday – has been, you can read about it here –> Edinburgh Travel.
How my second day – Saturday – has been, you can read about it here -> Edinburgh Saturday
How my third day – Sunday – has been, you can read about it here -> Edinburgh Sunday
How my fourth day – Monday – has been, you can read about it here -> Edinburgh Monday
How my fifth day – Tuesday – has been, you can read about it here -> Edinburgh Tuesday
How my sixth day – Wednesday – has been, you can read about it here -> Edinburgh Wednesday

The morning

On Thursday my last full day in Edinburgh started. I had several options left about what to do. Such as visiting the Writer’s Museum which would be really interesting, go to the Surgeon’s Hall museum as well which would be a unique visit I guess. I have never seen a Surgeon’s museum in a European city before. But after an early comprehensive Scottish breakfast – finally! – I decided to go to North Queensferry and visit the ‘Deep Sea World’. The Oceanium part of my complete zoo-visit in and around Edinburgh.

After breakfast I headed to the Waverly train station and bought my retour ticket to North Queensferry. The journey by train would take around twenty minutes and the stations I passed by were Haymarket, South Gyle and Dalmeny before crossing the famous red bridge and arrive in North Queensferry. I headed to the last platform, platform 20, and stepped into the train. It felt luxurious compared to the Dutch second class seats in the trains. Just a local train but it gave me a luxurious feeling. Good seats, a table and nice broad windows for a good view on the beautiful landscape of Scotland.

At the end of the morning I arrived at North Queensferry train station. Just two platforms, a bridge to cross the railroad and a nice mosaic mural. I continued my journey by foot to the Deep Sea World. This aquarium zoo is located somewhere down the hill. North Queensferry is quite a steep little village with nice walking routes towards the water and the bottom of the bridges.

 

The afternoon

Right before the afternoon started, I arrived at the Deep Sea World and bought my ticket. Throughout the day there are several activities such as feeding of the fish and sea lions, talks about the animals and so on. It really is an educational addition to your – or children’s – life. Because this is a major visit I will write a special blog post about the Deep Sea World. At the end of my tour I discovered they also offer tours to have a little look behind the scenes and how this little oceanium zoo works.

The tour would start later on the day so I had some free time meanwhile. I decided to walk through the little village and have a lovely little lunch of raisins bread with jam and a cup of hot chocolate – despite the warm weather I just love that – at ‘Café Renkins Deli’. A lovely local café and pâtissier.

 

After finishing my little lunch I headed to the little pier and lighthouse. What a nice and beautiful view! And I think I was lucky that I walked around there while the sun was shining. I am grateful for that. When I stopped halfway the pier and sat for a while, a small family – a grandmother and her son and daughter – arrived with a little bouquet of flowers. They were having a remembrance ceremony, by giving the flowers to the open water, to someone they loved and was not among them anymore – the grandfather. They stood there in silence, while the wind was howling and increasing in power, paying their respect. By having a little chat and not making any photographs nor video nor any mobile phone stuff, I paid my respect with them during the remembrance ceremony.

Afterwards we wished each other a happy and good day and all the best. How wonderful to meet lovely people at a sensitive moment in a small place where you rarely stumble upon such things. Really wonderful and maybe it was a once in a lifetime thing that occurred to me as a tourist, being able to watch and a little bit participate with the remembrance ceremony of locals.

 

After my wow-moments at the pier, the remembrance ceremony, the stunning view, the sunshine that lets you smile, the Forth Bridge… I headed back to the Deep Sea World and was ready for the behind the scenes tour. Of course this will be written in the special blog post, but after the whole thing I also visited a special exhibition about the wild life of Scotland. European animals but also some animals you would not expect or did know of and lovely photographs. There was one photograph that amazed me so much: the huge Bass Rock! I had heard that Bass Rock is big, but thát huge? Wow!

Time to head back to Edinburgh after all the wow’s of this little trip and overthinking during my journey by train back to Waverly Station.

 The evening

At the end of the afternoon and right before the evening started, I headed back home from Waverly station; switched my clothes and handbag and headed to the city center again for dinner. There was one place I had not been yet and I would love to try, though it is not that local, the Edinburgh Hard Rock Café. It was my last night so I treated myself with a ‘Magic Mystery Mojito’ cocktail, for dinner a portion of ‘Southwest Spring Rolls’ and the ‘Hickory Barbeque Bacon Burger’, served with seasoned fries and for dessert a ‘Fresh Apple Cobbler’. After all this food and finishing my lovely cocktail, it was really time to go home and pack my stuff.

 

The last Friday

The day after, on Fridays, I was heading back to The Netherlands and had my flight in the morning around eleven. I was a bit late I thought because I arrived an hour before my flight at the airport and kind of underestimated the rows and bunch of people that were waiting for the security check. And as calm the airport was in the early morning when I arrived one week earlier, how busy it was one week and a few hours later. As if the airport is growing out of its jacket. I arrived safely back at Schiphol Airport, The Netherlands, where my lovely family waited for me and picked me up. Heading really back home. Family weekend it was with sharing lots of stories of our holidays this summer.

Where have you been on holiday this summer?

Goodnight folks!

Oidhche, mhath.

Greetings by Sophie