May 20-27. Week by week: Edinburgh.

Wednesday
Up and out before 10 to explore. Walked the tourist main street (The Royal Mile). Had a lovely bit of Amaretto/Marzipan fudge. (Fudge appears to be a big Scottish thing. And something called 'tablet', which is a lot like fudge, basically.) Went to the National Museum and spent hours there. Wandered and wandered and looked at every bill-board posting to find out what's going on, as I do. It was a full and exhausting day, but it was all just wandering and exploring and there is not much to say about it. Did a bit of grocery shopping so I could make dinner for my lovely hosts and ended up waiting quite a while in a cool wind outside the flat... Calum was held up with a work event. Nevermind, it was nice to relax together when he did return and after dinner we watched a film called the Stone of Destiny, about an event in the 1950's, when a group of Scottish college students stole the Scottish coronation stone back from the British, who were holding it in Westminster Abbey. I like these history lessons. Calum and I had talked over dinner about the issue of Scottish independence and I learned a bit more about the system here. Anyway, after all this, I decided to stay up for the laundry to finish, and I was wired from too much chocolate while I had been waiting on the steps earlier in the evening... so I was up until about 4am, as the birds were beginning to sing in the coming dawn. Alas.

Thursday
Got up at 11am after that late night and after morning logistics made my way to a tango practica at the University. It was good, but it is stressful, tango, especially when coming into a new group, unsure about my own current skill level and certainly unsure of theirs... a new way of teaching and learning... all so much all at once. But it was good, anyway. Toby, the instructor, teaches everyone to lead and follow in his classes – and that is excellent. But it was really hard to step in to an intermediate level group who had been learning this way without having had much instruction as a leader, myself. We learn, we grow. Practica over, I found my way to the Roxy Art House, in an old converted church, where a lecture was on about 3 Baghdadi Sufi Mystics... it is part of an ongoing series called “Reel Iraq” which includes films and art and lectures, etc. It was interesting and I spoke for a while with a woman from Japan who is studying Sufi Mysticism at the Uni here. Beautiful world. There was an exhibition of photographs adjacent to the lecture hall that occupied me a while and then around the corner to the Dovecot Studio where there was more good art on display. After all this gazing, I found my way to a really good, although small and expensive, salad at a big funky pub/restaurant and then to tango class for the night, which ran from about 5:30-8:30. All University students, the Edinburgh U. Tango Society in fact, and they were welcoming. Lots of people there, maybe 25-30. Good leaders... especially that good-looking Spanish boy. :)
Home to a lovely veggie curry and some time to myself as Mairi is napping to keep up with her 3-job schedule for the weekend, and Calum is off to a meeting about an upcoming Couchsurfing event he is helping to organize.

Friday
Hmmm... I don't recall the morning much anymore - but I did make my way out for a walk past town and into the hills, up to a rock outcrop called Arthur's Seat. Oh yes, I was going to attend a lecture but it was canceled... Anyway, really good hiking just in the middle of town, basically. Lots of folks out and about enjoying the greenery and views. On my way back into town, I just stopped in to a little boutique with a bright yellow dress in the window that caught my eye and wound up trying on luxurious lovely things I would never dream of actually buying, but then the fashion love of my life made it's way into view - so I went home with the conundrum of whether or not to purchase. Alas. Dinner at home (again, details are fuzzy) and off to dance tango at the opening night milonga. I was an hour late, but stayed the whole night and was surprised to find Calum was still out when I came home after 1:30am.

Saturday
morning - Edinburgh farmer's market, just around the corner from the Castle and the flat. Fresh veggies and local cheeses.
fitting dress
shopping with Mairi and her friend
summer ball... tired, overwhelmed, went home early

Sunday
bananas and pb
brunch fry-up
Tango lessons - much more comfortable
Tango cafe - many good dances, felt more relaxed in the group that remained
rest - soup for dinner
milonga - great! Bruce, Gerard
Left very late and went to meet Calum at a CSer wine and cheese party, but it was wrapping up as I got there and I only met the half-dozen or so folks very briefly before we went back home. On the way out there, a small group was doing capoeira in the Meadows - a big ol' park in the middle of the city - and it made me feel comfortable and added to my love for the place.

Monday
Sleep in!
Lazy morning
Out to wander the New Town - Princes Street Gardens, National Gallery
Groceries
Home, chill out with Calum, grapes and yogurt with cucumber, cilantro, garlic for dinner. ahhhh :)
Stupid stupid FB virus!
Milonga - so-so, I was feeling quite relaxed and good but then was dancing awkwardly and it all went to shit rather quickly. Performances were lovely - left around 11:30
Heather, friend of Mairi, is staying over and we stayed up chatting a while about pregnancy, India, small towns and friends.

Tuesday
The awesomest of days
Picnic with Mairi and Heather in The Meadows
Forest Cafe for tea - shared lemon ginger with heather
Dress fitting
shopping with the girls - indian frou frou, fudge
terrace rooftop at the museum
Home, and home-made pizza for dinner
Lindisfarne mead
off to the Afghan Sufi music concert
dance dance dance
off to The Royal Oak - Americana folk being played on guitar and trumpet, with a splash of harmonica
Whiskeys with Calum -Springbank, Le Froig (?) and Tilasker (?)

Wednesday
morning chill and share music with Mairi
yogurt and sauteed greens and onions for breakfast
fudge - rum raisin and peanut butter
genmaicha from Haleh - the quintessential sushi tea, nostalgia for SF
Final dress fitting, retrieval and immediately ship it to CA...
Visited Mairi at her new, good job in a mellow little pub. Tea and muffin. Hoped to go to a ballet class I saw advertised, but apparently it was not on, so I did some writing and creative thinking in a little basement cafe at the Roxy, called the Cloisters. Quick dinner at home and off to the bus to the airport and back to Dublin... Just passed the incoming CSers on my way out the door.
In summary, it was freaking awesome to stay with Calum and Mairi and have wonderful meals at home together and share stories and just be amongst them. Also, I dig Edinburgh and would like to return and see what I can get up to in the community there. Anybody want to try out Scotland for a year with me? I'm serious, you know - I don't want to go that long without friends from home, though. Consider it, let me know.