The European summer vacation this time is to Scotland, and as has been our cheap habit, we flew out of Toronto again. It involves a longish drive of about 5.5 hours, but it costs about half of what any airport in or near NE Ohio charges.

So, we got up Saturday morning, got ready, took care of the kitties, and were on the road about 9:00 am for a 6:55 pm flight. That was prudent, as there was about a twenty-minute wait at the Canadian border, and we always have to stop for the bathroom, so we got to the airport a little after 3:00 when I was aiming for 4:00. That worked out okay too, as the line to check-in took about an hour, after which we cruised through security in just a few minutes. That left us at our gate about two hours before boarding, so we ate in a real restaurant (as opposed to take-out).

The flight over is not long, as trans-Atlantic flights go, taking only about 6.5 hours. The biggest surprise on an otherwise smooth flight was the lack of entertainment systems in the seat-backs. I had read about this movement in the industry, but this was the first time I had seen it (or not seen it). To save weight and money, airlines are doing away with seat-back screens and instead offering movies and TV and such using wireless to tablets, laptops, and phones. We had my laptop, but I had stowed it and was not too much inclined to get it out for a shorter flight. So, we both read instead, and I actually managed a few restless short naps.

We got in to Glasgow on time around 6:45 am, but it took quite awhile to clear customs and get our luggage. We had to get to the train station to get to Edinburgh where our B and B was located, but that was easy via a bus from the airport. We saw a (very) little of the city as we drove in, and the downtown looked nice as far as I could see. We got to the station and onto a train around 8:00 am, just a few minutes before it pulled out.

So it was we got to Edinburgh around 9:20 am, and after a couple of mis-starts, we walked the 1.5 miles from the station to our B and B, getting there about 10:30. The walk let us see the city at a slower pace, and it looked interesting – the restaurant scene suggested a very multicultural city. We also kept catching glimpses of Arthur’s Seat, a huge rocky hill right up against the town. It was odd to be in an urban area and see this huge green hill opening up at the end of alleys and streets.

The slower-paced walk also was good in that by the time we got to our B and B, our room was almost ready. As such, we were able to grab a jet-lag-busting three-hour nap and still be heading out to explore by about 3:00 in the afternoon. Since it does not get dark until 10:30 pm this far north, that left plenty of time to explore.

We grabbed a quick lunch/supper at a pub, which was a great little pub – sprawling, with lots of nooks, and as a bonus, they had great food. Fortified, we grabbed a bus back into the downtown area to explore the Royal Mile.

The Royal Mile is a (more or less) mile-long stretch of road that starts at the top of the hill at the castle, and then runs straight down through the middle of the city and ends at the royal residences and the new Scottish Parliament building. The end of the street also has amazing views of Arthur’s Seat.

On the way to the start of the walking tour (from Meredith’s Rick Steves’ tour book), we ran into a woman advertising a free improv show which started at 7:30. Mer seemed as excited about that prospect as I did, so we made tentative plans to go see it. We also got to see a witty street entertainer swallow a long balloon and lie down on a bed of nails. Random things like that are what makes travel special.

The castle was closed since it was a little after 5:00 on a Sunday, but we were able to stick our heads into the adjacent weavers’ mill, though it turned out the looms were not running since it was Sunday after 5:00. The gift stores (multiple) were all open, of course, and seemed to be doing a steady business.

There are a LOT of Scottish stores along the mile, especially the first half. I’m not sure how twenty stores all selling kilts stay in business, but they seem to do just that. We did not bother with those too much, instead focusing on the sights mentioned in the guidebook. That included several tiny (and blissfully quiet) alleyways into isolated courtyards, the original Parliament building, a huge old church that now houses the main office of the Edinburgh Festival, and then St. Giles Cathedral, which is central to Scottish Presbyterianism. We saw where the old gates had been (the “End of the World” to those who dwelt inside the walls at the time), as well as a tiny piece of the wall. We saw a small church that is where the queen worships when she is in town, and the adjacent cemetery where Adam Smith (of Wealth of Nations fame) is buried. We finished the walk at the new Parliament building, which is very funky and deliberately unimposing, as well as getting to see (through locked gates) the royal residence palace, where the Queen will actually be residing starting on Tuesday for a few days.

The walk being over, we headed back up the street until we found the crossroad where the improv show was going to happen. The theater was in the basement of a bar, and looked to seat about sixty people. The stage was just an open space up front, and we sat in the front row, so we were very close to the action.

It was a fun evening, There were three acts, with the first one going about fifty minutes to an intermission, and then the second and third acts splitting the second half of the show. The first act was made up of five people, and they did fifty minutes of continuous scenes based off of the word “turtle.” They got launched on the word, and then would yell, “Cut to …” whatever, which would change the scene to something that had gotten mentioned at some point, like, “Cut to the doctor’s office.” It worked really well, and was quite strong, with just a couple of scenes that were a little slow.

The second act stole the show for me. I think it was a husband/wife team, and they sang improvised songs based on fake song titles we would give them. They had wonderful chemistry as they told us the (made up) background to the song we were about to hear, and they kept adding information to the scene before finally singing the song (while the guy played banjo or mandolin or even concertina). They were warm and engaged the audience well, and they were great.

The last act of the evening was a little uneven. They had some brilliant moments, but also had some slower ones as well, and they used off-color language more than I cared for. It was still entertaining, though, and we had a good time seeing improv with a Scottish accent.

We finished the evening by eating at an Indian restaurant that was still open at 10:20 at night, and got back to the B and B around 11:30. It was a very solid day of touring, which is remarkable given that when we travel to Europe, we usually do well to squeeze in supper and a little sightseeing on the first day. Getting to see a local show was very special.