Edinburgh

After a scenic but somewhat airless train trip, we arrived in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately we haven't been able to see much yet. We ventured out for an early dinner and only made it a few blocks in the pouring rain. We wound up at a neighborhood pub and then had a loud dessert at the Hard Rock Cafe, across the street from our hotel. (The extent of my Edinburgh sightseeing: A jacket worn by Ringo Starr and a sombrero worn by Elvis.) Then we scampered back inside and watched television. Kind of pathetic, I know.

Fortunately, we found a new "Absolutely Fabulous" TV special devoted to the Olympics -- so that kept me amused. You just can't go wrong with Edina and Patsy for company. (As long as you're not following their example.)

Now, in the early morning light, the seagulls are making a racket outside our window. They seem really big and noisy. Maybe that's because otherwise the city is so quiet at 6 a.m.

(Oh, I just heard my "Scotsman" newspaper plunked down at the hotel room door!)

The train ride, as I mentioned, was scenic. At one point I was watching dark forests slide past, carpeted with an understory of ferns, and I thought, "That looks like a forest where Robin Hood might have roamed." Then I realized we were just north of Nottingham!

We saw the ornate cathedral at Durham and the bridges over the River Tyne at Newcastle -- decorated with huge Olympic rings, just like Tower Bridge in London. (There are rings here in Edinburgh, too, on a hill above town.) North of Newcastle, the weather began to get gloomier. Dark castles stood silhouetted against the gray sky, beside towns built above the rocks and crags of the North Sea. We were right next to the water at a few points.

Hence those big, loud seagulls!