Free Olde Stuff, Beaches, and Bus Rides.

It was Doors Open Weekend in Edinburgh, which means that a lot of buildings that aren't normally open to the public are, well, open to the public. And free! Free is heavenly to those of us on a student budget. We do things we would never dream of doing (remember ballet?) when they are free.

Because we have bus passes and were a bit fed up with the University area of the city, David and I opted to head to Duddingston and Portobello for the day. After a quick stop at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (is that a mighty name or what?), we walked across Holyrood Park to Duddingston, an adorable village my friend Nick first showed me a few years ago.

We wandered around the graveyard of Duddingston Kirk before a perfect old Scottish man gave us a guided tour of the church that dates to the 12th century. Half of this building -- still an active church -- opened in 1124, which brings me back to timeless question: why does my house creak?

Next we caught a bus to Portobello Beach and explored a Victorian Bathhouse, featuring Turkish baths and an active swim team. We ran away from some North Sea waves, tossed a few sea shells, and watched the happiest dogs in the world retrieve tennis balls from the sea. I'm also pretty sure we saw a Viking paddling towards land, which was our sign to catch the bus back to Stockbridge.


3 comments

  1. nice victorian bath house-the turkish baths are great & the plunge pool is very often very cold- & my sister said it was pretty cold yesterday after her 20mile training run.
    see you soon,
    fi

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  2. your house creaks because it isn't the same sturdy construction, nor has that church had to withstand your accordion-crazed lifestyle. that is all.

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  3. Nancy, I got so annoyed when I visited Bath and saw plumbing that had been running since 2000 BC or whatever.... and thinking about how many checks I've cut to plumbers!

    Fiona -- maybe it's best we forgot our swimsuits after all...

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