strictly edinburgh

in this episode:

• Megabus
• La Sal
• Strictly Ballroom
• Howies

Megabus

Saturday finds us on the No 900 Citylink bus to Edinburgh. These buses are pretty smart and more than worth the £0.00 + £1.00 booking fee. The journey takes longer than it used to – about an hour and a half. The view from the top deck is decent and you get to see much more than you do if you were driving.

We’re staying at the York Place Premier Inn for two nights. Saturday night is expensive and not worth the best part of £200. Case unpacked we head out for a drink before dinner. You immediately know you are in Edinburgh; everything is 25% dearer than the rest of Scotland. I think £12 for a pint of Tennents and a medium glass of wine is a bit on the steep side.

La Sal

Dinner is at La Sal on Union Place, opposite The Playhouse where we are heading later. The food is good and the portions are generous. The cured meats are tasty, as is the garlic chicken. The pork cheeks melt in your mouth. Unfortunately the churros aren’t the best.

The bill comes to £70. Considering there’s a £20 bottle of wine in there I think it’s pretty good value.

Strictly Ballroom

We first saw the movie ‘Strictly Ballroom’ in 1992. I can hardly believe that was 31 years ago. Time flies – and it flies quickly. It’s one of my favourite movies – I have the DVD to prove it. It’s a delightful mixture of elegance, camp, wit, underdogs, rebellion and heart.

Strictly Ballroom The Musical seeks to emulate the movie and it almost succeeds. There are a couple of lengthy musical numbers I could have done without, but on the whole it’s fast moving and enjoyable with a rousing ‘Love Is In The Air’ finale.

Howies

Sunday morning and Saturday’s fine weather has disappeared. It’s grey and there’ a hint of rain in air. We decide on a walk up Calton Hill before lunch. It’s a bit steeper than you might imagine. The views are stunning despite the weather. To Dunbar, The Kingdom of Fife, the Three Bridges, The Scottish Parliament, Arthur’s Seat and beyond.

Howies restaurant is conveniently situated at the bottom of Calton Hill. I’m going Scottish and it’s delicious. Traditional haggis, neeps and tatties followed by Cullen Skink. The focaccia with the Cullen Skink is bid weird though, but 2 courses for £17.95 is a winner. Recommended.

Sunday night. We are going to Jeremiah’s Taproom. We walk into the pub. The quiz night has just started. It’s perhaps just as well we didn’t arrive earlier to take part. It’s a tough quiz. At least we get a 70’s music question correct.