Edinburgh (part I)

I was invited to give a talk at workshop in Edinburgh. Yael joined me for for a long weekend together before the workshop.

We both been together in Edinburgh in 2001 (or was it 2000), and so we remembered the city. Yet, it was nice to spend some time away from the Israeli heat. Here we found cloudy sky and a nice chill. We enjoyed the old buildings and the small alleyways. 

The first day here, we stopped at a classic looking pub for a later afternoon meal. The place was a mix of local stopping after work or an afternoon of shopping, and few tourists like ourselves. I had haggis with neeps and tatties, which was surprisingly good. Yael had a more cautious fish & chips.  

On  the way home we passed a small cemetery.

The next day in the city was more art oriented. We went to the Fruitmarket Gallery, a very nice modern gallery with a bookstore and a cafe, and saw an exhibition by Martin Creed, a renowned young (ish) Scotish artist.  His works there included video art (which I did not connect with), a musical staircase and elevator (which was a nice gimmicky feel) and very abstract towers of objects.

We also got to see the underground of the old town, in a nice tour. They did not allow photographs, so we have to content with a picture of the guides dressed in period costumes.

We saw the obligatory windpipe player and few of the local monuments.

An interesting monument is for Greyfriars' Bobby. This was a small dog that came to sit on his owner's grave for 14 years, until he himself died and was burried next to him. There is a statue in memory of Bobby, and a bar on his name. The place is a central attraction for tourists (and dog owners).