(Edited to add: Sunday September 17)
One very appreciated feature of the Hotel Berg is that their breakfast service starts at 3 am, to accommodate people with early flights. The hotel-airport shuttle service can be arranged for earlier, but starts a regular half-hour service at (I believe) 3:30. I was on the 4:30 shuttle.
The breakfast buffet is in a bare-bones cafeteria setting, with such features as communal tubs of peanut butter and jams, and a fancy coffee making machine like you see in truck stops in the US. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the coffee -- as good as some expresso drinks I've had made by humans.
One thing to know about early morning flights from Keflavik if you have to check luggage: about 100,000 people will be on the same errand, so you might want to arrive even earlier than the recommended 2 hours. I only had my hand luggage, so I had plenty of time to acquire second breakfast and proceed to my gate. Oh, and the other thing: this is truly a sprawling airport -- be prepared to be overwhelmed.
The flight was uneventful except for one thing: the Wow air cabin staff did not hand out the proper immigration cards for non-EU citizens prior to landing, so there was a bit of a scrum before entering passport control. People were all over the place, finding a flat surface and a writing implement to fill out the forms.
You'd probably be best advised to book your transportation from the Edinburgh airport ahead of time. I didn't. The taxi stand was easy to find but I am sure I spent more than I could have.
I got to the hotel about an hour after my flight touched down. I was able to dump my bags, and get in touch with my friend Catherina, who I was going to meet up with later in the day. With several hours in hand, I set off to explore, wanting to see Edinburgh Castle again.
I walked around the south side, from Princes' Street to Lothian Road to Castle Terrace to Johnson Terrace, admiring the view of the Castle from below:
and
Then I walked up the narrow stair to the Hub, intending to tour the Castle. The view is of the entry gate, with the castle looming above. I had not booked tickets ahead of time, wanting to be flexible with timing. Looking down the Royal Mile, there were throngs.
In fact, the line to purchase was at least 40 minutes, and then touring the castle itself at least an hour, and I was planning to meet Catherina.... so I bailed, and meandered down The Royal Mile, sightseeing. Along the way, I saw a vaulting team performing. Unbeknownst to me, it was the day for the 2017 Riding of the Marches. This was going to be good.
Catherina and I arranged to meet at the Holyrood Palace Cafe. I waited for her in front of the Scottish Parliament, which was quite controversial. I could not make sense of the façade. Why would the architect covered it with bent sticks and cut-outs of pistols?
At any rate, Catherina and I had a lovely visit. She treated me to a late lunch, and encouraged me to try haggis, neeps, and tatties. I had been reluctant to try haggis, because I thought you had to eat the lamb stomach it is cooked in. Not so. Haggis is a sort of loose organ meat sausage, made with ground oats. Neeps are yellowish, so may be mashed turnips and rutabagas together, or a variety of turnip, or... evidently it is controversial. Tatties are of course, potatoes, mashed.
Image description: a dollop of a white mashed vegetable, a mound of a brownish ground meat dish, and a dollop of a a yellowish mashed vegetable on a white plate.
My mouth was surprised by both the neeps and the tatties. The American version would have incorporated butter and possible milk into both mashed vegetables. The Scottish version seems to be just the vegetables themselves. It was earthy and honest but... I'd like some butter, please.
Then there was the great excitement:
Starting in the late 1500s, the citizens of Edinburgh inspect the common lands of the city on horseback. The tradition continues today, culminating in a grand equestrian parade lead by a pipe & drum band from Holyrood Palace to the Mercat Cross.
We were conveniently situated right at the start of the parade, where the crowds were thin. We both enjoyed it tremendously.
This is the beginning of the parade, with the the pipe and drum band. Catherina pointed out it was from a local high school.
And the second part, which is a portion of the cavalcade of horses. One thing you are missing here: the horses had all galloped hard, relatively recently, so the tang of sweaty horse was quite evident. No smell-o-vision yet, alas. Well, maybe you wouldn't like it, but I did.
If you enjoyed the parade, you might want to take a look at the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity page. They were the official Charity Partner for the 2017 Riding of the Marches.
Catherina then drove me back to my hotel (greatly appreciated, as I was beginning to flag) and we made our adieux. I looked at the dinner menu and was motivated to walk around the neighborhood, looking to see if there were any intriguing restaurants nearby. I did not find any, but I did scope out the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
I returned to the hotel and settled for the "all you can eat buffet". It wasn't bad, it just was cafeteria / dormitory level cuisine.
The next day: visiting my niece Maddy Grace at St. Andrews.
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