Dropped curbs, poor pavements and a tram system!

15 April 2013

I'm back home again; actually I got back late afternoon on Saturday but I still felt tired yesterday.  All I did yesterday apart from going out to a garden centre with Jan was sort out about half of the photos I got while in Edinburgh.  As for city itself ...

Edinburgh is a really nice city all round, however, like all cities it does have its problems.  Right now £1 billion is being spent in building a tram line and the chaos in and around Princes Street is horrendous.  But the thing is, I didn't meet one local who thought there was any need for a tram system.  The bus service is really good and is popular but the council in its wisdom ignored the people yet again and went ahead with the tram plan.  But could the money be better spent?  Well, yes it could!

Around the Royal Mile, Princes Street an George Street areas the dropped curbs are fine if a little steep.  But the pavements all over the city are exceptionally bad!  Away from the main tourist areas the dropped curbs are just about none existent!  I took to using the cycle lane to get to and from the city centre on my scooter.  But that angered a lot of the car drivers, but only them.  Using the cycle lane was only marginally better than the pavements though.  The road surface is just as bad if not worse than the pavements.  A better way of spending £1 billion would have been sorting that lot out and building an tram system that isn't needed and not wanted. 

The other major issue I had on my scooter was the cobbled streets.  However, Edinburgh is an historic centre and the cobbled streets are all part of its history and character.  They do look good to when they are maintained but for us scooter riders they are nightmare!  Even so, I wouldn't agree to them being replaced if I asked about it.  They actually do add to the magic of Edinburgh. 

I had a big surprise the first pub I went into.  They had four real ales on tap!   

Yes, four of them.  I wasn't expecting many at all really, if any.  But all the pubs I went into had at least four ales on tap.  I was expecting that most of the drinking there would be lager, usually Tennents.  Not keen on it mesen like.  But even the locals were drinking the ales. 

Food tended to be a bit hit and miss though.  The fish and chips I had in one pub was OK, just but I've had better.  The haggis I had twice was superb both time times.  Someone has come up with the idea of presenting it as tower with taties on the bottom, neaps in the middle and haggis on the top, served with a whisky gravy or sauce.  I had intended to go to butchers just up the road from my hotel and buy a few haggis links to bring home with me I forgot all about it ... ah well.

Overall I really enjoyed my week away.  The hotel, Lauderville House Guest House was the best B&B I've ever stopped in.  Staff were friendly and welcoming and the house itself was not only just clean but very smart too.  Jan wants to go up for a week too so we will be booking in there when we go.

Seeing as to where I spent last week, today's photo is fairly obvious ... 

Edinburgh Castle.

And now for a funny ... 

A man fell asleep on the beach in Florida for several hours and got horrible sunburn, specifically to his upper legs.  He went to the hospital, and was promptly admitted after being diagnosed with second-degree burns.
With his skin already starting to blister, and the severe pain he was in, the doctor prescribed continuous intravenous feeding with saline, electrolytes, a sedative, and a Viagra pill every four hours.
The nurse, who was rather astounded, asked, 'What good will Viagra do for him, doctor'?
The doctor replied,   'It won't do anything for his condition, but it'll keep the sheets off his legs.'