Switzerland to Edinburgh

A week has come and flown by in Switzerland. Great to be back at Trudi's and to catch up with other good friends too again, usually being treated to some delicious feasts, brunches and dinners. It's a good job I am walking so much in my free time.

Also super to be back in Zuerich at the office surrounded by familiar faces. The walk to the office from the station is just gorgeous, if one can ignore the rubbish which has been chucked into the lake and which makes travel tricky for the newly hatched, extremely cute little ducklings.

Lucikly there are not too many such spots and in general it looks worse due to the pollen which is  carpeting the water at the moment.

Trudi, her friend Alice and I had a fantastic walk up to the Hoernli Restaurant, which surprisingly I had never been to before. The walk started relatively easily through the lovely, gently undulating  meadows covered in a sea of dandelions and buttercups. These young cattle just didn't move as we approached. I love their colour and sleek coats.

Then the walk got a bit steeper up through the forest to the summit with the tower. Very pleasant path and wonderful views over a slightly hazy Zurich Oberland from the top.

What a feast we had between the three of us. The huge platter of ham, cheese and local meats was actually intended for one. Unimagineable that someone could manage it alone. We even struggled with three of us!

Time to pack again and head off to Edinburgh. I am so thrilled that I allowed a full day here, two nights, before the tour south with Rabbies starts. The hotel is awful apart from the location and staff. I don't think I have had such a shabby room since I really travelled cheaply in my twenties. Actually, it is not even so cheap. I am happy I am alone and don't have to apologise to anyone for my choice. 

Fortunately, I do not have to stay in my room much! I have had a brilliant 1.5 days here in Edinburgh. Once again, luck is on my side and the weather has been phenomenal!
I was amazed to see the gardens in Princes Street packed with deckchairs and the lawn strewn with half naked bodies sunbathing. I had to chuckle to myself and try to imagine Swiss doing this when it is 16 degrees! We British make the most of every ray of sunshine, I think. I found the temperature perfect. The fine weather was certainly the major talking point as they had snow here only a few weeks back. 

The gardens looked spectacular with all the new growth on the trees and the flower beds a mass of colour. It really is a beautiful place.

It seemed a bit of a pity really to opt for the Historic Underground tour when over ground it was so warm and sunny, but I do  not regret my choice . It was a fabulous tour, very informative and interesting and packed full of grim tales of Edinburgh's less attractive eras. 

I had never taken any notice of historic places when I worked in Edinburgh as a 19-year-old , and in fact, the vaults under South Bridge had not yet been discovered. This happened in the 1980s and they have only been visited by the public in the last decade. Below is a model of how it must have looked and then a photo of how it looks now with buildings covering up the vaults.

I was happy to follow the guide and her candle through the dark, dank rooms and corridors. It was really pitch dark down there and the only light was from the candles, so I struggled a bit on the very uneven floor. It was a bit eery down there listening to all the incredible stories of who had lived there and what must have happened there. They do a ghost walk there too and our guide is surevshe has seen several ghosts, some happy and nice and others angry and aggressive.

After the tour I had a fantastic time on the Royal Mile, watching buskers ( a magician called Jack Heller- incredible tricks and very amusing) and having a small glass of NZ wine which cost a fortune! It was okay though as I was entertained by the people walking by! Dinner at a tiny Thai restaurant was scrumptious.

I  didn't have a very good night's sleep so was very pleased to see that the weather today was far better than forecast. I tossed up between two places I had visited last year, the Botanical Gardens or Queensferry, and Queensferry won. I am delighted that I made this choice. I have had an absolutely superb day - breathtaking views over the Firth of Forth with its 3 spectacular bridges,  blue skies with occasional clouds, and virtually no wind. It could not have been better. I have also met some very friendly people along the way and walked a long way, about 24000 steps 😀
The little village of South Queensferry is so picturesque. I am amazed that more tourists do not come here. It is a very well kept secret it seems. Apparently the name queensferry comes from the fact at. mary Queen of Scots used to take a ferry from here to Fyfe!

Last year Guni and I took a boat trip under the three bridges, this time I just enjoyed them from the shore. Aren't they magnificent? Each built in a different century.

I walked away from the village through to Roseberry Estate. The views back of the nineteenth century rail bridge were superb

And the path through the forest was so lush with bluebells and primroses scattered between the ferns under the trees. I wish I could have captured the bird song for the blog. It was beautiful.

I couldn't believe my eyes as I left the forest and found myself on a golf  course belonging to the Roseberry family, whose mansion tends to steal the show. It looks like a chateau from the Loire!

I was recommended a round trip which led me along a very pretty road which wound its way through open farm land. There were signs everywhere warning cars to be careful of the lambs, but just towards the end, I met a herd of highland cows. No mention of them on the signs! They look extremely scary with their long , very pointed horns. Luckily someone drove past and kindly offered me a lift past the cattle grid, as I was rather reluctant to walk past these beautiful, yet scary looking beasts.! I think I would have otherwise had an incredibly long walk back the way I had come.

I stopped in at Dalmeny church and got a private guided tour of this very pretty church. The altar area is the original 1150 church. It is in such good condition, it was hard to believe it was so old. I sat and tried to imagine how life has changed through the ages since it was built.

And now, i am enjoying the cool evening breeze and slowly sinking sun. It hardly gets dark here at the moment, mid May. I am on a terrace looking out over the bridges. Fantastic place to write the blog.
After, I was heading to the bus when a Rabbies bus went past with the driver frantically waving at me. How marvelous to see Alan, my very first Rabbies driver, again. The big bear hug said it all. The mutual delight of seeing someone unexpectedly!it capped off a fabulous day.

Actually still more good things were to come. Because I stopped to chat to Alan , I missed the bus and had the most deliciously fresh fish and chips ever, with this incredible view

What an unforgettable day at Queensferry.