Watt

You are probably wondering where is this place Watt.  It is not a place.  It is the name of a person, a relative, in fact.  He is the father-in-law of one of my nieces, who married a Scotsman.  Watt lives in Edinburgh and since I am in this part of the world, decided to visit him for a couple of days.  This is my second trip to Edinburgh.  You can read more about my visit here in May 2013.  Click here to read about my post about the neighborhood and my time in Scotland then.

I took a 3-hour flight from St. Petersburg, Russia, to London's Heathrow Airport on a British Airways flight.  I was surprised to see that the flight was fully booked, mostly with British tourists to Russia.  One thing that stands out is the mediocre service of British Airways.  It seems that most legacy airlines are in financial trouble, with competition from smaller startup airlines.  Airlines like British Airways, SAS, KLM, Cathay Pacific, Alitalia, Swiss Air, that used to be country flag-bearing airlines are now struggling to survive.  They are burdened with unions, pensions, sunk costs, and are having trouble competing with newer startups like Norwegian Air, WOW, Air Asia, Ryan Air, easyJet, etc.  The new airlines are providing better service and more flight options at much lower prices.  It's free-market capitalism at its best.

I have no agenda on this trip other than to visit Watt.  Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities, with a mixture of old and new in its city center.  Standing high above everything is Edinburgh Castle. Start there, then slowly walk down the Royal Mile.  If the buildings on the Royal Mile could talk, they will be telling you the history of Scotland, back a few hundred years.  On my first visit here, Watt walked us down the Royal Mile and told us the history and story behind some of the significant buildings.  Again, on my blog, click on 2013, then May, on the right.  I wrote several posts about my wonderful trip then.

On my first day we drove over the newly-built Queensferry Crossing (bridge) across the Firth of Forth towards St. Andrews, the town where the famous golf course is located.  We were headed towards the town of Anstruther for one of the best fish-and-chips restaurants in the UK.  The Anstruther Fish Bar has won several awards, the most prestigious coming in 2009 when it won the UK Fish & Chip Shop of the Year.  It was about an hour drive, through beautiful Scottish countryside and small towns.  We passed farms, golf courses, old factories, old coal-mining towns, dead linoleum factories, and towns that today are basically bedroom communities for those working in Edinburgh.  Scotland is an old country that has seen its better days of ship-building, coal-mining and other early industrial might surpassed by countries like Japan, Korea, Singapore, India, etc.  Nevertheless, I am here to enjoy the beauty of Scotland, not to debate the tide of economic ups-and-downs.

Anstruther Fish Bar

Inside the restaurant

The basic (haddock) fish & chips, for about £9

Anstruther is a popular tourist town, by the looks of the crowd on this Sunday afternoon.  It's a fishing town that attracts a lot of tourists from the surrounding area.  The restaurant itself has a 30-minute wait.  When we were here in 2013, we couldn't get in because the wait was too long.

Some pleasure boats docked off the main road

Houses along the main road in Anstruther

I have fond memories of my visit 4 years ago:  the greenery around the Princess Street Gardens, Edinburgh Castle, St. Giles Cathedral, Calton Hill, etc.  After our fish & chip trip, I asked Watt to drop me off at the Grassmarket, an area filled with eateries and tourist shops.  I walked through the area, then up Victoria Street, and found myself on the Royal Mile.  On my last visit, Watt walked us through the Royal Mile and gave us a history lesson on Scotland.  If the buildings on the Royal Mile could talk, they will be telling you the history of Scotland.  This where the tourists come to.  It is most popular in August when they have the Edinburgh Festival.  

Tower dedicated to Sir Walter Scott, a famous Scottish writer

Red telephone booths, with St. Giles Cathedral in the background, on the Royal Mile

Statue of Adam Smith, father of modern Economics

A tourist shop selling Scottish clothing

Attracting tourists to a cafe

Edinburgh Castle

Scottish National Gallery, with free admission

Overlooking the greens of Princess St. Gardens 

Calton Hill, a cemetery, in the distance

A different view of Princess St. Gardens

A telephone booth, now an ATM

Eateries in the Grassmarket Area

Restaurant specializing in pull pork

It was a nice 2-day visit to Edinburgh and seeing Watt.   I had mentioned to Watt in the past that I'd like to get a set of old hickory golf clubs.  They used to be abundantly available but now are hard to find.  Watt gave me his old putter, which I am going to treasure and display in my living room.