A Veggie Delight... also known as my sister, Laura

My older sister Laura came to visit last week! She arrived Saturday morning in skinny jeans and a black turtleneck sweater... I immediately missed NY. We swapped stories and updates, and although there was lots to catch up on, the biggest surprise of all was her new found vegetarianism/pescatarianism. Quite the surprise. I would have to adapt accordingly...

Veggie Delight Day 1:
Our first stop was my favorite coffee shop, The Bean Scene, where we had cucumbers and hummus. I adjusted comfortably. But the next stop was Three Sisters, a huge outdoor bar with a giant screen to watch the three upcoming Rugby matches. Of course greasy burgers go hand in hand with such an event, but she refused the delectable meat... and it was suddenly all very serious... she was refusing a burger at a sports match. We stayed for the first two matches, but since we couldn't share the delicious mouth-watering patty, we set off to find something she could eat. We ended up at the classic Edinburgh tavern, The Last Drop, to watch the final game over... a salad. It's in the grassmarket area, which was used for public hangings. I wonder if anyone was ever hanged for refusing a greasy burger? We sat down with a table of 15 married Frenchmen in kilts, very odd... very entertaining. .

Veggie Delight Day 2:
We woke up and headed for the hills! Arthur's seat. We barely made it to the top without being blown away. After the wind-blown journey, we had a fantastic view of the city. We ventured down quickly and carefully and headed to another classic Edinburgh Tavern, The Sheep Heid Inn, said to be the oldest pub in all of Scotland, dating as far back as 1360. Laura had vegetarian haggis. Whatever. The Inn was beautiful. Old books and posters lining the walls. Huge beaten up leather chairs and mismatched wooden tables. The best part by far was the Skittles alley, a bowling alley... but this was no ordinary bowling alley... this was one reminiscent of 1360... Two guys crouched in the back and replaced the pins with every turn. AMAZING!
We ventured down to Princes Street, the man shopping area, and walked around. The rain deterred us from our meandering, so we got on a 'The Majestic Bustour' to the botanical gardens and the Royal Yacht Britannia. We ended up sitting in massage chairs in Ocean Terminal for 20 minutes instead. Oh, I love Laura. The night ended with Nachos (vegetarian chili, obviously) at Elephant House. Another great day.

Veggie Delight Day 3:
I had class in the morning, but met up with the vegetarian after. We walked around and headed to Rose Street, a famous street lined with ancient taverns and pubs with names like, Auld Hundred, Dirty Dicks Bar, Filthy McNasty's, Hogshead... feeling a bit intimidated, we settled on The Kenilworth, a charming (safely named) pub built in 1900. We drank dark Edinburgh Ales until finner time. We met Lizzie at Mussel Inn, our favorite seafood restaurant. We ordered Kilos of Mussels and a delicious seafood platter. Thank goodness she hasn't sworn off fish yet. We topped the night off with homemade lemon crepe at Lizzie's... while watching Step up 2. We replayed the heart-pump at least five times. So very good.

Veggie Delight Day 4:
After class, Vegetarian and I met up at another one of my favorite coffee shops, Black Medicine. We strolled around and decided to head to Leith for a seafood dinner. I still haven't mastered the bus system properly, so of course after 3o minutes in the wrong direction, we turned around and headed to the waterfront. oops. We went to Fisher's Bistro, the most famous seafood restaurant in Edinburgh, and got the last available Lobster. So good. Laura ravaged the thing. After dinner we went to Jazz Bar to listen to some Scottish Jazz Musicians over tea... yes, we drank tea at a bar... yes, the bartender thought we were joking.

It was a fantastic trip and seeing Laura was the best belated birthday present I could ask for. And yes... I can't eat seafood for a week. Yes, I had a burger after she left.

More to come,
A