Rob-n-Hild Take the High Road!

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Queensferry

We were meant to spend the day working and relaxing, but a rather disturbing squeaky noise from Percy's back wheel meant our plans changed.

But first Rob was congratulated on celebrating one more year. Happy Birthday, Rob! Here are some photos and greetings shared by the family. Their conclusion was that he looked younger before but he is still as handsome as ever. Nice. One photo also included a manatee who befriended Rob in Florida last year.

While waiting for Percy to be fixed we did one of Rob's favourite pastimes: walking around in shops while not buying much. This time he revisited some childhood memories by drinking IRN BRU and sampling Uncle Joe's Mint Balls - granddads favourite.

Marmite-flavoured crisps is a new thing - at least to us. We did not feel like trying them.

While waiting for Percy to be fixed we did another one of Rob's favourite pastimes: riding the rails like hobos! We were happy to find an easy-to-use tram that brought us from the garage to downtown Edinburgh.

Very conveniently we found a shop that could print a document for us. A very productive day, indeed.

Since we were already downtown, we did a quick walk-around to key sights. We got a lovely view of Edinburgh Castle - again in the sun. Amazing!

We dropped by Wojtek the Polish bear who helped soldiers during the Second World War. His nose and ears are as shiny as ever since people rub them as they walk past. The sculptor encourages visitors to do this to show their affection for the bear.

Further along there is also a World War One memorial from America to Scotland.

Last time we visited Edinburgh, the famous floral clock had yet to be planted. So it was with some level of excitement that we climbed the stairs to see what the status was now.

Lucky us! We were treated to a view of the planting process. This year the clock is designed in honour of the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB).

We could see how they used suspended ladders with pillows to lie on while planting the clock.

Even if the clock is far from finished we can see it is going to be as amazing as ever.

Before heading back to pick up Percy, we spotted something Scottish (a cow in Scottish colours) and something strange (not sure what it is).

We tip our hat to our heroes of the day/week: Ace Auto Centre at 25B Bankhead Drive, Edinburgh. They fitted Percy into their busy day on very short notice. Then they diagnosed what the problem was and fixed it all in one day. We are so relieved that we can travel on to Shetland knowing that the brakes are brand new and no longer squeak horribly.

A delightful end to the day brought us to Dakota Hotel Restaurant in Queensferry. We met up with three cousins of Hild's: Andrea, Heather, and Allison. We are in fact second cousins. Their grandfather and Hild's grandmother were siblings. We spent the evening reminiscing about family on and off Shetland. Trying to remember when we last met. It is not easy to remember that far back but we did our best. It was so much fun to share a meal and making more recent memories.

Coming up: Queensferry to Aberdeen and ferry to Shetland

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