The Scottish Parliament building is directly across the street from the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The return of a Scottish Parliament in Scotland was warmly welcomed but the building itself has been the source of both political and public ire. Original estimates projected a cost between £10 million and £40 million. Spanish architect Enric Miralles’s design was selected by the design committee. Miralles sought to design a building that could represent a national identity with strong ties to nature. The result was a collection of buildings intended to allow views of, and blend in with, the surrounding scenery. Though the building was well-received by architects and academia, the project took 5 years to complete (construction took place from 1999 until 2004), and cost an astounding £414 million. The building was formally opened October 9, 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II. In my opinion, the Scottish Parliament Building is skippable unless you are an architecture afficionado or have a strong interest in government affairs. A security check is required to enter the building. 

We explored Greyfriars Kirkyard which has an endearing backstory. Bobby was the name of a Skye Terrier pup who belonged to a night watchman for the Edinburgh police. The two were inseparable until the watchman died of tuberculosis and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. Legend says that Bobby survived another 14 years after the watchman’s death and was known to have spent the rest of his life sitting on his master’s grave. Though they initially tried to expel Bobby, the gardener and keeper of the kirkyard eventually took pity on Bobby and provided him shelter and regular food. The Lord Provost of Edinburgh paid for Bobby’s dog license in 1867, making Bobby the responsibility of the City Council until his death in 1872. Bobby was buried just inside the gate of the kirkyard, not far from his master. A statue commemorating Booby was erected outside the kirkyard between Candlemaker Row and George IV Bridge. Visitors can stop by and give the loyal lad’s nose a rub.

The Greyfriars Bobby’s Bar is just behind the Bobby statue so we decided to give it a try for lunch. We enjoyed halloumi fries, and a meat pie. I also tried a traditional Scottish dessert called cranachan. Cranachan consists of smooth whipped cream, sweet honey, a dash of whisky, raspberries, and toasted oats and is served like a parfait. It was not the dessert I am accustomed to but was enjoyable.

Edinburgh is also home to numerous sites with ties to J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter book series. We stopped by some of them including her handprints outside the City Chambers building and various gravestones in the Greyfriars Kirkyard. We opted to spend a bit more time wandering along the Royal Mile before ultimately hiring a car back to the AirBnB. We’ll be leaving Edinburgh in the morning and I wanted to take advantage of being able to finish some laundry and pack before we depart. R and I are sort of celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary and my birthday so we decided to have a date night. We wanted to do something a bit special and opted for dinner at Bread Street Kitchen and Bar by Gordon Ramsay followed by drinks at The Alchemist. Bread Street Kitchen and Bar was thoroughly enjoyable. The menu is pricey, but that is to be expected when the name Gordon Ramsay is attached and, to be fair, the food was some of the best through the entire trip. 

R ordered the spicy tuna tartare and I ordered a Caesar salad as our starters. I generally don’t care for tuna but the tartare was delightful and the avocado, crispy wonton, and sesame perfectly completed the flavor. The Caesar salad was a bit more straightforward in terms of what I expected and the soft boiled egg, pancetta, anchovies, and aged Parmesan were an upscale twist. We opted for the beef wellington for two for our entree. The menu states to “please allow 45 minutes” for this entrée and, I can say with absolute certainty, it is worth every second of the wait. The crispy pastry, and moist, tender beef are perfectly complimented by the creamy mashed potatoes and red wine jus. Delicious is an understatement. This was superb, divine even. We added a side of honey roasted carrots at the suggestion of our server but they were an afterthought once the meal arrived. I selected a birthday celebration when I booked the reservation and we were served a chocolate brownie for dessert with a “happy birthday” message from Gordon himself! (Okay, this is a small fib I’m telling myself so go along with it.)

The weather was cool but the rain had stopped so we walked to The Alchemist for drinks. The bar gets insanely busy and draws people of all ages and backgrounds so reservations are smart but not required. The mixologists expertly craft eye catching cocktails, presented in unexpected vessels to deliver a dash of theatre. Highlights from the drinks menu include smoke, mirrors, and color changing drinks. Several of the cocktails include dry ice so be careful to follow instructions for enjoying your expertly crafted, theatrical cocktail. Don’t worry, it is perfectly safe though you do not want to get a piece of dry ice in your mouth as it can cause a burn (use the straw as instructed!). I chose the T&T which is El Tequileno Blanco Tequila, Pink Grapefruit, Tonic, and Magic Fire while R chose the Brulee Vouz which is Martell VS Cognas, Licro 43, Crème Brulee Syrup, and Cream. Both drinks were exceptionally tasty and easy to drink. We only stayed for one round as there were no open seats. As we were leaving I realized that you can purchase The Alchemist Cocktail Book and premixed cocktails to take home and enjoy. We left with both the cocktail book and the premixed cocktail box to enjoy at home, sans dry ice and fanciful glassware (but they’ll still taste great!).