Sunday, September 23: Arthur's Seat and the Surgeons Museum

Yesterday when I was in Dundee I saw a brochure for the Surgeons Museum in Edinburgh- I’d seen a piece on it in "Mysteries at the Museum" and had forgotten about it.  First I climbed Arthur's Seat again- every time is different.  This time I found a different path down and ended up way on the other side of the hill at the bottom, with quite a long walk to my starting point but it was a nicely-paved footpath and a beautiful day, so what did I care?

Another view of the ruins of St. Andrew's Chapel (likely built in the 14th Century).

Ron on the site of the chapel, 2001.  I left a few of his ashes in the spot.

Bridges over the Firth of Forth way off in the distance. 

From there I headed over to the museum.  That was fantastic- on 3 floors, with tons of pathological specimens.  No photos allowed, unfortunately.  Yes, I DO have weird interests.  Just among the bone specimens, I saw bones affected by ankylosis, ricketts, gout, syphilis, arthritis and osteosarcoma as well as all types of trauma.  They had specimens from WW 1 and the Battle of Waterloo.  What really struck me was how much some of those people must have suffered before they died- mastoiditis, dental abscesses that spread to the brain, fractures that were not treated and healed at very odd angles.  The museum included the skeleton of one poor woman, who had lost 5 pregnancies due to conditions from her Vitamin D deficiency; her bones were weak-looking and she was missing several teeth.  The last child survived after a C-section delivery, one of the earliest in Scotland, but the mother died of blood loss.  I was again grateful for my phone; I used it to look up medical terms!

I’d picked up the London Times that morning- I LOVE their Sunday edition.  I was finally able to settle in and enjoy it with my dinner.

Monday, September 24: Edinburgh to Paris

I’d set the alarm for 6 AM since I had a morning flight to Paris.  I didn’t sleep well; already I was worrying about getting back from Paris in time on Wednesday so that I could pack up and make my flight home Thursday.  (Yes, I DO worry too much.) 

I decided to get an Uber car to the airport; my driver was a cheerful Fijian who had spent 12 years in the British Army.  I arrived in plenty of time and was held up at the security checkpoint only because I’d carefully packed my liquids in the requisite baggie- and then forgot to take them out of my computer bag. They were very nice about it.

My Air France flight left a bit late; it was one of those annoying flights where “boarding” meant you were herded into a glass tube out on the edge of the tarmac and had to stand there for 20 minutes before actually getting on the plane.  My bargain (under $200 round trip) airfare entitled me to a seat in the last row, by the lavatory.  

 Then I got to CDG. Ugh. Almost as bad as LHR. Miles of walking. VERY slow Immigration queue. (Couldn't even be bothered to ink the passport stamp sufficiently to make a clear impression.) The RER B line out of CDG had numerous problems in the system and we kept stopping. FINALLY I exited at Notre Dame- 3 hours after landing! I was going to head for the Metro and go straight to my hotel but I just couldn't. It was a beautiful day and I just wanted to walk around and giggle because I couldn't believe I was in Paris.

Unflattering angle,  I really need to get a selfie stick.

 I didn't go into Notre Dame- I'm turning into a bit of an eccentric traveler and if a place has crowds or long lines or costs a lot of money and I've been there before, I skip it- I just like walking. I picked up a couple of large, rich cookies at a Tunisian bakery - couldn't choose just one! I don't know how the Tunisians make their cookies so rich but they probably use pure, natural ingredients- like lard. I don't want to know!

I left some of Ron's ashes in the Seine- off the Quai aux Fleurs. I liked that place name. I was a bit concerned about getting them through in my carry-on and then realized that if they got confiscated at EDI, it would be something that would make Ron laugh- and what are they gonna do with them- incinerate them? I'm glad they're in the Seine instead. I didn't sleep well last night- one of those times Ron would have helped me to calm down, but worried about getting back to EDI on schedule Wednesday so I can get back into the apartment, pack up and leave Thursday. Yes, almost 24 hours later. I went through a litany of stuff: it's Air France, not RyanAir, airlines have to pay pretty hefty compensation to passengers when they delay or cancel flights in the EU, weather is clear, I have travel insurance that would cover additional costs...well, I DID get to sleep. It's very nice to be in a place with a powerful hot shower, adequate lighting and electrical outlets- and wastebaskets!!

Oh, and I needed something to read.

Tuesday, September 25- A Random Walk in Paris

Today I went to a weird exhibit that a US-based friend on FB had posted about months ago- I had thought it was an exhibit of the works of Gustav Klimt but it was something different from just paintings- it was at the Atelier des Lumieres, a former factory, and the idea was to recreate the atmosphere of Vienna at the time using music and projected light graphics.  I got there when an earlier presentation was being shown and nearly left- it was pretty dull- but then the Klimt show started.  Wow.  (I say that a lot here.)  The music included a piece from Beethoven's 9th and a song by Mahler and the graphics were projected on every surface- including the floor and pillars. sometimes making the place look like a palace.  

The space begins to be "outlined".

Note how even the pillars are "decorated".

It did include lots of Klimt's works.  Klimt liked women.  I remember seeing one of his paintings in the MOMA when I was pregnant- and it was of a pregnant woman.  It warmed my heart.

From there I grabbed a sandwich and headed to the Musee du Parfum, housed near the Fragonard store.  I decided to take he tour in French and understood most of it- I even asked a few questions.  Didn't buy any perfume- I know myself. I just wouldn't use it.  I did buy some pretty bars of glycerine soap for Lydia and Angela.

I realized later that I’d enjoyed this whirlwind trip through Paris more than my last trip with Ron.  I missed Ron, of course, but we’d been through the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay and both had been chaotic- long lines to get in and then jammed with tourists who seemed more interested in taking pictures of the works (and then one of the information panel next to each one) than experiencing the works.  I’m leaning more and more towards avoiding the big attractions, especially if they’re expensive, have long lines or if I’ve been there before.  Instead, I find more obscure attractions that are sometimes equally interesting and spend a lot of time just walking and soaking up the atmosphere.  I’m still working out what travel with Ron looks like and am grateful that I still enjoy it.

Wednesday, September 26- Return to Edinburgh

Today was my 3 PM flight back to Edinburgh.  The night before I’d checked Uber and THOUGHT I saw an estimate for about $15 to get from my hotel to the airport.  I happily went to sleep with that plan.  I had a nice Continental breakfast at the hotel and realized it was silly to use the hotel gym on such a beautiful day.  I checked the map and found a park about a mile down the road, which even had exercise equipment- similar to gym machines, but simplified and with no electronics so they’d withstand the weather.  I used an elliptical trainer for about 15 minutes, watching the morning rush hour, and then ran back to the hotel.  By 11 AM I’d changed clothes and packed everything up.  I stood outside, fired up my Uber app and-  oops- trips to the airport were over US $50.  My only guess is that since Uber’s pricing varies by the amount of demand and the number of cars available, 8 PM last night was far less expensive than prime time in late morning.

Ready to head out.

No problem- plenty of time to go back to Plan A.  Things ran far more smoothly than they did on my trip in, and I was at the airport by 12:15 and landside by 1 PM.  It gave me plenty of time to find my way to the gate and get lunch.  I felt bad for the couple beside me at Passport Control; the wife was asking, “Is there any faster way through Security?  Our flight boards in 10 minutes”.  (I didn’t see them again, so maybe there was.)   The terminal was jammed, with people trying to make their way through navigating narrow openings in the crowds of people lining up for flights.  There were only two places for hundreds of people to get lunch- a newsstand with a boring selection of sandwiches and bags of various chips and sweets, and a Prêt à Manger.  Fortunately the lines at Prêt à Manger moved quickly and the clerks were cheerful and efficient- it came at a price, though.  My lunch cost $15.

Our flight was not on Air France but on its low-cost version, “Hop!”.  The only difference I could see was that we had to board a shuttle to get to the plane and it seemed like several miles.  It was an uneventful flight and we landed on time.  I fished out my return ticket for the Airport Bus from the hundreds of little pieces of paper I’d tucked away and then walked from Waverly Station, enjoying yet another stroll down the Royal Mile.   It’s always an interesting feeling to return from one foreign destination to one where you’ve already settled in and are familiar with the territory.  It was comforting- and I didn’t have to think about how to say things in French!

Thursday, September 27- The Trip Home

I didn’t sleep well Wednesday night- no particular reason why.  I was actually pretty relaxed about the trip home- Edinburgh is a smaller, more civilized airport than CDG or LHR and I was flying Business Class, which is also far more civilized.  I’d set the alarm for 7:30 but when I woke up- again- at 6:30 I got up, had breakfast and finished packing.  With relief, I stowed the key in the lock box outside; I’d been afraid I’d head to the airport with it.

After a brief stay in the airport lounge where I discovered I liked Weetabix (an old respected British brand of breakfast cereal), I headed out of the lounge and boarded the flight.  The flight was pleasant other than the remote for my in-flight entertainment being flaky.  The purser had to re-boot it and I was able to work around it by using the touch screen.  That was a relief- movies are nice on an 8-hour flight.

Pre-flight bubbly.  I do not ALWAYS make healthy choices.

I had a 5-hour layover in O'Hare, but that was my choice.  Our flight landed close to an hour late and, with the need to go through Immigration, retrieve and re-check bags, and then go from the International terminal to Terminal B (which, for some reason, was by bus, not by their usual efficient tram system) and THEN pass through the TSA again... I like to hedge my bets.  Fortunately, I still had plenty of time to enjoy the Polaris Lounge again, this time enjoying a shower, a few glasses of wine and some good food before my short flight home, which even landed pretty much on time.

Another excellent adventure!