The flight to Edinburgh was long and cramped.  We have learned from experience that the best response to cross-ocean flights is to check into a hotel as soon as we land, so that we can get some rest and build our strength back up.  Our hotel in Edinburgh (Moxy) is no-frills, very close to the airport, and has super tiny rooms.  When we landed, we figured we would save a few pounds by walking to the hotel from the airport.  We did not repeat this mistake, as it was much further than we expected, and our luggage was much heavier.  We purchased some grab-and-go food at the airport to get us through the night (we had some nice food on the flight from London to Edinburgh).  The next morning, we took an Uber to downtown Edinburgh.  The Ubers are fast (once we figured out where they were picking us up), clean and affordable.  We could have taken public transportation, but we were worried about getting Covid so early in the trip (I had just been to Alaska, and had picked up Covid from a non-masked cougher on a bus).  

Our first stop in Edinburgh was for a hearty breakfast.  Loudons fit the bill nicely!  Both days, I had a Scottish version of Eggs Benedict, complete with Haggis.  Krsistin had a full Scottish breakfast the first day, and then the Eggs Benedict the second.  On the second day, we also both enjoyed lovely fruit scones.  We then walked over to Holyrood Palace, which is a fascinating and well-interpreted site, though photos were not allowed inside.  We walked through the Palace with audio/visual handsets, and visited the site where Mary Queen of Scotts secretary was murdered by her husband's henchmen.  The National Museum of Scotland was our next stop (after a long walk up the Royal Mile), and it has a good collection, but had almost no context.  It fails to tell the story of almost any historical pieces.  Dunbar's Close was a peaceful garden spot along the Royal Mile, where we stopped for a zen-break.  We had dinner at the the Southern Cross Cafe, which is along the main drag near the top of the Royal Mile, out in the open, and on a fairly steep incline.  It was crowded and noisy, complete with screeching child.  After South Cross, we stopped into a nice coffee shop (Edinburgh Press Club) for a nice cream tea.  Then an Uber back to the Moxy for two very tired Burques (people from Albuquerque).