Leith used to be a separate town, but now it’s an area in the north of the city, the part on the Firth of Forth (aka the water). Traditionally a rough and industrial shipping port, Leith has enjoyed a modern rejuvenation and popularity in recent years. It’s where the Michelin Star restaurants are and where hipsters prowl the sidewalks. We took one of the buses just outside our back door and had soon taken it farther north than we’d ever been in the city (we actually went PAST George St.!). The shop-lined streets looked largely the same as those on our end of town.
We soon began catching glimpses of water, but, unsure of where to get off, we remained on the bus until the end of the line where it stopped at a mall—always a safe bet! We explored a little, window shopping and enjoying the prevalence of student discounts, but we were on a quest for the coast after all so we asked the guy at Information how to get to “the water.” He told us to hop on another bus (the 16) and take it all the way to its end at Silverknowes. As we get to the main road to catch the bus, we see it coming and realize that the stop is still a way ahead of us. This is the first, and so far only time that I’ve run for a bus. Cailyn and I pulled up the rear and were nervous that we’d get left, but we made it just in time! We followed the coast for awhile then entered some sketchy areas that made us begin to doubt our man’s advice.
However, it turns out we were in good hands because the bus came to a halt and didn’t start back up again. I looked up from my recently-purchased book that shall remain title-less because it’s a gift for someone and looked around at the empty bus—we’d reached the end of the line. Now a pro at asking strangers for directions, we had the bus driver point us in the appropriate direction and took off down a winding road between a golf course and sheep fields. We snapped photos of the un-impressed livestock and the water as it came into view ahead of us. We reached the bottom of the hill, enjoying the views, frolicking in the rocks, and collecting shells.
The sun began to set and our internal tummy-clocks were setting up a clamor. Thankfully, our second quest of the day went obligingly along with our need for sustenance: we wanted to eat at the chippy where Anthony Bourdain ate on his show. All I knew was that it was on the main road through Leith and that it was called the Mermaid-something. Everyone kept asking me when to get off the bus, but I was pretty much flying blind. As we moved further into the city, stops were looking more and more promising so we picked one at random as soon as we saw a Leith Walk sign. We hopped off and I was ready to commence my hapless search for the phantom Mermaid chippy when one of the girls spotted it right in front of us. It was literally right at the bus stop—lucky us!
We took the crowd inside as a good sign so we all ordered, most of us trying the necessary fish and chips. As with most chippies, the Mermaid is take-out only so we got our wrapped and bagged meals and climbed aboard another bus. Hitting the city centre at rush hour, it took FOREVER to get home, all the while with delicious-smelling heaps of food sitting in our starving laps (no eating allowed on the buses). We finally made it home and enjoyed our slightly soggy feast with lots of “real ketchup” from our own fridge (they dilute the ketchup in the chippies with something…maybe vinegar?). Cailyn’s was unfortunately filled with bones, prompting an infamous, un-intentional, and unmentionable comment from myself which not be published on this blog (at least for now).
We soon began catching glimpses of water, but, unsure of where to get off, we remained on the bus until the end of the line where it stopped at a mall—always a safe bet! We explored a little, window shopping and enjoying the prevalence of student discounts, but we were on a quest for the coast after all so we asked the guy at Information how to get to “the water.” He told us to hop on another bus (the 16) and take it all the way to its end at Silverknowes. As we get to the main road to catch the bus, we see it coming and realize that the stop is still a way ahead of us. This is the first, and so far only time that I’ve run for a bus. Cailyn and I pulled up the rear and were nervous that we’d get left, but we made it just in time! We followed the coast for awhile then entered some sketchy areas that made us begin to doubt our man’s advice.
However, it turns out we were in good hands because the bus came to a halt and didn’t start back up again. I looked up from my recently-purchased book that shall remain title-less because it’s a gift for someone and looked around at the empty bus—we’d reached the end of the line. Now a pro at asking strangers for directions, we had the bus driver point us in the appropriate direction and took off down a winding road between a golf course and sheep fields. We snapped photos of the un-impressed livestock and the water as it came into view ahead of us. We reached the bottom of the hill, enjoying the views, frolicking in the rocks, and collecting shells.
The sun began to set and our internal tummy-clocks were setting up a clamor. Thankfully, our second quest of the day went obligingly along with our need for sustenance: we wanted to eat at the chippy where Anthony Bourdain ate on his show. All I knew was that it was on the main road through Leith and that it was called the Mermaid-something. Everyone kept asking me when to get off the bus, but I was pretty much flying blind. As we moved further into the city, stops were looking more and more promising so we picked one at random as soon as we saw a Leith Walk sign. We hopped off and I was ready to commence my hapless search for the phantom Mermaid chippy when one of the girls spotted it right in front of us. It was literally right at the bus stop—lucky us!
We took the crowd inside as a good sign so we all ordered, most of us trying the necessary fish and chips. As with most chippies, the Mermaid is take-out only so we got our wrapped and bagged meals and climbed aboard another bus. Hitting the city centre at rush hour, it took FOREVER to get home, all the while with delicious-smelling heaps of food sitting in our starving laps (no eating allowed on the buses). We finally made it home and enjoyed our slightly soggy feast with lots of “real ketchup” from our own fridge (they dilute the ketchup in the chippies with something…maybe vinegar?). Cailyn’s was unfortunately filled with bones, prompting an infamous, un-intentional, and unmentionable comment from myself which not be published on this blog (at least for now).