We have left it rather late to book a hotel in Edinburgh. Angus is amazed to find one hotel on St.Andrews Square offering him a room at £1340 a night. It seems that flights across the Atlantic are booked solid as Americans splurge on revenge travel after Covid. Volumes are up 20% from 2019 levels. 'The Font' saves the day and makes a booking in the last room available at a hotel owned by the University. It's one of those ' You're in luck. We've just had a cancellation' rooms. The bedroom windows start high up on the wall.
It's graduation time in Edinburgh. Across the UK university junior lecturers have not marked this years exam papers due to a wage dispute. In St Andrews they decided to issue degrees based on performance during the term. The grade offer won't be changed downwards but it might be revised upwards. In Edinburgh they took a different route and opted to confer a 'provisional' degree subject to the final exams being marked. Many employers wouldn't accept this interim status and job offers have been refused. The student body are not happy. 'Demonstrations' have been held.
I'd never given any thought to what an 'academic' owned hotel might look like but, if I had, this would fit the bill. It's weirdly charming in a 1970's sort of way. It is most certainly as different from a corporate chain as you could find.
The breakfast room this morning is full of very polite, sixty something, Japanese . They speak English but are not prepared for English as it is spoken in Scotland. An even tempered sense of incomprehension reigns. One of the Japanese party sees that Angus is having bacon, sausage and toast for breakfast. He points at what I'm having and then 'voila!' everyone orders the same . Smiles all round. Incomprehension resolved.
The woodwork in the hotel is stunning. Perhaps the nice Japanese think this is how all Scots live. They are collected in a fleet of large BMW's. I'd love to know where they're going. One lady is talking to the receptionist and I hear her say ' We off to see a volcano'. It's either going to be a long journey or they're going to be mightily disappointed. To our surprise we would stay in this hotel again. It manages to combine quirkiness with comfort and charm. The staff seemed to enjoy working there.
Many of the hotels doors have warning signs on them. Angus has no idea what a 'balanced compartment' might be.
On our way home we stop off at a large supermarket in the shopping centre near the airport. Living in a town with a population of 15,000 means we don't see big supermarkets very often. We are the first customers through the door. We stand and look at the acres of shelves like country bumpkins.
Chicken Kievs have followed the politically correct route and are now rebranded as Chicken Kyivs.
Back in St Andrews the rose bay willow herb on the Eden Golf Course is looking mighty fine in the start of day sunshine.
13 comments:
In a small country town in NZ population 15000 or 30000 over the area we have 3 supermarkets the largest is big and very high the reserve stocks are stacked very high above the shelves where we shop, I see no high shelves in your photo, strange, we are known as the shaky Iles for a reason, do they have earthquakes in Edinburgh?
I wonder if the Japanese were staying overnight before moving on to Iceland? It's less of a hop from somewhere like London.
That is a big supermarket - no chance of a quick shop for essentials!
Taste test required to sort out the difference between "dreamy ice creams" and "rich velvety ice creams". Love the enthusiastic signage in the super market. But back at the wee house, have your gull chicks taken flight?
The singing was beautiful, though I found the swaying a little dizzying. I was fascinated by the conductor's unusual stance.
The hotel looks comfortable and relaxing.
I'm sure I recognise the hotel from my career at Edinburgh University. We used to have all-day training courses there in its previous life. If I've got the right building, before that it used to be St Trinneans School for Girls. Two girls from the school met the cartoonist Ronald Searle in 1941 and their tales of the school were the inspiration for his creation of the St Trinian's we know from cartoons and film.
Perhaps the Japanese were off to climb Arthur's Seat - an extinct volcano in the heart of Edinburgh?
A couple of nights away from the Birds?
The Scott Hotel opened last summer in what was previously Salisbury Green- some know it as the mansion house. In its past it was a (rather grand) halls of residence.
Delighted to see Angus and the Font had a comfortable overnight there and would return! I’ve let the team know!
Amanda
I've never seen a choir lock together and sway while singing so sweetly. I found it charming and somewhat mesmerizing.
After years of my following your blog, my husband has now also joined the pack. I'm guessing he's making mental notes whenever you mention interesting or unusual hotels, cafe's, restaurants, etc; all for when we next visit lovely Scotland. Although, it appears it's perhaps best advised that we wait until the post Covid hoards have thinned out a bit.
Your beautiful pictures and prose delightfully transport me to places I would otherwise never see. The rose bay willow herb is grand. It's called fireweed here for its willingness to spring up in fire-damaged areas; we have a very big patch just beginning to bloom behind our house.
You post so many photos of beautiful flowers. In a previous entry, you showed sea holly growing in your rose border. What a cool looking plant. I ordered some to plant in my garden this fall. It needs sandy soil, which we don't have in the midwest, so I will get it prepped for its delivery.
Diaday - Watch out for the sea holly leaves. They are sharp like nothing else in the garden. The hotel in Edinburgh had great swathes of them in the flower beds in front of the breakfast room windows. At seven in the morning they were already playing host to a swarm of bees. Here in the wee house the bees make straight for them and linger all day. I have no idea what makes them so attractive for bees.
Yesterday was Le quatorze and I am in France. As I went past our Mairie, with its array of flags, I wondered if he had had to borrow a ladder, and who supplied the post celebration champagne.
The hotel... Hogwarts style. :)
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