Rybakov kept wondering how I write from memory. Looks like the free ride is over, and now it won't work out like that. A whole day, but I only have evening photos of us walking near Arthur's Seat.
On this day I wandered around lost. I went into Primark, an inexpensive clothing store that cleverly and promptly copies fashion trends and makes them accessible to the masses. I also dropped into outdoor gear shops, but decision paralysis got in the way. Am I even going to hike in the mountains? Do I need some fancy gear for this, or will I manage without? Is there any point in buying something if I'm losing weight anyway, and successfully at that moment?
No answers.
Seems like I've generally seen Edinburgh, and what to do next is unclear. I don't have the patience or energy right now to meticulously examine every building, search for traces of time there, and then dig into Wikipedia for hours. So I ended up wandering around quite aimlessly, and all alone too, which takes a toll on me.
Andrey was busy until the afternoon, then we met up and roamed around the center together, if memory serves. He showed me street performers who collect dough from the audience in a not entirely ethical way. The gist is that first, they gather the crowd for ten minutes or more. After that comes the performance itself, like juggling, fire breathing, or spinning poi. Then they beg for money, and quite aggressively. The suggested amounts are absolutely absurd: they start at a few quid and go up to twenty!
As we've learned from previous episodes, for twenty quid you can visit the camera obscura or the zoo. There you can stare at interesting stuff for hours, while here it's a two-to-five-minute performance. On top of that, if you try to leave without paying, they'll yell after you. Something along the lines of: "you cheapskate, sneaking away, and I was working hard here for you."
That's what Andrey told me, but our specific case ended even more comically. Judging by the props, the dude was going to put on a fire show. The crowd reacted sluggishly and even somewhat mockingly. In the end, the punk just said: nah, there are too few of you, I can't perform. And bailed. Well, makes sense, since we hadn't paid him yet. Though he had already wasted our time for absolutely no reason.
Art even in the tunnels. That's what it's like, this liberal Europe.
The Buddha looks like an android from a sci-fi movie
In the evening we pushed on to Arthur's Seat again, just from a slightly different side.
The lake is called St Margaret's Loch. Up on the hill is St Anthony's Chapel, which is not entirely clear why they built here in the fifteenth century.
Only one wall and some ruins of a second are left of the chapel.
Beauty!
And more beauty!
It was quite chilly at the top.
If I find some allies, I hope I won't miss it this time either. And in the next episode, I'll tell you a bit about how we went to a drum and bass gig, and I'll show you a painting that I particularly liked at the national art gallery.