I’ve been breaking in new shoes lately.
Shortly before I left France, I blew a hole in my Chacos. I went a couple of weeks with only my Blundstones, Tevas and a pair of loafers.
Only? That’s 3 pairs of shoes including another pair of sandals.
Yes, but didn’t the scouts say something about always being prepared?
So, my 10+ year old sport sandals gave out and I was on a mission to replace them, but as it turns out they don’t sell Chacos in the UK. Yeah, I was disappointed too. The closest I could get was Tevas, but as you might remember from a few seconds ago, I already have a pair of Tevas.
While I was looking in shoe stores for sport sandals, I decided to look at the Birkenstocks because I’ve wanted a pair of those for a while but they’re $100+ in the US so I’d been waiting. As it turns out, they are much more affordable in the UK, so I bought some.
So happy in gorgeous Edinburgh with my new sandals
I then proceeded to walk all around and up and down all the hills of Edinburgh in my brand new Birkenstocks.
Skip to 1:16 to confirm the hilliness.
I spent a week just outside Edinburgh, but every day I took the bus into the city and went exploring. I walked in gardens and museums and neighborhoods. The weather was warm and getting hotter as July’s UK heatwave approached so sandals were a necessity.
Hey I put some new shoes on
And everybody's smiling, it's so inviting
Oh short on money but long on time
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine
And I'm running late and I don't need an excuse
'Cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes
- New Shoes by Paolo Nutini (Scottish singer-songwriter)
The day I went to the botanic garden (alone - shout out to David Rose) was cool and a little drizzly. I stopped for a bit for a snack and an almond milk cappuccino in one of the lovely cafés in the garden. I followed as many paths as I could. I’m like Robert Frost thinking about all the ways I could have gone except I’d gladly retrace my steps to follow the other roads. And I definitely couldn’t pass up a tunnel in a hedge!
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The National Museum of Scotland was pretty great too. I did what I usually do to avoid crowds in museums. I got there early and then started at the top floor, working my way back down to the exit (and the gift shop, of course). I do recommend this museum. There’s history and science and a whole huge exhibit on the history of Scotland from the beginning of time. Also there’s a roof garden with great views of the city, but I couldn’t stay up there long because I am very afraid of heights and my stomach was around my knees as I tried to get video. I tried to take the stairs up but chickened out and had to use the elevator which took ages, but it was that or not see the view. And I gotta get the views, right?
I won’t pass up the opportunity to document an official unicorn. I mean, a carved seal with unicorns? Right up my street.
My new shoes were definitely making my feet sore, so I took a day off and did some travel prep for my next location. This is when I found out that I was staying near an IKEA and that you can sit in the café and work from there. Shout out to IKEA for saving my feet and providing wifi (and all the other useful little tidbits I picked up while I was there). I love IKEA.
After staring at Edinburgh Castle constantly since arriving in the city, of course, I had to see it from the inside. It’s very cool and again the views!
View from the bottom of a tower at Edinburgh Castle
By the end of the week, when I happened upon a street carnival and parade my new shoes were more broken in and I had sore legs from all the cobblestones and hills.
Sidenote: I was so distracted by the hills and shoes that I haven’t even mentioned the cobblestones in this post. How could I forget the cobblestones???
Anyway, Edinburgh is a pretty great city. Especially if you’ve got comfy shoes.
Follow along if you like and remember — Even tiny adventures matter.