ARRIVING IN EDINBURGH

 

Scotland has become so synonymous with its history, its customs and vistas that the real place has become inseparable from its ballads and legends. Few people have seen their traditions become popculture tropes as have the Scots. I would state that it had been on my radar to visit for as long as I can remember but I feel that is true of so many others that the point is hardly worth expanding.

Nonetheless, I managed to visit Cuba before I made it to Scotland and I did not make it to the land of castles and highlands until some years after my 40th birthday.  Like many first time visitors I brought with me the images of what I expected Scotland to be and the anticipation for the reality that awaited.

Well, the reality was a slight mishap upon my arrival in Edinburgh that could have created an inconvenience for my first night but ultimately proved a testament to the kindness and hospitality of the Scots.

Before departing I booked a car through a rental company called Europcar and, once at Edinburgh Airport I made my way to their stand. At this point it was late at night and many of the venues at the airport were closed. Unfortunately, so was Europcar. They had closed almost an hour before my arrival. My flight had not been delayed (blessedly, as this was during the government shutdown in the US), but the plane was not destined to arrive on time. Luckily, I had opted to pay for the vehicle upon arrival and so was not out that money just yet, but I still had a dilemma on my hands. I needed to find a way to the hotel and then arrange a ride back to the airport in the morning to complete the rental transaction. Inconvenient but viable, that was my option. Only two car rental stands remained open, Enterprise and Hertz, and both were closing for the night. I explained my situation to the clerks of both companies and both offered to help with a degree of empathy I am frankly unaccustomed to receiving.

After the usual paperwork a car was found for me. It was a Renault Austral, a car I was highly unlikely to drive back home and I was intrigued to drive a French vehicle. In the name of efficiency the car came with some innovations I found more concerning than enhancing. The most alarming being a switch for setting a maximum speed that could be switched inadvertently all too easily…as I learned some days later on the highway. But it provided what I needed than and ultimately did the trick for my journey throughout Scotland.

Leaving the airport I made my way through Edinburgh at night. Much of the city was in the dark but I enjoyed spotting local taverns and pubs I would frequent during the stay. When I visited Ireland in 2018 I was pleasantly surprised at the ease I took to driving on the left side of the road and I think the calmer driving culture played a part. In Edinburgh I learned that driving on the left side of the road played like the old adage of riding a bike. The streets are narrow and winding, even by a Bostonian’s standards, and finding street parking to check in at the hotel was possible only because it was midnight.

At the Novotel Edinburgh Centre I was greeted by two friendly employees who directed me to a parking garage a block away which offered a discount for guests of the hotel. From the garage it was a ten-minute walk back to the hotel which I did not mind as it offered me a chance to preview some of the city.

Immediately upon my arrival Scotland humbled me with its courtesy and hospitality, heightening my excitement for my upcoming journeys.

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