TRAVEL NOTES::DAY 5 | LEAVING THE ATTIC APARTMENT

After yesterday's day-long adventure walking to the edge of Scotland and back, I thought today might be a day to wind down my stay in Edinburgh. My stay at this beautiful attic apartment ends in the morning when I board the plane to Dublin, Ireland.

What struck me first about this flat (apartment) was the skylight in the kitchen and the window seat in the bedroom. The fact that it was on the sixth floor where you had no lift and had to climb the 87 (or 86) stairs was also interesting. Then there is the view from the small dining table. The castle is a sight to behold - particularly at night when it is all lit up.

The location of the flat is perfect. You never need feel isolated when you're in the middle of everything you'd want to explore. I love the fact that The Elephant House - where I sat for at least an hour every morning - is just up the hill and around the bend.

So, today after sitting next to the window at table 12 at The Elephant House with my large cappuccino, scone, and carrot cake, I simply went back to the flat and enjoyed my remaining moments there. I baked a cake in the new 5" cake pan I purchased the other day and it turned out almost perfectly. I say 'almost' because I added slightly too much baking powder and baking soda which caused the cake to sink in the middle. The recipe was one I'd written this morning whilst enjoying my view of the castle. It was a lemon sour cream cake - simply because I had bought a lemon and sour cream and wanted to use them up.  

I gathered all of the clothes, the tennis shoes, and extra pair of boots I'd brought and packed them all away in my duffle bag. When there is only yourself to look after, clean up is simple. It took no time at all to tidy up the place. I wish I didn't have to leave behind the few baking ingredients I didn't have a chance to use up, but taking them in my suitcase is not a smart option - particularly the two bags of flour (the wholemeal one purchased by mistake).

While the cake was cooling, I decided to take one last walk in the area. I ventured to the Castle for the first time since being here but did not enter it. It was already late in the afternoon and I vowed to see it next week when I return from my trips to Dublin and Glasgow where I will be seeing Depeche Mode in concert in both of those cities. 

I walked through West Princes Street Gardens and was amazed at its beauty. It is another place I put on my list to visit during the daytime next week. One could spend an entire month here and not see everything this beautiful city has to offer. A short walk around the base of the castle and I was ready to head back to the flat to start dinner.

Dinner was an interesting mishmash of the vegetables that remained: one potato, parts of three bell peppers (green, orange, and red), an onion, tomatoes, and feta. The onion I sliced thinly and caramelized (with a spoonful of whiskey). The bell peppers were cut into 1" cubes and roasted. The potato was diced and boiled - then mashed and mixed with butter, salt, and a splash of whole milk. And the tomatoes and feta were made into a salad to be topped with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In the end, I had a bowl of mashed potatoes topped with the caramelized onions with the roasted peppers placed in a circle around the potatoes. The combination turned out tasty and better than expected. Dessert was the lemon sour cream cake and a dram of whiskey.

Sad as it is to leave, the adventure needs not end. It will continue tomorrow in another city, in another country to be explored for three nights.