**** Not much food in this one; but it has some of my favorite sights/stops from this trip!
Our last full day in Edinburgh would be a busy one. There were several places I had on my "list"; things I just had to see. We headed out from our apartment on Blackfriars Street away from the Royal mile. We enjoyed this change of pace, less tourists, less crowds. And, you never know what you'll come across in Edinburgh. I saw this and decided we just had to turn down Niddry Street South.
You just never know what you'll see……
"He Who Is Without Mathematics Shall Not Enter". I guess they'll never let me in here, eh?
Our destination was the Surgeons' Hall Museums.
Which consists of an amazing Pathology Museum and a Museum of the History of Surgery and Dentistry (ouch).
We were blown away by the collection, if you're interested in Medicine (looking at you RD!) and especially surgery and pathology this is a must visit.
Sadly, photos aren't allowed, but this photo somehow jumped into the Missus' phone.
Good lord! There are some "interesting" items in the collection including William Burke's (Remember Burke and Hare) death mask and a pocket book made from his skin!
We'd go to the Musée d'Histoire de la Médecine in Paris on this trip as well, but it doesn't even come close to this Museum!
Surgeons' Hall Museums
Nicolson Street
Edinburgh, Scotland
Well, after the Surgeons' Hall Museums we were feeling a bit peckish……you know what I mean?
Right around the corner on the way to our next stop was a coffee shop that served light dishes named Union Brew Lab. This craft coffee shop was just down the Missus's coffee nerd alley.
The location, right around the corner from Edinburgh University was perfect for this shop as we saw students, remote workers, and such.
I got a cold brew (of course).
The Missus got something or other that came in it's own pot and a sand timer!
But what really caught the Missus's attention was the Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon and Dill.
Like almost all the smoked seafood we had in Scotland, the smoked salmon was so good. Perfectly smoky, great meaty texture, wonderful with mashed avocado, on a nicely toasted sourdough. So basically, this is where the Missus first enjoyed avocado toast, and Boulenc made it an obsession.
Union Brew Lab
6-8 S College St.
Edinburgh, Scotland
After our light "brunch" our next stop was just a short walk away.
The huge National Museum of Scotland. Admission is free!
The museum's collection spans 5 floors with areas that cover history, technology, science, world cultures, and so on. We decided to pare down our visit and find the areas we were really interested in.
For me, it was finding Dolly the Sheep, the world first cloned sheep. Before Dolly, it was thought that cloning a mammal was impossible from an adult cell. Did you know that "Dolly" was named after this Dolly?
Dolly advanced our knowledge and in her own way was a pioneer. And as is often the case with pioneers there is risk. Dolly was euthanized at the age of six because of progressive lung disease. But she contributed much to mankind.
We were also visited the Kingdom of Scots Gallery in the museum, where there were some interesting items on display.
That beastly item above is called "the Maiden" and you know what it was used for right?
There was a lot to see. We were easily confused by the all the Roberts, Duncans, and James in the lineage of Scottish Royalty. I can't say we've got things straight now, but the displays in the museum helped…..a bit…I hope I don't get tested on it.
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers St.
Edinburgh, Scotland
I was really looking forward to our next stop. It was basically just a minute or two away from the museum. The statue of Greyfriars Bobby.
Much like Hachikō in Tokyo and our own Bum the Dog, the story of Greyfriars Bobby is the stuff of legends. Much like the story of Hachikō, the story of "Bobby" is one of true loyalty. In abbreviated form it goes as follows. In 1850, John Gray, a gardener, and his family moved to Edinburgh. He was unable to find work as a gardener, so he became a night watchman. Bobby became his companion for those long nights. John Gray caught tuberculosis and died of the disease on February 15th, 1858 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. Bobby being the loyal companion, refused to leave the side of "partner" and would stay at John Gray's gravesite. Even though the keepers of Greyfriars Kirkyard tried to remove Bobby on many occasions, but to no avail. Eventually, they built Bobby a shelter and he remained loyal to his companion until his death in 1872.
Baroness Angelia Georgina Burdett-Coutts was so moved by Bobby's story that she asked the City Council for permission to erect a granite fountain with a statue of Bobby placed on top. And that's that you see above. The inscription on the stature reads:
"A tribute to the affectionate fidelity of Greyfriars Bobby. In 1858, this faithful dog followed the remains of his master to Greyfriars Churchyard and lingered near the spot until his death in 1872."
Of course, there's a tavern called Greyfriars Bobby's Bar right across the street. And of course there's the Disney movie as well. And if you check out the statue of Bum the Dog at the Horton-Davis House you'll find a statue of Greyfriars Bobby there too. Remember, Edinburgh and San Diego are sister cities.
Greyfriars Bobby is buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard which is right down the lane, so we decided to take a look. Greyfriars Kirkyard is also supposedly the most haunted graveyard in the world as well. So of course we had to check it out.
Greyfriars Bobby is buried just inside the gates of the Kirkyard. Instead of flowers people leave sticks for the little fella'.
His master John Gray is buried nearby.
I know, it would make sense for Bobby to be buried next to his master….but dogs (or any animal for that manner) cannot be buried in consecrated ground. So Bobby actually got prime territory right at the entrance to the cemetery!
We took a stroll around the cemetery and had the good fortune of not running into anything "strange".
And I think many folks would be interested to know that there's a Harry Potter connection with Greyfriars Kirkland as well.
From here we strolled back to the Royal Mile.
We had one more stop before taking a short break.
Thanks for stopping by!
Construction of the Cathedral commenced in 1535 and was reconstructed several times because of earthquakes.
The menu used a QR code something that we found everywhere in Mexico. The food seemed a bit of a modern, lighter affair. The service was a bit of hit and miss. As you can see, the customer base seemed to be more tourists/ex-pats though nothing wrong with that if the food is outstanding. 
For some reason I thought this would be compressed watermelon, which intensifies the flavor and gives it textural "heft", but it just cubed watermelon, seeds and all. Since it was just cubed watermelon, the ponzu style sauce and orange "gel" overpowered the dish. Spherification was used to create ikura looking strawberry spheres. The best part of the dish were the tomatoes which were sweet and acidic.
Andres met us and after introductions and an overview of what was going to be covered in the tour today, he went over 
And yep, if you're thinking that's Tlaloc above, you'd be right. Check out the eyes and the fangs! 
There's a Cervantes Festival in Guanajuato. And the 
From the center of town we made our way Northwest, past Mercado Hidalgo, then up the one of the hills that surround the town. Right past the Mummy Museum is Panteón Municipal Santa Paula, the cemetery.
Con Pane has two distinct lines; one for ordering food and café items. The other for bread and pastry only. As you can tell, I go first thing in the morning when they open. I'll often park all the way down by Trader Joe's and get a couple of extra steps in, while shopping at both places.
While still a bit on the chewy side, when toasted it achieves a nice crispness, with good sour-tangy tones which doesn't overwhelm the yeastiness of the bread.
There were a couple of folks working on their laptops….when things slowed down a bit I got a chance to chat with Noel. I got my cold brew….Noel knows exactly how I take it.
I've been back a couple of time and all the folks working are friendly. One of Noel's coworkers went to Sacred Hearts Academy "back home"…in my 
It was somewhat divey, the bartender was super friendly, the decor was quirky and eclectic. The music was what I often call the Unites States' greatest export…rock 'n roll.
La Clave Azul
The Missus enjoyed the wine selection and the service was professional and accommodating.
The eggs were perfectly cooked, nice tanginess, a bit of heat, a nice, hearty breakfast.
Most of this museum is dedicated to it's former resident; 
So, how did this 
We had requested to sit on the patio again. Same relaxed and friendly service. A lot of the Servers were wearing "Franch" t-shorts…..Bell's say they serve Fr(ench R)anch cuisine. 
Just the perfect cut, the beef was super tender, like the night before, all items were perfectly seasoned. Perfect amount of capers, and that egg yolk, oh my! This was just so clean tasting and refreshing.
This was quite lovely and came with bread and butter. The egg was nice and perfectly done; still oozing with goodness, the rustic bacon was also quite good. The roasted tomatoes adding acidity and tangy touches. The red chili based "sauce" was rich but not overly spicy and we enjoyed the earthy mushrooms in the dish.
This sprawling market is quite large with everything from jewelry to shawls to produce.
