Beaching and Working in Portobello
A view of Portobello beach.
I didn't realize that it had been a while since I'd been to the beach and visiting Portobello's was definitely fulfilling.
One of my flat mates, Frederique, frequents a pub in Portobello, five kilometers from Edinburgh city center. She convinced me to join her on the excursion and after a fifteen minute bus ride we found ourselves at the beach.
A Scottish jellyfish out for a swim. It didn't have any noticeable accent.
The wind blew feverently and a few minutes of rain soon followed. We chatted with Roy and Chris, a couple from Maryland, while we took shelter under a random roof.
Fred, in her usual bubbly manner, talked with them of traveling in Scotland, politics, and the war on Iraq. When the conversation and the rain had settled I climbed a fence to drop on the beach and immediately took off my shoes. The sun was already out in force, the interfering clouds tossed aside by the typical strong winds.
I felt like a little boy tracking in the shallow water and along the beach as my companion walked along the sea wall. She exclaimed that I should come up to the walkway because I'd have to cross a little river and later a wooden barrier. I refused to give up the feeling of warm sand on my bare feet.
Fred writing up a storm at the bar of the Three Monkeys pub. I felt a twinge of shame working on my laptop at the bar.
The wide beach and wind-driven waves made for some great views. It was especially interesting to see all the old buildings along the shore. Old buildings seem to look good everywhere, a novelty since my hometown Vancouver was only settled in the last 150 years.
Fred was eager to go to the Three Monkeys and get to work writing her novel so it wasn't long before we'd left the beach for the pub. I never imagined working in a pub during the day, drawing on the free Wifi, but there I was. At one point, the two of us took to the bar with laptop and notebook, chatting occasionally with the bartender and late afternoon patrons.
A productive and enjoyable day in Edinburgh.
