Edinburgh’s Disgrace

With another sunny but freezing morning with heavy frost lying thickly on exposed surfaces and possible slip slidey conditions underfoot, where would the nearest place to the Dower House be to perhaps fall and break a bone! Answer- the steep steps and path up to Calton Hill and the Collective Gallery.
With that in mind, I was cautious in agreeing to a request from Glasgow daughter to go there and collect an order she had placed in the shop .
But what mother can refuse a request from one of their children, so agree I did and found to my delight that all the main paths had been treated and were absolutely fine. In fact I had the company of a horde of tourists who were up to see the view and the observatory.

I find it depressing that even in the middle of winter, there is still no let up in the stream of tourists turning Edinburgh into another Florence or Venice.
No longer is there an out of season respite for the poor Edinburghers going about their daily business. I am sure it is the glut of Airbnbs that is to blame for the huge numbers of tourists coming to clog up the City all the year round.

Apparently in one of the streets off the Grassmarket, there is a building with 7 keyholders attached to the entrance. Heaven help any indigenous resident in that stair who has to put up with a constant stream of suitcases being trundled up and down outside their front door at all hours of the day and night.

You can see that I have lost nothing of my form in being able to have a good rant. It’s a safety valve which prevents my having apoplexy or a stroke ...... or both.

The blip is of ‘Edinburgh’s Disgrace’, a Monument started but never finished.; perhaps the name now an indictment on the greed of the City Fathers in attracting so many visitors to the detriment of the local residents.