Scotland Trip Report--Day 3--Edinburgh

I slept very well and woke to the alarm at 0900. The room was FREEZING! It seems the A/C is all or nothing, so I opted for nothing. Fortunately, I had no leg cramps during the night. I headed down to the hotel restaurant for a buffet breakfast, which set me back 16 pounds ($30) for some yogurt, tea, OJ, and bread!! I knew there had to be an alternative, and determined to seek one out for future mornings.
It had rained quite heavily overnight, so I knew the park would be a swamp--it had been muddy the day before in the sunshine. So I opted to skip the park, and instead headed to the National Museum of Scotland. It was a nice walk, maybe ¾ mile. I still saw a lot of kilts. Not as many as yesterday, but still a lot.
The museum was fascinating, and before I knew it, my stomach was growling and asking for some lunch. Museum prices are only slightly less obscene than those at the hotel, and I ended up spending over $13 for a sandwich, a small chai, and a bottle of water. After lunch I finished seeing the museum, having learned a lot about Scotland that I didn’t know.
Fortunately the weather had improved, and it was quite nice out. I walked back to the hotel, wishing I had brought a backpack. It seemed everyone else was carrying one, and here I had a bag over one shoulder that was killing me! I dropped off my trench coat and most of what was in my bag, and headed back out. The stores would close at 6, being a Sunday, so I wanted to look around a bit. I couldn’t find a backpack anywhere. I went in to Marks and Spencer to their Food Hall (the greatest invention I can think of!) and got a sandwich, a cookie, and more water, and for a reasonable price at last!
Back at the hotel around 6 (after they rolled up the sidewalks except for the restaurants.) I sat with my feet up, watched TV, and ate my dinner. The housekeeping staff had turned the A/C back on, and the room was freezing again. I turned it off and sat in my coat until it warmed up.
I called Laura at camp, and was happy to hear her sounding much more enthusiastic about talking to me. I then decided that it was worth the arm and a leg it would cost for 24 hours of internet access, and logged on. At least I would be able to use it on 2 different days, from 8pm to 8pm.
I tried in vain to find something on British TV that was worth watching. BBC News repeated the same few stories over and over again, and SKYNews was no different. Where was the 11pm news? CNN International? Good God I miss FOX News!! I gave up and took my aching feet to bed