A sunny day in Leith

We've had a wonderful streak of amazing weather here in Edinburgh lately. About 65°F (18°C) with no humidity. It makes for absolute perfection. Stan and I had to get out in it! So the other day we did our big loop. We take the converted railway trails (to walking trails) out to Leith then circle around through Newhaven and back home again. Without tangents, which of course, there are tangents, it's seven miles. First, Leith...
     I've shared photos of Leith with you before HERE and HERE. We love this little port town.
     For this trip, we had a slight mission. A friend of ours created a fundraiser for the Scottish Book Trust, 100 Bookpeeps. Readers take photos of themselves with their favorite books and make a small donation for the privilege. We had to share my novel, A BIRD ON WATER STREET! But where better than on Water Street? There happens to be one in Leith. So that was our first destination.     Our second destination was to get a better photo of the Dazzle Ship.     Have you heard of these? It's apparently a real thing. Ships were painted during WWII to throw off locators trying to figure out which direction ships were going or how far away they were. This one was recently painted by artist Ciara Phillips for the Edinburgh Arts Festival. Last time we were in Leith with friends, it was windy and rainy and I didn't get a good shot. Remedied!
     That done, we went to lunch at Tapa. It was an OMG sort of meal and we'll be taking our friend Melissa Libby (Atlanta restaurant promoter) there when she comes to visit soon. Stan said the Spanish guy at the next table claimed it was the best tapas restaurant in the UK. I agree!
     Afterwards, we wandered about. Y'know how in the states old hotels will claim 'George Washington slept here'? They do that here too, but the dates are slightly more remarkable. Yeah, that says "Mary Queen of Scots, 1561"! Here is the garden she walked through. Can't you see her there?     We also discovered several new restaurants we want to try and Tom Kitchin's Michelin Starred restaurant "the Kitchin." That one might have to wait for a book to sell.
     From there, we walked to Newhaven...