The snow that's hit Edinburgh has really taken it's toll. I've been kind of torn.
The view from Princes St up towards the Old Town and the castle is spectacular, and there's a stunning sea of white all around, at least until you look a bit closer at the brown slush around your ankles and then you find that solid ice has formed overnight and any coordination you might have doesn't seem to make a difference. Walking on lumpy ice is bound to result in a fall at some point, or at least an awkward, goofy stumble - one of those ones where you're not sure whether to laugh at yourself obligingly; look around to see if anyone saw; or attempt to hold your dignity intact and continue to walk on, eyes forward.
This is unprecedented for Edinburgh (snow, not poor coordination). I've been told it does snow, but not this much and not this early!
The city hasn't really known what to do with itself. People have been stranded on the M8 (highway between Glasgow and Edinburgh), for 12+ hours, people unable to get to work and businesses shut as a result, and peoples' houses are crippling in one way or another. Our humble abode, for example, has had boiler troubles for months and being puny Aussies we can't really take it. Well, everyone's going to struggle in a freezing house with no hot water, but it certainly hasn't helped that we've not long been back from a visit to Australia where we basked in a handful of 30 degree days.
So, when we finished work to come home to a letter from plumber - who'd been in the house installing a new boiler (which we were thrilled about) - telling us that out of his control, the house's water supply had frozen solid and so, we had no water at all, all we could do was rock back and forth in our own patheticness. It's not really a big deal. I mean really. But it's a tad frustrating, depressing and bloody freezing!
After some time squatting in our lounge next to the one electric heater that we have, and rocking back and forth for a while longer, we sought refuge at the Westroom on Melville Place (same owners of Monteiths and Sygn). It's a slick, cute, little bar/cafe/restaurant with a Swedish feel to it, and, despite its very polished look, it's blended with warm lighting and some traditional Scottish touches (the stag's head for example - not sure if it's real or not). These soften it, give it a very subtle rustic touch and make it damn cosy. I'm in love with the super cool screenprint - a panorama of Edinburgh with Calton Hill, a soldier on a horse, the castle, the Scott Monument and the other brilliant things in Edinburgh's skyline (not that the word 'skyline' really works for Edinburgh, but you know what I mean) juxtaposed. I'm also in love with the HUGE lampshades that hang from the roof, made with vintage floral fabric.
The Scottish factor is completely there in the food. This wouldn't be what I'd be after all year round, but with these temperatures, even if you like lighter food, you inevitably crave something richer. At the Westroom it's all about hearty, warming food such as fish and chips in a bag with chippy sauce and pickled onions, winter stew with root vegetables and rump steak with chunky chips. Desserts are apple and rhubarb crumble with custard, and warm chocolate brownie with ice cream, as well as the cheese board option. We had 'the pigs in blankets' for our main, which was good quality pork, coriander (the spice, not the herb in this case) and chilli sausages, wrapped in bacon and served on mash. Not really healthy, but that's not the point.
The other reason that the Westroom was a cosy little sanctuary for us after our boiler/water woes was because of the amazing mulled wine they had on offer. It wasn't anything like the nasty, face-puckering stuff I had at the German markets. Sure it was probably made with fairly cheap wine, but had been made with clementine peel (a citrus fruit that I don't think I've seen in Australia) and the perfect blend of spices.
Only complaint was having to walk home back to our freezing house. We now have a new boiler but the flat's taking its time in getting back to a more comfortable temperature. I'm contemplating heading back right now if only to drink mulled wine in such a cosy atmosphere with exciting aesthetics. Hmm...
