Eleven go to Edinburgh - Day 1

Where to begin...? We've been up since 5.30pm, have travelled by taxi, 'plane, tram and double decker bus, eaten for Orkney, visited the zoo, and have just RUN back to the Youth Hostel in a torrential downpour!

The rain is pouring in rivers down the Leith Road and we've had to leap over them. Nothing unusual here, you may think but we're all exhausted after our early start and had promised ourselves a nice meal, a leisurely walk in the evening  sunshine and an early night. It already seems an eternity since we swapped rainy Stronsay for rainy Edinburgh.
To be fair, we all commented on the "tropical" weather down south. We pottered around the zoo without our coats on, watching the penguins feeding and waiting for the Giant Pandas to wake up. And waiting. And waiting. We had to content ourselves with watching the rise and fall of some black and white fur under a mountain of bamboo leaves.

The high spot of the day, for many, was lunch at MacDonalds and a ride upstairs on a double decker bus. But this was before we discovered the paradise that is the Cosmo restaurant. Described as "Pan Asian" we were able to choose dishes from Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Mexican, Italian and British menus......you get the idea. There was also an enormous selection of puddings and a
chocolate fountain. Unfortunately, I cannot say more. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas and all that. Suffice to say, we did not let Stronsay down and even as I type I expect the restaurant is reconsidering its pricing policy and business plan.
 There was a point where we didn't think we'd be able to stagger downhill to the Youth Hostel, but then the heavens opened and we ran instead. Our clothes are drying on the backs of chairs. Our stomachs may take longer to recover. Look out tomorrow for more of our adventures.

Barbara Deavin, Antoine Pietri, Andy Rose and the Stronsay Eleven.