UK and Europe 2025, day 4

This is my last day in Scotland and so I couldn’t really leave without trying haggis. The breakfast buffet featured a huge chaffing dish of the stuff that smelled…odd?… everytime I opened the lid and looked…not good. I took the tiniest little bit of it.

How to describe it? It wasn’t awful. It had the texture and taste of a chewed Slim Jim. I hope no Scots read this as it is their national dish. I didn’t go back for seconds but I am glad I tried it.

I hop on a train to Buxton, England today around 2pm. The morning was dedicated to a vintage toy show about 7 miles outside of Edinburgh.

Again, for anyone who doesn’t know, I’ve been collecting and restoring vintage Kenner Star Wars toys for a year so I was really excited to attend this little toy show and hopefully find some treasures. The distributor of Star Wars stuff in the UK was Palitoy so I was hoping to find a Palitoy version of anything that would be affordable and easily packed in my suitcase. I found a classic 1970’s Palitoy X Wing which was certainly affordable but I have no idea how I’m going to pack it. I also picked up three mini-rigs (obscure little Kenner Star Wars toys that back in the 70’s and 80’s were a more affordable option that the bigger ships) and a Die Cast Star Wars Cloud Car from 1980, all at very reasonable prices. I found another Might Max item as well.

Finally I wanted something very British so I picked up this little Corgi Jaguar car for super cheap.

The faire was fun and I got to give one of the little pins I had made as a gift. The guys I talked to were kind and the accents were thick. A great experience!

The show was small enough that I was back to the hotel by 11am despite walking around the tables a few times to see if I missed anything.

Jet lag is still waking me up early so I was grateful for the late checkout that allowed for an hour long nap before heading to the Train Station.

As the train pulled out of the station I couldn’t help feeling a little underwhelmed by Edinburgh. It wasn’t a bad experience but I just wasn’t taken by it like I am by other cities in Europe. It felt crowded and touristy and not particularly charming. I am really glad I visited but I don’t feel like I need to come back.

I got into Buxton around 7pm and headed to my hotel, The Palace Hotel, which was just a 5 minute walk from the train station.

Why Buxton? There’s another little toy faire here in the morning and it’s close to Manchester where tomorrow I will catch my plane to Venice.

Did I mention and really excited to spend some time in Venice?

Thanks for following along!