I hate to say this, but I don’t actually know the one hundred and one ways that you can eat a waffle are. Although that would probably be really good information to know, that is not what Jamie and I learned at the last Fringe show we saw, 101 Ways to Annoy your Parents… and Other Really Old People.

We started the morning having brunch at Jamie’s favorite restaurant, Soderberg. Once again, I got a Swedish waffle (Våfflor, the actual word on the menu), but this time I got it with maple syrup and toasted hazelnuts with a hot chocolate. I didn’t feel like having the heaviness of jam and clotted cream, as delicious as it had been. Jamie, however, did order that, mostly because he wanted to just eat the clotted cream. He also got a hot chocolate, creating possibly one of the richest brunches I have ever seen. My mom, on the other hand of a light meal, got a stone oven omlette (Stenugnsomelett) with cheddar and spinach with a mocha.

It seems to be that at Soderberg, the aesthetics of a meal are directly related to how good it tastes, and so this was an absolutely wonderful brunch. I really enjoy the size of the waffles that they serve, with it being the perfect amount of heft and lightness. The hazelnuts were perfectly toasted, their natural taste enhanced by the accompanying maple syrup and powdered sugar. Jamie was very content with his insane amount of clotted cream (of which he actually asked for more of near the end of the meal), and my mom was very open to letting Jamie and I take bites of her omelet. Along with the food, our drinks were lovely. The hot chocolates were thick and rich with flavor, the slight tang of bitterness balanced out by the sweetness of the marshmallows. I ended up finishing Jamie’s. The mocha was less sweet but just as good, filling the required caffeine spot for the morning.

After breakfast, Jamie and I headed out for our the final show that we saw at the 2023 Fringe. It was at the same venue as Boss Level, the chaotic show we saw the day before. In fact, it was put on by the same group! I wasn’t able to grab any good photos from the show, but trust me when I say it was fun. I’m not entirely sure if it taught Jamie anything new about being an absolute goblin of a little brother, since he’s already pretty much an expert, but it did make him laugh. (Especially the part about “making sure you’re in front of your victim on an escalator so they can smell your fart.” Luckily, he hasn’t had the chance to test that on me… yet.)

There was definitely an air of heartache for me all day, and it felt even stronger after we left The Three Sisters (the venue). Attending the Fringe Festival has been a dream of mine for years, and finally being able to experience it was everything I could have wanted. Well, not everything, and I only say that because there was a limit to the shows I could attend. Really, the dream, as truly impossible as it is, would be to see every single show performed at the Fringe. However, I have no time travel powers, and if I did, I would be too anxious to use them to see two shows that overlapped with each other. In any case, although I had to attend a reasonable amount of shows, the Fringe Festival was amazing. Despite being at the very beginning of a very long and adventurous trip, I can confidently say that Edinburgh and all associated festivities are near the top of my “favorites” list.

It wouldn’t be a final day in a city without revisiting a favored restaurant, so we made a return stop to Mum’s Comfort Food. As someone that knows what she likes and will often stick to that when it comes to food, I ordered the steak and ale pie with chips yet again. Unlike our previous dinner at Mum’s Comfort Food (as seen in the previous post, “A Musical, Comfort Food, and More D&D”), we were not seated in direct view of the setting sun, which was a blessing!

Although the heartache of having to leave was present, dinner was lighthearted and easy, with a tired cloud lingering in the air. I will say this about the Fringe, it keeps you on your toes! Edinburgh itself is a city that, while entirely walkable, can be a bit stressful to navigate under the stress of a venue shutting you out. That plus the general stress of traveling can really wear a person down, and there was a bit of roundabout comfort in enjoying the last day at the Fringe. It made me savor my pie a bit more than I might have, and it made me smile a bit wider at Jamie and my mom.

We walked back to the hotel with full bellies and the intention to fill our suitcases back up. We still haven’t fully mastered the “packing to the max” skill that seasoned travelers may have, so it took an excellent amount of patience and dragging of tired arms and legs to prepare for our train to our next stop the next day.

Oh, right! Our next stop! This is one that I am very excited for, because of… well, to be honest, because it was mentioned a lot in Outlander. That, and because I’ve never been to this city! Drum roll, please–

Next stop, Inverness!