Photo Story: Edinburgh Sunset

Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, Scotland. Location: http://goo.gl/maps/Yiu4l

I was here in the winter of 2008, staying in a nearby hostel that overlooked the railway station in its huge glacial valley. Cockburn Street is one of the steeply curved connections up the side of the valley leading to the High Street ridge, at whose top sits the Edinburgh Castle.

One evening near sunset as we passed by one of these quaint little shops - something like our corner dairies in NZ, selling basic groceries at elevated prices - three teenage boys were leaning over the counter in the face of the nonplussed owner. "I want a refund," said one of the boys in best Scots brogue, pushing an unseen item at the older man. The owner said something about wanting to see a receipt. "Look," said the boy, "I bought that here and I swear to it on my grandmother's grave."

We passed swiftly on and did not hear the outcome. The whole affair seemed pretty fishy to me, though. Bringing his grandma into it smacked of trying too hard to be convincing...