This has been my first real fall. The leaves changed color a few weeks ago, and now are starting to fall off.  They get soaked from the rain, mold, and make the pavement really slippery.  Cobblestones are hard enought to walk on without the added obstacle.  Everyone is talking of mulled cider, and apples of all forms are arriving in the markets.  Bramley apple pies (a British staple. Supposedly planted by a little girl 200+ years ago, the tree is still bearing fruit today. They are the main variety of apple used in cooking pies and tarts and whatnot), caramel apples, roasted apples, etc. 

  Its raining everyday now, but it comes in the form of episodic sprinkles more often than not. Its nothing like the rain of the Louisiana and the rest of the south and their loads of rain that get you wet in a matter of seconds, or like the rain of New Mexico, which comes from impressive clouds and will continue until they run out of water.  Here, the rain is epemeral, and has no smell (maybe the town smells like rain permanently?), and does not make sound. The cobblestones and old stone buildings seem to swallow up the lovely sound of rain, and the only way you can hear the rain is indirectly through the squelch of tires through puddles. 

It is a consensus among us visiting Americans that Edinburgh is a fine, fine city, and that we've fallen in love with it.  Its small size, and the magic of the architecture exudes a kind of warmth, which seems quite contradictory for anyone who hasn't been here.  Its not as exciting as other big cities, and kids from London seem to miss the full force. But it is more homey than say, Glasgow. Its a great city to come back from a trip to.  You know how sometimes its disappointing coming back from a vacation, and just wanting to go back because the homecoming wasn't as satisfying as it could've been?  The homecoming is great in Edinburgh. Walking back from the train or bus station, usually at night, looking up at the Old Town, which sits on a hill above the rest of the city, the big fancy buildings are tastefully lit with nice yellow-orange lights, the air is cool and wet, there are significantly less people walking around, and the idea of walking back to your flat by way of cobblestone streets and small staired closes makes you really grateful for where you live.