Mary's Gelato Monarcy

I’ve climbed Arthurs Seat at sunrise, I’ve been to the art gallery there that moved me to tears, I’ve tried the burning sweet whiskies of the highlands. Still, it’s not good enough. Not for a person who has visited so often anyway. My past of not having gone to the main tourist attraction of Edinburgh haunted me every time a friend would ask me about my travels there. I say to them to forget it, you must go to Mary’s Milk Bar and eat the ice cream every day. But this time I folded and went to the castle.

If you come into Edinburgh by train you will see the castle, and if you come in by any other way it will only be a short walk until you see the castle. The Castle grows out of a jagged rocky cliff. You are never far from seeing the majestic stone building; it impresses you constantly of how it continues to sit up there without falling, much like any monarchy.

I walked up the royal mile and paid my extortionate price to enter. Inside it is one of the most boring places I’ve been. It is filled with facts about dead people who aren’t nice because they lived in a crappy period of time, and any nice person back then was killed, and if not they’re dead. It is filled with tacky plastic displays rather than real mouth agaping moments of history and unseen artefacts. I’ve spent all my time learning about these monarchs I don’t like and yet know nothing about the queen of ice cream.

I ended at Mary’s Milk Bar. Mary went and studied the art of Gelato making in Italy and had a crazy notion of serving the cold sweet desert in cold sweet Scotland. It works because she makes different and exquisite tasting flavours every day. Whisky Mac, Dark Chocolate, Turkish Coffee, Brown Bread, Salted Caramel, Earl Grey Tea, Baked Pear… so many flavours every day. Mary doesn’t stick to a set menu, she wake up and makes what she feels like that given day. New and old customers come multiple times to try each new scoop she creates.

I ordered Dark Chocolate and Whisky Mac after abusing Mary’s kindness with sample tries. She said see you tomorrow, and I wondered if it would be for the gelato or the conversation. I took my cup outside next to the shop, where some steps sit and look up at the castle. It’s nice to be in the present and have the past in the distance. And it’s even better to imagine the castle as a big sundae cup of Milk Gelato.