Edinburgh Observations

There are LOTS of pidgeons in the city:

Nah, not really.  There seems to be the usual amount.  Not quite as many, and not quite as aggressive as the pidgeons in London.


But there are more smokers in the UK.  Or perhaps it's slightly more visible since there seems to be a ban on smoking anywhere indoors.


We also noticed that there seems to be more dog owners compared to the U.S.  And it's apparently not uncommon to bring one's dog to the local pub with you.  (We saw this numerous times.)

But out of all the dogs & owners we saw, we rarely heard any barking or even noticed any bad behavior whatsoever (unlike the stereotypical hyperactive U.S. dog).

Children, however, seem to be a bit more brazen.  Louder, free-range, and more willing to engage strangers than you might expect (or want).

Lastly, we never quite figured out proper restaurant service.  Restaurants are some of the few establishments that accept credit cards (despite posted signs), but they never seem to allow tipping via credit cards.  The tip jar is also a bit more rare in the UK.  Sometimes wait staff will automatically include a standard 12.5% gratuity.
But one universal standard throughout the British Isles is:  wait service is slow, and if you want anything, you have to ask for it.  Nothing will ever be preemptively brought to you, no matter how obvious your need (especially the check).