The Rag King and the Ice Cream Princess
We stroll down Edinburgh’s colourful Victoria Street. It’s the kind of street that puts a smile on your face even on the greyest, rainiest day – and not only because the cold and wet provide the perfect excuse for a strong whisky that smells of peat and a campfire, or a steaming cup of black tea with milk, accompanied by a crumbly, flaky scone topped with a generous dollop of thick clotted cream and jam.
Every house is different – colourful and cheerful – with bunting in every shade strung across the street. Little shops and pubs invite you to wander and browse. Around the gentle curve, the old cobblestones lead us to the Grassmarket. And this square is home to two rather special places!
The first thing that catches your eye is the long white sign above a bright red shopfront: “W. Armstrong & Son”, the oldest second-hand shop in Britain. A colourful, crammed-to-the-rafters Edinburgh institution. If you’re looking for a genuine wool kilt but don’t want to spend a small fortune in one of the city’s genuinely beautiful, elegant shops – or settle for a very cheap one that isn’t particularly attractive – this is the place to start hunting.
Alongside traditional Scottish clothing, you’ll find clothes and accessories from just about every style and era imaginable. On my first visit, I found a 1950s cocktail dress. Underneath, pale pink silk taffeta; over it, grey-silver lace, naturally with a full skirt and fitted waist. Unfortunately, one of the lace straps was already torn and partly missing when I bought it, which was probably the only reason they were willing to part with such a treasure at all.
A few tartan skirts came home with me too – some traditional, others modern in soft pastel colours. Honestly, simply rummaging through everything in there is half the fun!
If we keep walking, you might already notice the queue outside a tiny shop. A little patience, and eventually we step inside. The bell above the door gives a cheerful jingle, and suddenly we’re in another world: a world of pastel colours, gelato, chocolate and other little Scottish treats.
Inside the pink gelato display, you’ll usually find around eight flavours piled high, all handmade. The selection changes every day, depending on the season and which ingredients are available.
All I can say is: Aperol Spritz gelato is absolute heaven! But then there’s date, coffee & cardamom; goat’s cheese with peach jam; rose & rhubarb; or orange & pomegranate. And for anyone who prefers more familiar flavours, there might be chocolate one day, salted caramel or hazelnut the next.
The team of giggling, cheerful young women – with Mary in the middle, welcoming customers with a huge smile – can lift your spirits even on a chilly, rainy day. Mary trained as a gelato master at the Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna (a dream I still hope to fulfill myself one day), and she makes what is, for me, the best gelato in Edinburgh. Perhaps the best anywhere.
Suddenly, it feels as though the blue sky has appeared again, with a few warm rays of sunshine on your skin!
I walked out of the shop and immediately said to my sister, “I want to work somewhere like that one day!”
A year later, I really did end up working in a “Milk Bar” – only in Padua, not Edinburgh. :-)
Sometimes fate doesn’t listen properly!
