It's a fucking nightmare that place and best avoided at any time of the day, but sometimes you just have to go there..
It's a train station in edinburgh, one before Princes Street. It's just a complete headache negotiating the traffic and the one-way system.. and drunken footballs fans on a saturday afternoon as it is en route to a local football ground (Hearts I think) And no helmets! I never wear a helmet. I just cycling extra carefully and watch all the other cars around me like a hawk.
You know I haven't lived in Scotland for a while but I remember when Edinburgh council started putting in dedicated bus lanes. I thought, cool, perfect for the bike. Bus drivers, fucking kamikazi pilots!
Hmmm, it sounds like you may be suffering from some kind of malabsorbtion disorder. Was the stool bulky and particularly offensive smelling? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steatorrhea