22 September 2014

Michael really enjoyed the Belgian waffle. I enjoyed all the fruit that came with it. We decided to leave the car at the B&B and take the bus. L1.5 each, each way – probably cheaper than parking. We set off for Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile from the Castle to Holyrood Palace. We got to the Castle before the crowds got too crazy and latched onto one of the free tours. They just do the outside, but they do explain what is in the buildings.

Edinburgh Castle sits on a rock of volcanic origin. There has been some sort of fort here for hundreds of years. The Crown jewels of Scotland are kept here. The Scottish War Memorial is here. It has not been a tourist attraction ( as opposed to a military installation) all that long. When Robert the Bruce retook the Castle from the English, they destroyed it so that the English could never occupy it again. In some ways it is like Stirling, and in other’s quite different. 

Ceiling in one of the rooms at the castle

You can barely see the Firth of Forth in the background. 

We had lunch at a cafe off High Street and checked the guidebook. We decided the Palace did not sound all that exciting and we elected to go back up High Street to check out some of the alleyways and see St Giles Cathedral (OK, it’s no longer a cathedral but it used to be.)

We stopped to photograph one of the early “skyscraper” tenements in the old town – 3 stories high - and checked out the tartan woolen mill just below the castle. Then we headed down to St Giles. It’s a lovely church with great stained glass and a chapel for the Knights of the Thistle that is beautiful. The four columns supporting the spire date to the 12^th century.

Early skyscraper

Royal Mile 

St Giles

Pre-Raphealite window

Tired of walking, we purchased tickets for the city on-and-off tour buses. Good for 24 hours, you can take any one of 5 buses with slightly different routes. We’re going to use them to go out and see the royal yacht Britania tomorrow. It was nice to see more of the city from the top of the bus. I had to chuckle when the guide started talking about the houses in New Town that were built in the late 1700s. That’s new here. They had to be no more than 3 stories, plus a basement and an attic. They are still in use and it’s hard to believe they are that old.

Three stories, a basement and an attic from 1797

Chimney pots

We wrapped up the day with a great dinner at Il Positano, a short walk from the B&B. The panna cotta was the best I have ever had.