Scotland-Ireland Trip 2015: Day 4: Touring Edinburgh September 2

Bob and I were the lucky ones to be assigned the front seats in the bus for our day of touring Edinburgh. I know I shouldn't sound unappreciative, but, since we had already spent time around the city, and since we are pretty much country lovers, it would have been better to have front seats another day. But, we didn't complain, nor did we know other people well enough to offer a swap.

Our day included both a bus and walking tour around "New Town" and "Old Town" Edinburgh, with lots of history delivered by our guide. I remember two things very well from this tour and not a lot more!

First, as our tour guide was explaining all the history of Edinburgh, he pointed out the "fan" windows above the doors, each created in a different pattern. Some of these are much more ornate than others, but each has its own distinctive pattern. The Georgian architecture is quite famous and the guide told us that there has been a book written about these windows. Rather than hunt around for a book while we were in Edinburgh, I decided I could just order it online when I got home. I've spent a large amount of time searching the Internet to no avail. I think he lied. :-( I did a few shots from the bus and was so fascinated by these windows that I pretty much blocked out the rest of the history. Oops!

Second, on the walking tour of Old Town, I got distracted by a wedding photo shoot. So much for the medieval history of Old Edinburgh! Now that I look closely at the photo, I realize that the veil seems to have a hole in it and the photographer is pointing it out to the bride and groom. Can you tell it was very windy that day? And, notice the groom in a kilt? So romantic!

Edinburgh Castle

Our next stop was Edinburgh Castle. We met at the castle esplanade, an open area where the Military Tattoo takes place every August. They had just begun to take down the massive bleachers which are set up only for this event. One can't help but wonder why they aren't built permanently since it takes nearly seven months of the year to construct and deconstruct them. It used to take longer. I'm sure the view the other few months of the year must be worth this work, and, though I'm only speculating, I'm sure there was controversy about having a permanent modern structure built on this medieval historical site.

Edinburgh Castle Esplanade with bleachers for Military Tattoo being removed.

The streets leading into the castle grounds are built of cobblestone with insets of jagged rock which were designed to help horses get proper footing on the hilly slopes - not so convenient for human feet.

Cobblestone walkways. Note the jagged rocks on the right, designed for horses to get better footing.

The castle was lovely, and the views astounding. Again we found that there wasn't enough time to see and do all we wanted. There are several buildings and many exhibits within the castle walls as you can see here. We did see the Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny, but weren't allowed to take pictures. We saw the quarters for Mary Queen of Scots and the chamber where she gave birth to James VI. Yes, I know, a bit too many kings, queens, and so many, many, years of history. Bob would now say, attempting a Scottish brogue, "It can be a wee bit confusing."

St. Margaret's Chapel

St. Margaret's Chapel, the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh is very tiny in comparison to the other buildings, but quite beautiful in its simplicity.

Not the greatest picture, but I happened to look up and behind me as
I entered one of the doorways to the prison area.

I had to rush Bob out of the jail areas, so we wouldn't be late for our bus. There were two: a POW jail displaying the wretched conditions, and another jail for those from the same army who had disobeyed rules (drunk on duty, attempt to escape, etc.). I got him to leave by taking pictures of the placards for him to read later!

Our greeter for the Scottish Evening

In the evening we were wined and dined at a Scottish Evening full of food and entertainment, accordion music, bagpipes, stories, and highland dancers. We both tasted haggis and black pudding, deciding that neither was all that bad. Forbes had recommended Stornaway Black Pudding as the best in Scotland and that was what was on the menu so we had to try it! Bob said it tasted exactly like he remembered from when his mother used to make it, though she called it "blood pudding." I ordered lamb which I thought tasted very much like pot roast. Wine poured quite freely, which was good because Bob was chosen to dance with a cute, young Scottish lass. I'll only share the video with those he agrees can see it! :-) He was a bit of a disadvantage because he was in the restroom when the directions were given.