Edinburgh Castle

NOTE: New Photo Album Lena Maria Day 6

Went for pizza last night at this great Italian place that everyone apparently loves because it was packed. We lucky enough to score a table. Spoke with some Brits who were here for the big Marathon. Food was great. Walked home. We turned on the telly for a bit. I was able to watch for about 10 minutes and then I was fast asleep.

Woke up this morning feeling so much better. Nothing like getting 12 hours of sleep. Made up for not sleeping so well on the barge. Plus the pouring rain outside was no incentive to get out of bed. Bill made us a lovely breakfast. Bill & Ian run this guesthouse and they are really great. 

The rain had stopped but it was still on the chilly side. We made our way up to the center of town and up through the Royal Mile to the Edinburgh Castle. Along the way we stopped to pick up a couple of Scottish scarves for some more warmth. They worked great and for a while the sun even came out.

The castle wasn't crowded so there were no long lines. Opted for the audio tour which was quite informative. Walked through all of it including Royal Palace where they keep the crown jewels. Tested some local brew in the whiskey shop - for some reason it wasn't whiskey. Just as we were talking about leaving the skies opened up. We hid in various corners of the castle and then eventually it stopped enough to walk down the hill. 

On the way up we had seen a blackboard sign that boasted a free walking tour starting at 3pm. I know that some of the ladies did this in Amsterdam and had a great time. Originally we were going to go to this great vegetarian restaurant that we heard about but it was too far away to make it back for the tour. So we popped into the nearest pub. I was glad because I wanted the experience of being in a Scottish pub. Split an order of fish and chips and I had my first Scottish pint. Quiet tasty. Made it to the free tour in time. Hung around with some folks but the person turned out to be a no show.  We were bummed. 


Started walking back down across the North Bridge and spotted a strange tall structure. Being curious, we headed for it to see what it was about. Turns out to be the Scott Monument which is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. The monument has 287 stairs to the top - and for 4 pounds you can climb up - and so we did. There are four levels but the spiral staircase gets very skinny at times. At least we were out of the rain for a while. At the top level when I stepped out of the stairway, I was pelted with hail!! It was pretty cold up there. Needless to say, we didn't stay long and headed back down.

It was time for a coffee, so we popped into the Princes Mall for a dry place. The stairs to the cafe were glass which didn't go well with my wet sneakers - the next thing I know I am sliding down the staircase. My arm taking the brunt of it all. Nothing broken, but a very nice long scrap and probably will be accompanied by some bruising. The ladies in the beauty salon called the medics and my new friend, Jim, came to patch me up. Good thing this isn't sleeveless weather. Decided to skip that cafe and went into the Starbucks and recovered my heart rate.

Still pouring, took the bus back to the guesthouse. Asked Bill and Ian if they had any towels they didn't mind getting bloody. They have such nice white bath sheets here that I hated to get them stained. Ian thought that was so nice. He said he has seen hair dye and make-up and that is just the men! Bill went and dug some clean throw away towels for me to use. 

Resting comfortably now in our room. Looks like it is clearing outside. It is supposed to be nicer tomorrow. I hope so, we have more exploring to do. Not sure about dinner tonight. Tomorrow we may head down to the coast (which isn't far from here) for dinner. It doesn't get dark till after 10.

Next time.... More Edinburgh