After Wales, Katie and I headed by train to Edinburgh Scotland. The British countryside is just like the movies. It is picturesque and lush filled with sheep and cows. It was a lovely train ride.
Katie and I each traveled with a rolling suitcase and a backpack filled to the brim. Getting on and off trains and walking up hills at a fast speed to catch a train or bus is no fun when you've got an extra 10 pounds on your back. Somehow we always made it. Katie has been not only a good companion, but an excellent detail planner, and she is always able to figure out where we need to go very quickly. I couldn't have managed without her.
When we got off the train, sometime around 3:00pm, we had to figure out what bus we needed to take to get to our B&B. I was very excited to be staying at a B&B. I had heard such lovely things about the hospitality you get at one. We stayed at a place called the Brae Lodge. We had fantastic hosts. They were so lovely. The house was large and very old but charming. We deposited our things and headed off to the middle of High Street. We had dinner at a Pub called Albanach. Katie had haggis. I don't remember what I had but most everything is fried and there are very little fresh vegetables and fruit. I know I did order a fresh salad. We had a very friendly waiter.
Images from the graveyard.
After eating, We went to the St. Giles cathedral. I am always impressed with old churches even if they do tend to look similar to one another. We then went to the Grey Friars graveyard. That was very interesting. Many people were buried there during the plague. There were so many bodies in fact that bodies still rise to the surface when there is a good rain. One part of the graveyard is called the Covenanters prison. It was a prison for over 1000 supporters of the National Covenant who had been defeated by Government forces at the battle of Bothwell Brig on June 22, 1679. For over four months these men were held there without any shelter. Each man was allowed 4 ounces of bread a day. It is a horrifying but fascinating part of Scottish history. If you want to read more, go to www.covenanter.org.
The next day, we took a Mercat tour of the city. It was interesting. We were given information in 1 and 1/2 hours that we would never have otherwise received. There were many fires in Edinburgh just like elsewhere in Europe. Fire was the only way to heat a house so it is no wonder. Many of the buildings and apartments on High Street have been there for decades. The apartments were built up because on both sides of the old town the rock the town was built on dropped off, so they had to build up.
After the Mercat tour, we headed up the hill to the Edinburgh Castle. Talk about massive. This monster sits on top of a very large rock. We took a self guided audio tour that was well worth it. The views are stunning and the history is impressive.
From the top of High Street where the castle sits, we walked all the way down to the bottom where Holyrood where the queen of England stays when she visits. Mind you, we had had beautiful weather. I was fighting some knee pain and a little swelling as well, but pushed on and walked and walked. As we got to Holyrood, we sat at the fountain in the courtyard for a little respite. Looking up at the sky we could see a very dark and very large black cloud heading our way. We quickly ducked inside to take a tour. It poured the whole time we were inside and when we finished, the sun came out and the rain subsided. That took care of day two.
Holyrood Ruins of old cathedral at Holyrood.
More of the ruins. Gardens of Holyrood
The fountain at Holyrood.
Breakfast: can I just say that English and Scottish breakfasts are impressive and a lot of food?! However, for a traveler they are helpful because you end up just snacking mid day and then eat only one other meal. It helped save on the cost of things. Our hosts made delicious breakfasts with the best homemade scones I have ever eaten. Haggis was always a choice on the breakfast menu so I decided to be brave and go for it. It isn't bad. It tastes a bit like liver which I have never minded much and they fried it so it was a bit crispy. Every morning we were offered a special as well as the traditional Scottish breakfast, or an omlette and fresh fruit.
Our last day in Edinburgh was filled with going to The Royal Museum of Scotland where we spent HOURS learning about the Covenanters and the Jacobite's and the role they not only played in the history of Scotland but in the world. Katie and I are museum nerds and we really enjoy learning as much as we can. Our next stop was the National Gallery of Scotland where we saw the works of Scottish artists and then on to Princes street garden. There were sunbathers galore.
View of the castle.
View of city from Princes street park Sunbathers at the park
View of city from the park
Edinburgh is massive! It is tall and everything is built of stone, massive stone. It is heavy and big. I enjoyed being there but after 3 days, I was ready for a change from the heaviness of the buildings. We would have loved to have gone up into the highlands, but we just couldn't fit it all in.
We left Scotland early on the morning of July 18th. Our hosts had ordered a cab for us and filled a sack with pastries and fruit for our breakfast. Edinburgh was lovely and the weather cooperated.
To say the land forms the people is an understatement in Scotland. I now know why the Scots have the reputation they do. This land of Scotland, which is also part of my heritage is rough and rugged. It helped shape a people who were industrious and full of determination. It is the same determination that I saw in my Grandmother Isabelle Leishman and that I see in my own mother. I think that Scottish blood runs deep in my veins too.
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