Inveterate Travellers: Bucketing down in Edinburgh

Yes, we’ve had some drizzle in the last couple of weeks, and yes, we’ve been a little put off by it, but today, in Edinburgh, was the last straw! We’d booked a walking tour of Edinburgh for today and it dawned bright and sunny. However, the weather report indicated possible showers, so we took our macs when we left our apartment, thinking that this is a burden we don’t really need. We had a good walk to our rendezvous, including coffee, croissants, a good walk around the old town as well as a light lunch and a glass of wine. Just before the tour was about to kick off – NOTE: Sandersens Free Tours!!!!! - it started to rain consistently and continued all afternoon. At one stage, the rain was torrential! However, our tour guide, Sabella, persevered until it became unbearable and we retired to a local pub, where she was obviously known, and continued to relate the history and colour of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is built on seven hills, around the central citadel of Edinburgh Castle, and the buildings and structures are relative to the terrain, some buildings being a couple of levels on one side and 12 or 15 on the other, sometimes hiding alleys, cellars and voids (where other areas are hidden) underneath.

It’s an eclectic city, with beautiful buildings, galleries, history and stories ( myths) in the old town, with another whole history (the last 200-300 years) mixed in with the new town. We’re in absolute awe of the incredible story of how modern Scotland became what it is today! From William Wallace, through Robert the Bruce, to the more modern, Robbie Burns, Walter Scott, James Watt and Alexander Graham Bell, Scotland has become a powerhouse of modern society. Today’s Scotland is also a major contributor to modern Britain and should not be ignored – enough politics!

The city, as I said, was built on seven hills which were formed by volcanic action and tectonic plates colliding and it’s sometimes a bit of a struggle getting to sites we wanted to visit. Today, Tuesday, saw us heading off in the morning with clear blue skies, towards Edinburgh Castle, the most imposing sight in the city. From our apartment it’s a 15 minute walk to the city area then it takes another 10-15 minutes to climb the hill to the castle. When we arrived, our calves were aching a little but we figured it was worth it, particularly when we found out that it was the Duke of Edinburgh’s 93^rd birthday and there would be a 21-gun salute at midday from the parapet. We managed to get a good vantage point well before the fireworks and once again, the rain came down just as they were setting up for the ceremony. However, we stuck it out and captured some pretty good photos.

After our visit to the castle, we grabbed some lunch, then headed to the National History Museum and then visited the National Art Gallery, both of which were on our must-see list. Tomorrow we head back to England and a couple of days in York, before our next wedding in Oxfordshire.