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 93rd 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.
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| Magnificent buildings |
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| National Monument |
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| St.Giles Kirk |
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| Site of the hangman's gallows |
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| Greyfriars Bobbie - legendary, perhaps mythical |
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| Dolly the cloned sheep in the National Museum |
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| Imposing outer wall of Edinburgh Castle |
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| Scotch Guards marching past |
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| Part of 21 gun salute to Duke of Edinburgh |
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| Almost caught the muzzle flash |
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| Reporting to the Commander |
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| Winning a Guard's heart |
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| Cannon on the outer wall |
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| An amazing sight |
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| War Memorial in the Castle |
