Back to Edinburgh

When last I left you, we were in Edinburgh, with another day to see the city.  We started with a walk through the Scottish Art Museum and Princes St. Garden.  The garden is BEAUTIFUL, and I was pleased that we actually got the chance to walk THROUGH it, rather than around it.

 This giant thistle was growing in the middle of everything.  I wonder if they're protected, like the California Poppy, in that they get to grown wherever they like and you're not allowed to remove them?

Today's plan was to hop on a tour bus, for a ride around town.  There were 4 or 5 different varieties to choose from.  Husband had looked at the tours online, and decided we wanted to take "the red bus."  uh oh.  Midway through, I asked him about that.  He chose the "Horrible Histories" tour, in the bright red bus.  I think what he really wanted was the "Vintage Tour," in the brick red bus.  Horrible Histories took us through the red light district, and I was actually pleased that I did not listen to any of the audiotour.  I simply took in the sights, and enjoyed.

 We got to see the backside of Edinburgh Castle, a first for me.

 We whipped past Greyfriars Bobby.  Disney made a movie about the dog memorialized above the sign.

 We saw cows.

 This was the first sign that raised an eyebrow.  There were more to follow.  oh my.

 We drove down the Royal Mile, past the Houses of Parliament.

 We saw the gates to Holyrood Palace, where the Queen stays, when she's in Edinburgh.

 We turned a corner, and Pete said, "There's Arthur's Seat!!"  oh. my. goodness.  It's the tallest peak in Edinburgh.  Back in 1996, I hiked the kids, ages 6-12, up to the top while husband attended a convention.  Apparently I was pretty fit, back in the olden days.  :)

After riding the bus around the city, we disembarked and got a bite to eat.  Again we went to the Edinburgh Larder, as my husband is a creature of habit.  I think we ate there 4 times?  Or 5?  Then we walked down to the next bus stop and hopped back onto the bus, up to Calton Hill.  Although he spent a year in Edinburgh, he never took the time to see it up close and personal.  (I think it was further than walking distance, and he's not one to take a cab.)  On Calton Hill is this tower.  You had to pay to enter it, so we didn't.

 There is also this portion of a replica of the Parthenon.  It was to be a complete installation, but they only got this far before they ran out of money.  Interesting.  He was pleased as punch to get up here and see it in person.  (That's him in the above picture, wearing the souvenir hat that we bought for our oldest son.)

 When we walked down the hill, back to the bus stop, we saw these fellows.  There had been some sort of cross-country race (10K?) up Arthur's Seat that morning.  I believe they were participants.

We saw a few phone booths, that had a phone on one side, and an ATM on another.  Graffiti was on most of them.

 

After a long day, we ended up back in The Snug (our Air BNB lodging) for the night. I have my camera set with a 10 second delay.  It's on the shelf on the wall.  I did not zoom in on anything.  You can see the ladder/staircase above my shoulder, that leads to the loft.  See how steep it is?  The door to the street is at its base.  On the leftside of the picture is the lightswitch to the bathroom, and just outside the frame is the bathroom door.  I don't know what the square footage is, but I'd be surprised if it's any more than 150 sq ft.  It is smaller than most hotel rooms.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, when we pick up a rental car and head to the Borderlands.