Edinburgh

We woke up to rain and it never really stopped until after dinner. I am still chilled to the bone. We had to readjust our plans. To stay dry and still see the city, we climbed on two different Hop On Hop Off buses today that went different places. It was a great overview and history of the city. The last 2 weeks have been filled with an unbelievable amount of fascinating history, and I’m on overload…it’s getting jumbled up in my head! Oh, I do remember one…There was a terrible problem with rats in the tenements so they had terrier dogs instead of cats to take care of the problem. They couldn’t use cats because if you had a cat you could be accused of witchery and burned at the stake! Strange what the brain remembers!

We saw the statue of Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye Terrier, who was known in 19th century Edinburgh for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he died. It’s sad that he couldn’t be buried with his owner because animals are not allowed to be buried there.

There’s an Old Town and a New Town. The New Town is from 1700s! The fortified Edinburgh Castle (home of kings and queens for centuries) towers very high above the city on volcanic rock and is quite a sight. Then, there’s Holyroodhouse Palace which was the home of Stuart kings and queens and is also an official residence of Queen Elizabeth II.

We did get off the bus and took a tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia which was the Queen’s floating palace from 1953 until it was retired in 1997. The yacht is incredibly huge and is a “time-warp look into the late 20th century lifestyles of the royal family.”

Rebecca and I found a nice Italian restaurant here in Stockbridge where I enjoyed a little wine, spaghetti, and gelato…my idea of a perfect meal.

Impossible to take photos from a bus and in the rain today…Read more