Edinburgh Castle and Downtown

We had breakfast in the hotel with Kathy and Gil, then went on a panoramic bus tour of Edinburgh. Our city guide Jackie was amazing she is a remarkably intelligent woman, very entertaining, witty, and funny; yet she has bright scarlet hair, wears crinolines under a full, low cut dress and pink high heels. She gave us a thorough look at the history of Edinburgh Castle that was in no way boring or pedantic. Afterwards, Glenda and I had lunch at Howie's Pub on Victoria street on our way to the Museum of History. The city is packed with people because the International Art Festival, the Fringe Festival, the Book Festival, and eight other festivals are going on simultaneously in the city. When we arrived at the museum we were told that the section on the Kingdom of the Scots was closed because of an "industrial action," that is, a strike. Jackie's explanation of the strike held that the workers are striking for pay on Sundays, even though the museum is closed on Sunday. We came back to the hotel, organized our gear and rested up for tonight's presentation of the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle.Read more