Day 2: Walking Tour: The Royal Mile
Our first full tour day began with breakfast in the hotel. After breakfast, we were greeted by our local guide, Rita, before heading in for our immersive tour of Old Town Edinburgh.
Our walking tour took us into several closes - which are little alleys and squares off the main streets - and gave a real look at the history of Edinburgh. We walked the Royal Mile, down to Grassmarket, and to Greyfriars Cemetery, before ending the tour in the National Museum of Scotland. After the walking tour, we were free to stay in the museum to explore - they have a garden terrace that has a lovely view of the city. We were then free for the rest of the afternoon. |
Day 2: Edinburgh Castle
At our orientation meeting the previous day, we had been given Heritage Passes, which would get us into several of the sights we were seeing during the tour. This included admission into Edinburgh Castle. This means that we are free to explore the whole castle at our own pace, but the admission is still included with the tour.
Sean and I went to the castle after enjoying a pub lunch. We arrived just before the changing of the guard. It was another lovely day, but the wind was quite fierce at the top of the rock, so come prepared! My favorite part of the castle was the tiny little St Margaret's Chapel. This is the oldest building at the castle, build around 1120. It is just a simple little chapel that still hosts weddings today. I also enjoyed the dog cemetery and the little bunnies that were paying their respects to the fallen heroes. |
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Favorite of the DayMy favorite picture of the day is of the statue of little Greyfriars Bobby.
Bobby was a Victorian Skye Terrier and as legend would have it, he was the best of very good good boys. Bobby's owner was a police officer that went to work once day and unfortunately died in the line of duty. Bobby is said to have spent the remaining fourteen years of his life guarding his master's grave. In 1872, after Bobby passed, he was buried just outside the same cemetery where his master is buried. People still honor Bobby by placing sticks at this grave. |
Day 3: Departing Edinburgh
My favorite part of any tour is getting out of the big cities. I really like the bus time where we to listen to our tour guide tell us about culture, history, and other country charms while we watch the countryside pass by. Some people like to sleep, but I do not.
After breakfast, we took our bags to the bus where we met our fearless bus driver, Alan. We loaded the bus and headed out of town. The pictures below are from the bus journey. Click on them to enlarge. |