Edinburgh, Scotland

My friend Rachel came into town back in November and I told her we had just recently gone to Edinburgh, Scotland, with Stephen's parents.  She joked with me - so, we can expect to read that blog in March?  She was almost correct.  Here it is!

Stephen's parents came to visit us in London back in October - while Stephen was at work one day we had a golf cart tour around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.  It's a great way to see the whole thing in about an hour.  Phillip and Sandra:

Us after dinner one night:

They were with us in London for a couple days and then we all flew up to Edinburgh.  Edinburgh is a very old city, founded before the 7th century, and is the second largest city in Scotland (the largest being Glasgow).  It looks old, it has a much older and darker feel than London.  I really like it...

The Royal Mile is a stretch of road in the old town that leads from the Holyrood Abbey up to Edinburgh Castle.  

Walking into Edinburgh Castle:

Edinburgh Castle sits on a big chunk of volcanic rock ("Castle Rock") which gives it a high vantage point across the city and the water below.  There has been a royal castle or fortress here since at least the 12th century.

Looking down on the city and the bay:

Every day at 1:00 p.m. this cannon is still fired:

Off with my head:

Barracks where prisoners were kept:

Prisoners often carved their names into the wood - I thought it was interesting that the handwriting was so nice compared to today's prison carvings (not that I would really know):

We stopped for a break in the Missoni Hotel - all decked out in Missoni colors:

This was one of my favorite things to see - the Melrose Abbey.  It was established in 1136 and is where the heart (just the heart) of Robert the Bruce is buried.  

I love old ruins of abbeys, they have such beautiful architectural lines:

The burial spot of Robert the Bruce's heart:

This was my other favorite thing - Floors Castle.  It is the seat (and personal home) of the Duke of Roxburghe.  Little kids grow up here.  

It was incredible inside, I wish I had pictures but they weren't allowed!  Here's Stephen and his parents (if you can make them out) standing in back:

The view of the Scottish countryside from the front:

This was the doorman of our hotel!  I liked his outfit.

Bagpipes on the Royal Mile:

No trip to Scotland is complete without a whiskey tasting!

The most memorable thing about the trip by far was a tour through something called Mary King's Close.  A close (like "close to you" not "close the door") is kind of like a maze of underground alleyways and streets where businesses and homes used to be - only most of these things were self contained in one room.  It's literally very close.  Families would live in one room, no separate bathroom, very dirty and cramped conditions.  Animals, pigs, etc, would be kept there, too.  And slaughtered there.  Ceilings are barely 6ft high.  When it was originally functioning, before the plague and before the Royal Exchange was built, you could walk out your front door and look straight up and see a sliver of sky above you, with buildings built up on either side.  It has long since been bricked over and is completely underground now, several stories underground in some places (with only a lamp to guide your way).  It was not a pleasant place to be, especially when the plagues hit.  Plague victims were quarantined there, and died there.  There are many ghost stories that come out of this, but nothing affected me as much as the true story of what was used in some places as plaster - horse hair and the ashes of human bodies.  I literally looked up and saw it.  Now that is some recycling.