A Magical Place

Our day in Edinburgh (Ed-in-BURRA) was like a dream. What a place! The temperature was just right (everywhere we go, they tell us we bring good weather!) and everywhere we looked, we saw something wonderful.
Our little hotel was located a couple of miles away from the city center. Saturday morning the hotel had a hot breakfast waiting for the group (eggs, sausages, bacon, baked beans, tomatoes and toast). After breakfast we hopped on our little bus and headed over to Princes Street, a long shopping street perpendicular to the Royal Mile. We just walked along, enoying something that's practically a lost art back home - window shopping. Here, you have elaborate shop windows that draw you in ... back home, that's not so important in a mall setting.
We did nip into one of many Scottish heritage shops along Princes Street. You could buy everything from shirt to kilts to caps with your clan tartan - I chose a really nice tea mug with the Gordon tartan. I was tempted by a cashmere scarf but decided to bow to my Scottish nature and be frugal.
Around 12:45, we met up with our local tour guide and we clambered back on the bus for the big city tour. Our first stop was high atop Calton Hill. This is a hill near the city center with lots of monuments and great views. There's an unfinished replica of the Parthenon there and a tribute to Lord Nelson. The views are just magnificent.
From there we drove around the city, with our guide pointing out buildings and tossing out historical tidbits. I've been on lots of tours and a good guide really makes or breaks the trip. you have to have someone who knows their stuff and can make it interesting.
We made a circle around the Palace of Holyrood House, which is the Queen's official residence in Scotland. She has a garden party here each summer. The Royals spend a lot of time in Scotland, but mostly at Balmoral which is their family home in the north.
Next: The Castle! What a beautiful place! The street running from Holyrood to the Castle is called the Royal Mile. We got out of the bus and walked up a steep, winding path from Princes Street at the National Gallery to the Castle.
I've tried to think of words to describe the castle but I'm almost stuck. It was like nothing I've ever seen. The outer wall was built in the 1800s because people didn't think the castle was especially attractive. So it has this outer wall. Once you're inside, you feel as if you're transported to the 1500s ... it is like a little town in there. Streets and steps that go straight up. Beautiful views. And once you're at the top, a walled city. You had to feel safe up there.
We walked around the castle, just taking it all in. Then we headed down the Royal Mile, just as it started to rain.
As if by magic, we had a true Scottish experience - a misty rain, the steep castle walls around us and the music of a bagpiper. It was the most marvelous day.
We didn't try haggis, but we felt Scottish to the soul.