Edinburgh, Scotland

We arrived in Edinburgh (pronounced by the locals as Edinboro), Scotland and it was more beautiful than we expected. We arrived at the train station around 11:00 and walked with our luggage up a HUGE hill because David didn’t want to get a taxi. The one good thing about hauling 40 lbs of luggage and a backpack was the beautiful view – the city of Edinburgh and the Castle. Once we got to our hotel we went to our room and we were amazed at the view out of our room window. It is looking right over the Grassmarket and up at the Castle (see photo below). While we could have sat all day looking at the Edinburgh Castle through our window, we decided to get a closer look.

Our view from Room 4111

We toured the grounds at Edinburgh Castle and saw the awesome views of the city below. We also got to see the Scotland Crown Jewels which are housed there. After spending a few hours at the Castle we headed back down High Street also known as the Royal Mile.

We made a stop at the Scotland Scotch Whiskey Experience. We learned how Scotch Whiskey is made and got to sample some of the local fare. David was bold and went for a more mature whiskey with a very full, smoky flavor. The tour guide said of this specific sample: “You will either love it or hate it.” By the look on David’s face, along with the watering eyes and sporadic coughing – I would say he wasn’t a fan. We also got to see the world’s largest Scotch Whiskey collection with thousands of bottles including a few that were over a hundred years old!!

The view of the city from Edinburgh Castle

At the Scotch Whiskey Experience

We continued our walk down the Royal Mile and got to see a lot of neat shops and old building including the place where J.K. Rowling started writing the Harry Potter books, a statue of Greyfriar’s Bobby (the dog Bobby refused to leave his master’s gravesite for over 10 years and even inspired a Walt Disney Movie), and the place of the last public execution in Scotland. We went to a magnificent Cathedral – St. Giles. There was a lot of beautiful stain glass, statues, and memorials inside. We found a great little Italian restaurant for dinner and decided to turn in early. We have been going a 100 mph since we arrived in Europe, so we figured we would relax and enjoy the beautiful view from our room.

The Statue and Pub dedicated to Greyfriar's Bobby

St. Giles Cathedral

Stained Glass at St. Giles

The Grassmarket (the street our hotel is located at)

Edinburgh Cityscape

Edinburgh Castle