June 15 to 16 Edinburgh

June 15 to 16 Edinburgh

June 15 Edinburgh MacDonald Holyrood Hotel We woke up at about 7:00 and got ready for the trip to Edinburgh. We had to pack all of our previous day s purchases as well as our clean laundry. It was quite a challenge. We went down for breakfast and were the first ones there. We didn t have the Full English Breakfast because we were getting sick of beans. The talkative lady from Washington and her husband came down a few minutes later and she was quite talkative again today. She kept talking about all the places she and her husband had visited all over the world. Her husband talked a lot about buildings he had designed and built in various places in North American and Europe. Julie in front of York Minster York Minster Altar Bootham Bar

June 15 Edinburgh (Cont d) After breakfast, we brought our luggage down and Julie paid the final bill. Our host, Fred Elliott, called a taxi for us. On our ride to the train station, the driver told us how much everybody likes our host. He seems to be a very well-respected businessman in York. We arrived at the York train station and located the platform our train was departing from. We waited for about a half hour for our train, which was quite crowded. The York to Edinburgh train is a continuation of the trip from London so it is always very busy. We managed to jam our luggage onto the train and located a place to sit. The trip lasted about two hours. The countryside was beautiful and we could see the sea as we travelled along the Firth of Forth. The weather was really nice, so we had incredible views. York Train Station Our Train Firth of Forth

June 15 Edinburgh (Cont d) We reached Edinburgh and unloaded our luggage from the train car and placed it on a trolley. The station was quite busy, as usual. As can be seen in the picture to the right, there are always crowds circulating throughout the station. We maneuvered our way through the crowds to the taxi queue where we didn t need to wait too long before our taxi pulled up. The driver loaded us up he was really nice and chatted with us on the way to the hotel. When we arrived at the hotel we were surprised happily surprised. The hotel was awesome! The people at the check-in desk were very professional, the hotel very modern and clean, and our room was wonderful. It was huge, with a very large bathroom. After our tiny rooms in the B&B s we had previously stayed in, this was certainly a luxury. We even had a table and two chairs to sit in. Waverly Train Station Edinburgh Our Hotel Our Awesome Room

June 15 Edinburgh (Cont d) We placed our luggage in the room and had a cup of tea. We decided to go for a walk as the hotel was located just a few steps from the Scottish Parliament and down the hill from the Royal Mile. It was also only a few minutes walk from Holyrood House, the official residence of the Queen when she is in Scotland. I wanted to mail some souvenirs home so we looked for a post office. The cost to mail my parcels was about 50.00 (airmail). I sent them to Chris s address in case they arrived before I returned home. Chris would be surprised to receive it. Scottish Parliament The Long Road up the hill to the Royal Mile Scottish Parliament

June 15 Edinburgh (Cont d) After leaving the post office, we continued up the Royal Mile and stopped for lunch. As we were walking along, we noticed a sign for a tattoo parlor and Julie said Let s get a tattoo!. She wanted her tattoo to be a rose, with an F intertwined through it, in tribute to her relationship with Francis. He used to buy her roses quite a bit. I got excited about the idea, and started to imagine what design I would have. I was a little hesitant about getting a tattoo, but it didn t take too much persuasion on Julie s part to get me to agree that it would be a good idea. I had always wanted a tattoo. St. Giles We continued our walk down the Royal Mile and it started to pour. We had our umbrellas but it was really windy so they weren t much help. We both had jackets on, which we were glad about. When we reached St. Giles Church, we toured the cathedral. The stained glass windows were beautiful. St. Giles is the High Kirk of Edinburgh and is a Church of Scotland place of worship. Today it is sometimes regarded as the mother church of Presbyterianism. Stained Glass Windows in St. Giles Statue of John Knox

June 15 Edinburgh (Cont d) We continued down the Royal Mile even though it was still raining quite heavily. We were not going to let rain stop our enjoyment of a day in Edinburgh. We stopped in some of the little shops and purchased souvenirs. On our way back to our hotel we stopped at the tattoo parlour and made an appointment for the next day to have our tattoos done. They would be original designs we would explain what we wanted and the artist would draw the design until it suited us. I had been thinking about it since Julie brought it up and I decided that I would like to have a Celtic Cross on my back. We decided to put them in a place that would be easy to hide. When you work in an office as the President s Assistant, you can t have a tattoo displayed. When we had returned to the hotel we unpacked our suitcases and had showers. We decided to order room service because it was quite late 8:30 pm. We thought we would treat ourselves to a nice dinner in bed. Arthur s Seat

June 16 Edinburgh (Cont d) I woke up in the night and was worried and anxious about something. I think I was worried about getting the tattoo as well as driving in Scotland. We were scheduled to pick the car up at the Alamo car rental kiosk at the train station, which is in central Edinburgh, and I was nervous about driving on the left side of the road in a busy city like Edinburgh. I did go back to sleep, and both Julie and I slept in. We went down for breakfast but didn t take advantage of the Full Scottish breakfast. I had Wheat-a-Bix which was quite good. Neither of us was very hungry. Holyrood House We started our day of touring at the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood House. We didn t go into the Parliament but we did tour Holyrood. The castle itself was very impressive we enjoyed seeing all the portraits of the Scottish kings and queens, and of course my favourite Charlie II. We spent quite a bit of time in the gardens and the Abbey. The gardens were beautiful, and the morning was warm and sunny. Holyrood Gardens Charles II Holyrood Abbey

June 16 Edinburgh (Cont d) After our tour of Holyrood House, we started up the Royal Mile towards Edinburgh Castle and stopped in a few shops on the way. We had lunch at a nice restaurant on the Mile. We stopped at the People s Story Museum, housed in the late 16th century Canongate Tolbooth, opposite Huntly House. The museum illustrates the way that ordinary people of Edinburgh lived from the late 18th century to the present day. It was quite interesting. We also stopped at Canongate Kirk and sat for a few minutes it was so quiet and peaceful and is such a pretty church. People s Story Museum We finally made it to Edinburgh Castle which was a feat because it is all uphill. The streets are cobblestone and quite uneven which makes it more difficult to walk. We spent about 2 hours at Edinburgh Castle. It had started to rain as soon as we left Holyrood House and rained quite hard for about 1-1/2 hours. We were able to take shelter inside the castle out of the wet. It was starting to get really crowded on the Royal Mile and at the castle. Edinburgh Castle Interior of Canongate Kirk Canongate Kirk

June 16 Edinburgh (Cont d) We enjoyed the tour of the castle. The castle is located at the top of the Royal Mile, at the end of Edinburgh s Old Town. The volcanic Castle Rock offers a naturally defended position with sheer cliffs to north and south and a steep ascent from the west. The displays are mainly military, as Edinburgh Castle has always been a fortress. Among the buildings of the castle are the Royal Palace, and the early 16th century Great Hall. The castle also houses the Scottish National War Memorial and National War Museum of Scotland. Walking towards the castle Saddle and portrait of soldier in the The Light Brigade Sir Wm Wallace at the entrance to Edinburgh Castle

June 16 Edinburgh (Cont d) The Castle also houses St. Margaret s Chapel, which we visited. This is the oldest building in the castle and is one of the few 12th century structures surviving in any Scottish castle today. It dates to the reign of King David I (ruled 1124-1153) who built it as a private chapel for the royal family and dedicated it to his mother St. Margaret of Scotland, who died in the castle in 1093. We went into the chapel and sat for a few minutes and said a few prayers. It is so peaceful in the chapel it is a tiny building with beautiful stained glass windows. St. Margaret Interior St. Margaret s Chapel At about 3:30 we started down the Mile, thinking about our appointment for our tattoos. We stopped at O Brien s Restaurant and had a snack. I had a toasted scone and tea. We stopped at a few shops on the way up the Mile so I could look at the different Celtic Crosses to get an idea of what my tattoo should look like. St. Margaret s Chapel

June 16 Edinburgh (Cont d) When we arrived at the tattoo shop, we looked at a few books of tattoos to get an idea about where to place our tattoos. I didn t know whether to place it on my back or on my ankle. I finally decided to place it on my back, just behind my left shoulder. The artist drew a picture for us and we had him make the changes we wanted. I went first it really hurt when the artist did the long lines, but after that it wasn t too bad. I was pleased with the final result. While Julie got her tattoo I went to the internet café across the street and emailed Chris. When I returned Julie was finished getting her tattoo. The artist gave us instructions in the care of the tattoo for the next 10 days and we headed to the nearest Boots for supplies. However, it was just closing and the clerk wouldn t let us in to purchase antiseptic cream. We would need to make do with soap and water for the first night. My Tattoo Julie s Tattoo

June 16 Edinburgh (Cont d) We returned to the hotel and decided to take advantage of room service again as we couldn t find a restaurant with fish and chips on the way back to the hotel, and many of them were closing. The restaurants in the U.K. are now more European snd often local foods cannot be found which is disappointing. We ordered fish and chips from room service and lemon pie for Julie s birthday. We washed our tattoos as best we could and changed into our pyjamas. When supper arrived I gave Julie her birthday present and we both sang Happy Birthday. Both Julie and I had sore muscles we must have walked 5 ot 6 miles that day, up and down, and up and down the hilly Edinburgh streets. We had lots of exercise. Edinburgh Dungeon People s Museum Julie Forewell Battery Edinburgh Castle Trish Forewell Battery - Edinburgh Castle

June 16 Edinburgh (Cont d) Crowning of Robert the Bruce St. Giles Holyrood House Holyrood Gardens Edinburgh