Blogs from Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe - page 4

A Royal Scot – Edinburgh, October 2019 It’s been a few years since I last tramped over the uneven cobblestones of this ancient royal city, dodging the almost constant rain drops and sampling an excellent Shepherd’s Pie and a shot of smoky-peat whiskey in a local pub. I didn’t have the time during that last visit to really explore the alleyways, museums, hole-in-the-wall cafes or even Holyrood Palace – time to correct those errors. Edinburgh is a city that begs to be discovered, filled with quirky, come-hither nooks that tempt a visitor to explore just that little bit further afield. I began my latest adventure on a Virgin Atlantic nonstop red-eye flight from Las Vegas to Manchester in northern England, where my brother and I grew up, went to school and made the decision to emigrate ... read more

A good day with only a wee bit of rain. Travelled by train to Edinburgh. We walked the Royal Mike and Princess Street. We viewed the Scottish Parliament and Museum of Edinburgh. Lots to see in Edinburgh and worthy of several more days. Cheers... read more

After landing at 6:30 am and before settling into our apartment in Edinburgh, we strike out on the “hop on, hop off” bus for an overview of the city. There are 3 routes available and it’s best to buy a pass that also includes entrance fees to the Royal Yacht Brittania, Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Castle. Edinburgh is a city of appx 500,000 people and there has been a number of festivals in August including the “fringe festival” which is one of the largest gatherings (primarily performing arts, especially comedy) in Europe. So it is estimate another 1/2 million people converge on the city. Needless to say, parts of Edinburgh was “jammed” with people. Walking around made touring Times Square in New York seem like a walk in the country. There are over 5,000 performances spread ... read more

Wie ihr wahrscheinlich mitbekommen habt, gab es gestern keinen Blog. Nach einer kurzen Nacht auf der Fähre, der Fahrt nach Edinburgh und dem Proclaimers Konzert im Edinburgh Castle war ich einfach zu müde. Auf der Fahrt gestern nach Edinburgh sind wir an der Tay Bridge vorbei gekommen. Wahrscheinlich kennt ihr folgendes Gedicht: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Brück’_am_Tay Genau diese Brücke habe ich gesehen. Man sieht sogar noch die alten Brückenpfeilerstümpfe der eingestürzten Brücke. Die Schotten waren ganz verwundert, dass wir vom Einsturz wussten und wir erzählten ihnen vom Gedicht. Heute haben wir Melrose Abbey und Rosslyn Chapel besucht. https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melrose_Abbey Melrose ist eine Ruine und der Ort der letzten Ruhestätte des Herzens von Robert the Bruce. Es gab einen wunderbaren gratis Audio Guide, der uns über zwei Stunden in Bann gehalten h... read more

The sun has come out to grace our tour today. First stop Blair castle, a 700 year old Victorian style mansion redesigned in the 1700s into a castle. This is the ancestral home of the Duke of Atholl (or Athole) of the Highlands, a title granted to the first Duke in the 1703 by Queen Ann. The Duke must be from the Murray line and must be directly related in ancestry. When the last Duke died, there were no heirs. So the search began for a replacement. They found a distant cousin now living in South Africa. Bruce Murray was thus named the 12th duke of Atholl A heritage fund was set up in 1936 to manage the castle and it was opened to the public. The site is 11,400 acres and not only includes the ... read more