Edinburgh

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We spent our first full day in Edinburgh being tourists to the max! Started off by eating breakfast at the Elephant House Cafe (and Sharon even tried haggis). All you Harry Potter fans will know that this is the place where JK Rowling penned much of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (better known in the US as HP and the Sorcerer's Stone), the book that started it all. After our pilgrimage, we wandered around much of New Town, trying to locate the hop-on/hop-off tour bus stop, and saw lots of interesting landmarks in the process, including the Walter Scott monument. Finally on the bus, we strained to comprehend our guide's brogue, got off at Edinburgh Castle stop, where we spent about 4 hours exploring this fascinating place and getting our first dose of the complexities of Scottish History... Back on the bus, we were fortunate to eventually end up with a wonderful, comprehensible and witty guide, and also a bit fortuitously we ended up at Holyrood Palace, the traditional summer home of the Queen, just as she was beginning her annual one week stay with a ceremony in the Palace courtyard. Our bus was prevented from driving further when a white coach bus turned onto the street in front of us, so we were there as Queen Elizabeth exited the courtyard and climbed onto her private white bus, while the Scottish Royal Guard and the English Royal Guard marched from the courtyard, right next to our bus, where they stopped for some ceremonial maneuvers!

Tonight we enjoyed more pub food at a pub on Grassmarket Street, lined with pubs, eateries, and boutiques. Then a bit of souvenir shopping and off to join our Murder and Mystery tour, which was kind of like an extended comedy routine delivered while walking through alleys and backstreets of the city. Very enjoyable...

And best of all our "lost" luggage arrived!

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Comments

[Casey]

Hi guys! Looks like you are having an awesome trip! I am enjoying reading the blog...it's almost like I'm right there with you (I wish!).