Sightseeing in Edinburgh

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The rain of yesterday has cleared and it looks like the day is going to be fine and pleasantly mild.
To get our bearings the tour director has planned a walk up to Arthurs Seat,an extinct volanco near where we are staying and not unlike the Mount in appearance except it is not completly cone shaped.
I knew Gretchen had a 'good'walk planned as she fed me up on bacon and eggs after cereal knowing that I would be at my best with a full stomach and it might be a while before our next intake of food.
Being Saturday and RR safely parked with no meters to feed(no charge for parking in the 'burbs on the weekend)we leisurely got ready for the hike.
You can't miss Arthurs Seat as it it the highest point around at 251 mtrs,about the same height as the Mount.
The sun was starting to warm the air as we reached the bottom of the trail and looked upwards!!This was going to be a challenge again not unlike the steps that take you vertically up the Mount at home.We could see people as small dots as they climbed the steps towards the top going up what seemed a near vertical cliffside.All at once Gretchen seemed a little reluctant figuring there must be an easier way.However we have become a bit more sedinentary since we have had the car and have been putting back on the pounds so a good workout was what was needed.
The steps were not as tall as those on the direct route up the Mount from the seaward side(some of you readers will know that challenge)and without the trees covering the view,as on the Mount,we were able to take stops and admire the panoramic scene of the city opening up as we climbed higher.We were overtaken on the way up by more youthful and agile couples but we soldiered on and after 30 minutes or thereabouts we made it to the top.
On the almost windless and sunny morning Edinburgh looked a picture and the view was 360 deg being able to see BurntIsland a town on the other side of the Firth of Forth about 20 miles away.
Looking down the hill there were dozens of hikers either ascending or descending over the numerous paths.It clearly was a day when the locals were going to get out and enjoy the warm sunshine.
We took our photos and videos and the tour director planned the route down.This time it was the opposite side to which we had climbed up and the going looked a lot esier on a more gentle but still fairly steep slope.
The next destination was Holyroodhouse the home of the Queen when she is in Edinburgh.
Here too there were a good number of people taking advantage of the fine weather and we paid our entry fee and joined the throngs all using the free audio gadgets to hear and understand the history of the 'house' and the rooms you are allowed into.
Unfortunately you cannot take photos or video inside so we were unable to record the elegance of the rooms or the paintings and tapestries within.You can however check them out online at www.royalcollection.org.uk
After an hour or so inside the house where preparations seemed to be underway for the annual summer garden party(to which we don't have an invitation)we walked through to the ancient abbey which was built on the site 300 odd years before the house was constructed.Then it was a stroll through the gardens which were beautifully manicured and what struck us as we walked around the paths were the numbers of birds chirping away even though the noise of the city is all around.
It was now past 1.30pm and we had been walking for nearly 4 hours including the strenous walk up Arthurs Seat and we were both getting rather hungry.Home was still half an hour away up the Royal Mile,the now rather touristy street leading to the 'house' and then through the Meadows .
Before we got there we suddenly came upon the small statue of Greyfriars Bobby.Now Gretchen had been determined to avoid this iconic statue about the loyal dog who waited for his master(for those who don't know the story it is a real tearjerker and was made into a movie in the late 50's I think).Now we couldn't avoid it as there it was right in front of us so Gretchen reluctantly stopped and paid her respects to one of her childhood characters she had read about.
On the Meadows there were a couple of cricket matches underway.Cricket is not one of those sports you expect to see in Scotland but then one of the teams seemed to be made up of Indians so we guess they will play their favourite sport anywhere in the world they live.
We were pretty well stuffed as it had been the most walking we had for almost a week so after lunch we settled down to watch the womens tennis final and catch up on administration followed by a quiet walk before dinner to find a place where we can park RR next week when we spend a full day in the city.We found a street about 15 mins walk away where one can park for 9 hrs and that should suit just fine.The area around the flat only allowed up to 4 or 6 hours.
One of the good things about strolling around a city you don't know is that the walk can lead you to interesting places and this evening it was to a pub that looked in very original condition and so we ordered up a MacEwans la

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