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Published: November 2nd 2013
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Scotland
Broken fence in the Scottish Highlands Our trip to Scotland was short, sweet and extremely wet. Then again you probably can't consider it a complete trip to Scotland unless it rains. Our Scottish trip was really a spur-of-the-moment thing as we were visiting my brother in the Manchester area and just decided to make a quick trip out of it. We left Manchester really late at night and did not make it to EDINBURGH until about two in the morning. Obviously it was pitch dark, but every now and again in the car's headlights we saw plenty of green and a lot of sheep. Edinburgh was just a charmer from the start since we drove around for a while trying to find our hotel - the Hudson Hotel. The hotel was very conveniently located to pretty much everything so we were happy with it. Parking in this area is a little hard, but we eventually managed to find some parking. The rooms were very modern compared to the appearance of the rest of the hotel.
The next morning we were greeted by that mistiest of misty Scottish rains. It was not really raining, but rather just a very wet, wet mist. Well, this was not going
to stop us so on we went. First stop - the famous EDINBURGH CASTLE. Built on top of a rock and visible from all angles it really was a sight to behold as we gazed at the castle from below through the Scottish mist/rain. At first we were pretty confused as to how to enter, but after pretty much walking around the property/rock/castle we finally found the entrance. The PORTCULLIS GATE is one of the first gates you pass through. These gate walls are really, really thick. Not sure what cannon was going to make it through that wall, but I can't really imagine any weaponry of the day making it through. We waited patiently in the rain for the twelve o'clock canon salute from the castle. Our view wasn't great, the rain started coming down a little harder, and the shot was fired before we could even blink. Oh well. All the buildings and structures at the castle is pretty amazing considering the magnitude of the structure, the fact that they had to transport all the materials, and they built this colossal compound with what they had back in the day. FOOG'S GATE is just another one of those
Edinburgh
Singing in the rain!!! massive gates where you can just stand and stare. There are many canons, many various halls housing armory of the day, the SCOTTISH CROWN JEWELS, paintings from the day, and dungeons. One area also had a display of the living conditions of the day and what the people survived on. It's pretty amazing thinking that they made out ok in the wet conditions with everything made of stone. The CHAPEL OF ST. MARGARET is also on the property. A very small chapel with some really pretty stained-glass windows. Overall we really enjoyed the castle and would highly recommend it.
As a side note (I believe this is probably the case in most cities) - don't even bother with buying the umbrellas they sell on the streets. It will break in half like a twig at the first sign of even the slightest of breezes. Just a fair warning.
We started making our way down the hill to start the trek down the ROYAL MILE (stretches from CASTLE HILL TO HIGH STREET). Our first stop however was at little hole in the wall Jolly Lodge. It was just a quick little stop for soup, sandwiches, cider, and beer. It
Edinburgh Castle
Entrance to the castle was very dark in there, but the food hit the spot and it was really cheap. ST. GILES' CATHEDRAL is just down the road and is a beautiful structure with some extraordinary stained-glass windows and woodwork. Definitely a recommended stopping point. This whole street in old town Edinburgh is a shopper's paradise. Definitely somewhat touristy (you can definitely get your kilt here for a pretty fair price - I still regret the fact that I did not get one), but also a lot of little stores that sell some really neat stuff. Hit up PRINCESS STREET FOR SHOPPING where there are more clothing stores and department stores including the famous JENNERS. Right across from Jenners you will also see (it's pretty much impossible to miss it) the SCOTT MONUMENT. Unfortunately I have no idea what the purpose/significance of the monument is, but it is an extremely cool Gothic structure that just seems to keep going up and up. Still the coolest view of the day was the view of the castle from Princess Street through the mist that rolled in.
Edinburgh is known as the city of festivals (it must be right up there with Montreal). We were a
Edinburgh Castle
One of the hundreds of sculptures around little bit early for the massive annual month long festival. But we were lucky enough to catch the JAZZ AND BLUES FESTIVAL while in town for 2 nights. We got the tickets and had an awesome night of Jazz under a massive tent with some very surprisingly good food-truck food. We spent the night at the Northumberland Hotel. Very cheap and basic accommodation with a good breakfast.
Well the short stay in Scotland was coming to an end and it was time to pack our bags. For the ride back one of the things in the book was the drive from EDINBURGH TO NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE in England. We finally got our first daylight view of the Scottish countryside. It is hilly, it is green, and there are sheep, streams, ruins, and castles around every corner. What a delightful drive with so much stimulation to the senses. It even cleared up for most of the day so we tried a couple back roads. We were able to stop and walk into some of the fields and take a closer look at the fat, lazy Scottish sheep.
We stopped over in Melrose to admire the Melrose Abbey. There are abbeys all
Edinburgh Castle
Even red phone booths at the castle over the country-side. This one was still pretty intact and it was amazing walking around and looking at this structure. You're able to climb to the top and take everything in from 60 feet up. Being able to experience something like this that was constructed almost a thousand years ago is truly an experience. This site is also known for the burial site of the heart of Robert the Bruce (one of the main characters of Braveheart). We walked up the street and had a quick lunch at Rhymers Fayre cafe. We had some salmon sandwiches and cappuccinos. The store itself also had a pretty good wine and whisky selection so we stocked with a couple bottles.
Soon we were on our way again winding our way through abbeys, valleys, sheep, castles, ruins, and a green country side hard to describe. This drive through the HILLS OF "THE BORDERS" area is definitely a must-do if you are ever in the area. We finally reached CARTER BAR TO CROSS INTO ENGLAND. We stopped at the top and took a look both ways - Scotland to the right and England to the left - depending which way you face. Our visit
Edinburgh Castle
View of Edinburgh was short and sweet and so worth it.
Well that is it. Once again we only crossed-off two things which were Edinburgh to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and Edinburgh Castle. So 205 down and 5,576 to go.
Til next time from a misty castle and sweet jazz tunes
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
We love Scotland
This blog brings back good memories.