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We arrived at Edinburgh Airport mid afternoon. Slept part way through the Ezyjet flight which was nice!
Got a few questions at the immigration checkpoint which were expected. Line was also the longest and slowest, we hadn't even moved by the time everyone else (who went in the UK and EU line) had made it through.
Collected bags and found our way to the taxi rank. We had to pick up the keys for the Airbnb place somewhere different, which happened to be a 10 minute walk each way from the apartment itself. In the opposite direction to where we needed to be. So, cab ride for me to to jump out and pick up the keys, before continuing our journey to the apartment where we let ourselves in, another studio apartment.
The place was neat, clean and tidy. Recently 'renovated', the irony being the extreme slant of the whole place. Walking from the living area to the kitchen you went uphill slightly, and walking to the sleeping area you went uphill and sideways.
Being a one hour time difference we then went for a wander to see what was about. We are fairly centrally located, below
the castle and in the Grassmarket area close to lots of pubs and places to eat.
So we found a Sainburys and got some breakfast things and found a patisserie for a coffee and cake, as well as found our bearing with the castle and Royal Mile.
For dinner we went to an Italian in the old town close to where we were staying. Split a pizza and bruschetta.
When it started getting dark I headed out to get some photos of the castle as the light changed. Walked up Granny Green steps which was the most direct route through to the castle but certainly the steepest and more difficult option! Was very cold so after about an hour in the cold and wind I opted to go back for a hot shower and bed.
The next morning after a light breakfast at home it was a stroll to about the mid way point on the Royal Mile for another walking tour. We keep using Sandemans as the tour company, they have been consistently good in all the cities we have used them in so far.
So we wandered up the Royal Mile and through
Old Town up towards Edinburgh Castle, passing St Giles' Cathedral on the way.
We also toured the Grassmarket area (yes, where we are staying), which used to be used for public executions. There is a pub at the grassmarket area called 'The Last Drop' where prisoners used to have their final drink. A couple of pubs up is another one called Maggie Dickson's Pub.
The story goes that Margaret Dickson was a fishwife who was hanged in the Grassmarket in the early 1700s for murdering her illegitimate baby shortly after birth. Or at the least, not reporting its death after she gave birth secretly. Stories are somewhat contradictory.
After the hanging, her body was put into a cart and coffin to be taken back to her town. However, on the way there she awoke, her family heard knocking on the coffin. She had simply been rendered unconscious and the doctor declared her dead - as he couldn't hear a heart beat.
Since, under Scots Law at that time, her punishment had been carried out, she could not be executed for a second time for the same crime. It was also seen by many as divine intervention
and so she was allowed to go free. She went on to run a pub in Grassmarket which is still named after her today.
We also walked through Greyfriars Kirkyard, the cemetery where JK Rowling took inspiration in writing her Harry Potter novels. She used to drop her kids off at an exclusive private school (the inspiration for Hogwarts) and wander through the cemetery before making her way to a coffee shop run by her brother-in-law where she would write.
Her writing teacher had also told her class that they should use 'real names' in their writing but not to use people that were known to them due to potential legal issues, and that dead people couldn't sue. So she took inspiration from people in the cemetery - several of the names from her books appear on the headstones.
At the top of the cemetery is also Greyfriars Bobby. The story goes that a police officer adopted Bobby, and each day they would go to a pub at 1pm where the publican would put out a bowl of water and a snack for Bobby.
After two years though, Bobby's owner died. But everyday for the next
14 years or so, until Bobby died at age 16, he would sit on his owner's grave (at the entrance to the cemetery) and every day Bobby would go to the pub where the owner would put out water and food for Bobby. Eventually Bobby was 'adopted' by the city and when he died the city buried Bobby next to his owner and erected a statue of the dog. This statue is now apparently THE most photographed item in all of Edinburgh.
We ended the tour at the National Museum and grabbed some lunch nearby. Then it was back to the Royal Mile to join another tour group to do a walking tour of Edinburgh Castle. While we had intended to tour the castle the following day there was rain forecast so figured we should do it while the weather was holding out.
Edinburgh Castle stands on a dead volcano and sits well above Edinburgh Old Town. The castle has a number of defenses against captures, including multiple walls and a sheer cliff face on one side too.
Legend has it that one attempted escape saw a prisoner lie under all of the cow dung that was
usually taken out through the gates and emptied into a field. However, as luck would have it, on this one day there was a lazy guard who decided instead to dump it over the cliff, resulting in the prisoner's death on the sheer cliff face.
From outside (and inside the castle) there are some great views over Edinburgh and the area too - it is also one of the windiest places in the country!
It is also where the Military Tattoo is held annually as well as a number of other rock concerts throughout the year - it is very much the heart of Edinburgh.
Within the castle complex are a number of museums and attractions including the Crown Jewels of Scotland, the National War Museum and St Margaret's Cathedral - the oldest building in Edinburgh.
We spent a bit of time wandering through some of the rooms and the castle complex before wandering back to our accommodation. For dinner we grabbed take out and chilled in the apartment, as it was wet and very cold outside.
The next morning was a slow start, with breakfast at a corner cafe before we headed back to
the Royal Mile to browse some shops.
We headed into the National Museum (free) for a couple of hours. It is seven floors or something slightly ridiculous so we just browsed the Scottish exhibitions, looking at railroads, old machinery, textiles and other random things. Also checked out the space exhibition as well as the animal expo with its T-Rex and other giant (and not so giant) animals.
We spent the afternoon wandering up and down the Royal Mile, including down to Holyrood Palace and back up through shops.
That night for dinner we headed to a pub down the Grassmarket area... Only to find they were full with no tables left. So with none of the other pub's having a menu that sounded anything special we instead opted for take out again.
Early start the next morning for our 10am train to London. Got there with a good half hour to spare so we grabbed a coffee/hot chocolate on the first class lounge while we waited for our train.
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