Recap: Scotland, Day 3

My last full day in Scotland can pretty much be summed up thusly: I had no plan and walked all over creation. I had a couple of things I wanted to do, and even though they didn't quite work out it was still a lovely day.

True to form, I got up early and, feeling spry, started walking. It was a bit brisk, but still sunny and pleasant. When I got to the Royal Mile, I took a right and headed downhill toward Holyrood Palace. I passed a bunch of coffee shops, all closed. On the way, I passed a beautiful church and a couple of museums that were, unfortunately, closed on Sundays. I also passed by the "new" parliament building and frankly, I think it's hideous. My brother is in school to become an architect (he graduates with a double master's in May!) and I'm curious to get his opinion, but I thought the building was too busy and didn't fit in with any of its surroundings whatsoever. It stood out in a bad way. (Update: while searching for images of the building, I found views from a lot more angles, including aerial, and now I don't hate it quite as much. I simply think it's unusual and still doesn't fit in with its surroundings.) I also passed a cute little tea shop and made a mental note to come back later, when it opened up.

Scottish Parliament Building, photo from http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk

I spent a few minutes poking around the Palace and its gift shop, but decided I didn't feel like paying to go in. Instead, I continued walking toward Arthur's Seat in Holyrood Park. There were a few people already coming down the hill, and a few other souls like me starting to venture up. I didn't really plan on hiking to the top, so even though for once in my life I had appropriate footwear, I didn't have any water or snacks. Not knowing how long it would take me to reach any of the peaks, I just decided to start walking up until I got a) bored (not likely) b) injured (fairly likely, because rocks and gravity, yo) or c) thirsty (extremely likely, because no breakfast or snacks). Almost right away, I skidded on a patch of frozen water, commonly referred to as "ice" but fortunately I didn't fall and I didn't torque my back or twist a knee or ankle, so I kept on going. This is where I also witnessed one of the cuter moments of the vacation: a little girl, about 2- or 3-years old, was walking with her dad. She was wearing a little skirt and leggings and pink and purple flowery boots. She stopped to stomp in one of the frozen puddles and said, in her wee little Scottish brogue, "Daddae, Elsa has been here!" Adorbs.

St. Anthony's Chapel Ruins, photo from undiscoveredscotland.co.uk 

Even though Arthur's Seat s part of a long-defunct volcano, the walk was actually pretty easy, and I was impressed at the number of people out and about. I guess since I got lucky with another sunny day, everybody had the same idea to get out and enjoy it. Plus, "hillwalking" is a very popular activity in Scotland and Arthur's Seat is very accessible and popular. I walked to St. Anthony's Chapel Ruins, which overlook St. Margaret's Loch and a vast open space which, when I was looking at it, was being used for a very agile herding dog to play fetch with a frisbee. The chapel ruins are, well, ruins. There were two walls at a 90-degree angle and some arches for doors and windows. I continued up the path a little ways, and then decided to turn around and find food and rehydrate myself.

Not Madam Puddifoot's

My next stop was a little tea shop that reminded me of Madam Puddifoot's from the Harry Potter books. It was tiny and charming, with a flower and lace aesthetic going on. I asked for a pot of Scottish breakfast tea, a plain scone, and a "bacon-filled roll." The tea and scone were delicious, but the bacon roll was just a boring hamburger-type bun with bacon on it. It was very dry and boring. I sat in the warmth and read my Kindle while I savored the tea, and then trekked back uphill. I next ventured to the Writer's Museum, which I had really been looking forward to visiting. It was one of the places we passed during the free walking tour, and I thought I remembered the sign saying it was open on Sundays. Unfortunately, I didn't read the fine print that said it was open on Sundays during festival season (aka August), so I was very disappointed to find it was closed. Instead, I popped into a few shops and perused some cute clothes, beautiful woolen accessories, whisky, and chocolates. I also followed my nose to the St. Giles Cathedral Cafe, and made notes of its hours, since the curry smelled delicious. I went into the Cathedral and bought a photography permit for 2GBP. I think that's a genius way for churches and other historical sites to get donations without charging an entry fee. After poking around in the church for a while, I went back to the cafe and had some of the curry, which was just as delicious as it smelled.

Mmm, scone and tea

Happy Valentine's Day to Me!

I continued up the Royal Mile and stopped to listen first to a bagpiper and then to a violin player. Both were very talented and I made sure to chuck some money into their instrument cases. Next, I went to the Scotch Whisky Experience near the very top of the Royal Mile, and paid for a Gold Tour. That included the basic tour experience and tasting, plus four additional tastes of single malt whiskies from each region. The little tour was pretty hokey, but still fun and informative. We did get to view the world's largest whisky collection, which was beautiful. I also thought the group tasting part of the tour was pretty phenomenal, and not just because it included scratch-and-sniff cards! Our guide gave us some interesting history about the four whisky-producing regions of Scottland, and told us some of the traditional scents and flavors one can expect from whiskies typical of each region. I was most intrigued by the scents and descriptions from the Lowlands and Highlands, and knew immediately from smelling the Islay card that I would hate (or at least strongly dislike) a typical whisky from that region. During the group tasting, I elected to taste a blended whisky that sounded good, simply because I knew I'd get to sample single malts later. I discovered I liked it better with a few drops of water added, which was unexpected. After the group tasting, we moved into the tasting room, which had a fantastic view. I plopped down at the bar for my four VERY GENEROUS tastes. Surprisingly, my favorite smell (Highlands) led to a disappointing whisky, and the whisky from Speyside was pretty darn delicious. I think I could turn into a whisky drinker after all. And my tasting notes from the Islay whisky? "A leathery, salty, smoked fish, and not in a good way. Blech." If a whisky description includes the words "peat" or "smoke," I guarantee I will not like it. So there you have it. This tour was definitely worth the money, and to boot I am now a member of their whisky appreciation members' club! I think mostly that means I am entitled to some discounts for the next year, including a 2-for-1 tasting at a later date. I told Tony, "Forget Rome. Let's go to Edinburgh!" I really only tasted each drink, and felt a little guilty about leaving so much scotch on the table, but I also didn't want to finish my last day buzzed. I think a proper whisky tasting deserves a lot more time than I was willing to spend, and the drinks should really be savored, so I'm confident I made the right call.

You had me at "scratch and sniff"

Exterior of the Royal Castle

Next, I went another couple hundred yards to the very top of the Royal Mile and decided to spring for entry to the Edinburgh Castle. It was 16.50GBP to enter, and I had just exactly 2 hours until closing - exactly the recommended length of time. In hindsight, I wish I had 3-4 hours, because two hours wasn't enough time, and some of the museums started closing their doors well before closing to manage flow. Before I went, I didn't realize the castle was really a compound. There were many buildings and museums, and it's also home to the Scottish National War Museum. Honestly, I could probably write an entire blog post just about my two hours inside the castle. The highlights for me were climbing the walls and taking in the view, and also the Crown Room - which contains The Honours of Scotland, aka the crown jewels. There were also some really fascinating exhibits on prisoners-of-war, including some old doors with grafiti and etchings from as far back as the 1700s. From start to finish, I thought the castle experience was pretty fantastic and incredibly well-thought out, though I was annoyed that I didn't get a chance to go into the regimental dragoon museum because of the aforementioned closing time. Other than that, I give this one a big thumbs up. There were several cafes and tea shops, plus of course the requisite gift shop, but since I was still full of scotch and curry I didn't bother to stop so I don't have any particular feedback.

The Honours of Scotland

View from the Mills Mount Battery

  (All three of the pictures from the Edinburgh Castle were taken from its official website gallery: Castle Gallery)

St. Giles Cathedral, aka the High Kirk of St. Giles

Pretty much my last stop of the day was St. Giles Cathedral. "But Elaine," you might say, "didn't you already go there once? Why go back?" To which I would excitedly reply, "Because there's a free choral concert!" After the sun went down, the church was FREEZING, so I was happy to have my scarf and coat. I was early enough that I didn't get stuck directly behind a column, but late enough that I still had to sit at a funny angle to see anything, and about half of the group wasn't visible to me because there was still a column in the way. The church was pretty packed, and I could tell that most people were locals rather than tourists. I was really surprised when about 80 people trooped out and took their positions. The director said we'd be going on an around-the-world tour, and they kicked it off with three songs. Meh. One soprano kept going WAY sharp and it hurt my ears, and I wasn't so impressed overall, to be honest. I think the acoustics were probably a bit challenging, too. But then most of those folks took their seats and left a group of 12-20 people behind to sing a few more songs (I'm not sure how many because, again, COLUMN) and they really blew me away. They had great energy and the dynamic was just really fantastic. The rest of the chorale came back to finish up with a few more songs, and one of my favorites was an Ave Maria I'd never heard before. I think maybe they just needed to warm up a bit, because I thought their performance was much more unified for the second half of the evening. We heard songs from Scotland and Ireland, the U.S., New Zealand, France, and I think Ecuador, all in different styles. The entire concert lasted a little over an hour and I'm so glad I went. I think the cathedral does a weekly concert on Sunday evenings, but I can't swear to that. Anyway, if you're ever there on a Sunday, I recommend you at least swing by to check out their calendar. The regular church choir sings at two services on Sundays, and I'd venture to guess they're worth a listen, too.

Inside St. Giles Cathedral

(Both photos of St. Giles Cathedral came from sacred-destinations.coml.)

After the concert I more or less headed back to my hotel to pack and sleep. I only made one pit stop at a local market to grab some fresh fruit for dinner and breakfast. I'd intended to have dinner out, but I was still pretty full from the curry. I got up Monday morning and caught the bus to Waverly Station, and then transferred to the airport shuttle. It was a really easy process and everything went smoothly at the airport, too. Edinburgh gets an A+ from me in terms of access and attractions, and I can't wait to go back.

Recap: Scotland, Day 2

My second day in Scotland was devoted to a tour of the Highlands, and as much as I LOVED Edinburgh, I'm so happy I got out of the city and saw more of the beautiful country. I got up bright and early and went to the meeting point - Rabbie's Cafe, associated with  Rabbie's Small Group Tours (available from London, Dublin, Glasgow, and Edinburgh). I got there thirty minutes early, just in time for the cafe to open, and had a really delightful cup of Scottish breakfast tea and a croissant stuffed with ham and cheese for breakfast. They also had snacks, sandwiches, and soups, so if you're in the mood for alliteration, you can find that there, too. I wanted to stay hydrated, so I nabbed a bottle of water for the road, too. Just around 0800, I hopped into a van with 16 other people and the second we hit the road, it started snowing. As the snow kept up in Edinburgh for most of the day, I was glad to NOT be walking around in it. And as luck would have it, we had miraculous weather for nearly our entire excursion! 

The Kelpies Photo from:www.visitscotland.com

Our guide was Dave, and he kept up a decent commentary on the sights and mixed in some topical Scottish music. One of the first things he pointed out was a canal in Falkirk, heralded by two enormous stainless steel horse statues. I was expecting some normal-sized statues, maybe 15 or 20-feet in height, but these horse heads were over 30 meters tall! They are called The Kelpies and were designed by Andy Scott. I guess Scotland has seen a resurgence of interest in their canal systems - which used to be more important in terms of North Sea transit shortcuts and industry movement, but are more and more frequently used by kayakers, canoers, and crew teams. Scotland also has a really long history of using horses to pull ploughs, wagons and even barges. 

Doune Castle Photo from: www.visitscotland.com

Next up, we had pretty good views of two very important castles: Linlithgow Palace and Doune Castle. There's been a building on the site of Linlithgow Palace since at least the 11th Century, and the current structure was once the "pleasure palace" for the Stewarts. My brain just boggles at this, and how people can trace lineage and history that far back in time. Doune Castle in its present form dates to the 14th century, though there was definitely a castle on that site much earlier than that. I've read the first four of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books, but I haven't finished the series, nor have I watched the tv show. However, Doune Castle is used for both interior and exterior scenes. And guess what else: it's the setting for Winterfell in Game of Thrones! It's also featured really heavily in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. So yeah, cool. I wouldn't mind going back and poking around at either place.

Linlithgow Palace Photo and quote above from: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

Somewhere in between the two castles, I saw my first - but certainly not my last - deer of the day. I asked Dave about it, and he said Scotland has four types of deer and no remaining natural predators, so deer are quite overpopulated in many parts of the country. This close to Edinburgh, he said the deer I spotted was a roe deer. Sure, sounds good. All I know is it was a deer and it had a very white butt. Later on, we saw herds and herds of giant red deer, especially around the snow line as the weather drove them down from the hills. Also: sheep. Scotland has sheep EVERYWHERE. And let me tell you, they really blended into the snowy areas! I spotted my first one by the red paint tagged on its back before I realized I was looking at a critter. After about five minutes, the sheep became less interesting because there were simply so many of them. (Although for the first five minutes, I had fun saying "Bah Ram You" in my head. And then I started thinking about ticks and poop and quickly started looking for more castles.)

View of the River Teith from near St. Kessog's Hill

We took our first pit stop in the town of Callander mid-morning. I followed Dave to a local bakery called Mohr's and bought a sandwich for lunch, and a meat pie for a snack. I got to eat the meat pie while it was nice and toasty, and it was delicious! In Scotland, you can call a meat pie a pasty, which I think is more English, or a bridie, which is how they were labeled in Mohr's. I wandered down behind the bakery and found myself on the banks of the River Teith. I watched an older gentleman feed the swans and ducks for a few minutes, and then climbed to the top of St. Kessog's Hill. (St. Kessog originated in Ireland and used to be the patron saint of Scotland.) I learned that the town is known as the gateway to the Highlands, where the Lowlands meet the Highlands, and that the former church is now a visitor's center. You'd never know it from a sleepy winter Saturday morning, but I get the impression that town gets very popular in the summer months. It looked like there were lots of interesting trails around, but I didn't have any time to explore further. 

Dave also gave us some history of the Stirling area, much of it to do with William Wallace and Robert I, aka Robert the Bruce. We got a recap of the Battle of Stirling Bridge and the Battle of Bannockburn, as well as a few reasons the movie "Braveheart" is historically inaccurate. (In fact, nearly every Scot I met made it a point to tell me just how woefully inaccurate that movie really is.) Oh and did I mention we passed Stirling Castle? It is situated high on a hill and commands a truly magnificent view. Apparently it is also one of the best-preserved Renaissance castles in all of the UK, but sadly, we didn't stop. Due to its location, it is one of the most strategic castles in all of Scotland, and you could probably write a dissertation on its importance in Scottish (and English) history. 

First pit stop. Thumbs-up to Rabbie's for the awesome tour.

 We passed several lakes - I mean lochs - including Loch Lubnaig, Loch Liebhann, and Loch Linnhe. I really hope I got those spellings right, but I could be way off. I learned that many places in Scotland have two names - and English name and a Gaelic name (pronounced Gal-lick, not Gay-lick), but that most of the lochs retain the original Gaelic spelling and pronunciation. Some of the lochs are freshwater and others, like Linnhe, are salty and are thus referred to as "sea lochs." Many of the lochs run along Scotland's natural fault lines, and some of them are quite deep. We also drove through Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, though we didn't get to actually see the loch. Too bad, as every time I heard the name I got the song stuck in my head. Actually, Scotland only has two national parks, and we drove through both of them! Apparently Scotland has some of the world's most liberal land access policies, so the designation of official national parks is relatively recent. They pretty much adhere to the "Leave the Gate as Found" policy and apparently it's illegal to prohibit people from accessing property, even if it's private property. I'm sure there are more subtleties to it than that, but that's the general gist. Oh I also learned that Scotland has over 300 mountains that are taller than 3,000 feet. The tallest, Ben Nevis - incidentally the tallest mountain in all of the British Isles (sorry for the parentheses again, but the 56 tallest mountains in the UK are all in Scotland) - was confirmed by a man called Sir Hugh Munro, who also generated the first mostly-complete list of all of the tall peaks in Scotland. In his honor, the 3,000-footers are referred to as Munros, and Munro-bagging is the attempt to climb all of the 3,000+ mountains in Scotland. We were very lucky in that we got to view Ben Nevis from several angles and the peak was visible, not buried among the clouds as is normal, particularly in wintertime. 

We also drove across Rannoch Moor, which is one of the largest and last wilderness areas in Europe. It is very boggy, full of the infamous Scottish peat, and is where I saw my first red deer. the U.K. is something like the 12th largest country in Europe, but Scotland is home to 25% of the continent's energy potential. Dave said they are very blessed with renewable resources, and the government has made a commitment to the country to be fully reliant on renewable energy by 2020. (Dave says it's more likely to be 2022 or 2023, but still, they seem to be ahead of most of the rest of the world.) Already, they get nearly half their energy from wind and water action, despite having huge reserves of fossil fuels. We passed quite a few windmills and a few dams that were used to power now-defunct "aluminium" plants but still provide power to the grid. We saw solar panels as well, but they're not as efficient as in other parts of the world due to Scotland's Northern latitude and significant cloud cover and precipitation. 

Just the view from a pit stop on the road. NBD.

Okay back from the scientific tangent. One of my favorite pit stops was Glen Coe. A glen is another term for a valley, and we drove right through it and had amazing views of the Three Sisters Mounts, among others. It was so clear we could even look through the valley and see the River Coe at the other end, and Dave was able to point out where Highland clans known for cattle-stealing would stash the cows to keep them hidden from foes (I think he was referring to the MacDonalds but I don't want to get in trouble for libel if I'm mis-remembering!). Dave told us a lot about volcanoes, but I don't seem to have absorbed much of that information, other than to say that most of Scotland consists of defunct volcanoes. We stopped at the Glen Coe Visitor Centre, but I spent most of my time taking pictures instead of reading the display, and I also grabbed a mint tea and used the facilities. 

I might be getting my timeline mixed up (and heaven forbid I actually refer to a map as I type) but I think next we drove through the town of Fort William, the largest settlement in the Highlands. Scotland has a population of 5 million. About half a million live in Glascow and nearly another half a million live in Edinburgh, and about 70% live in the middle of the country or in the Lowlands. Most Highland towns have a few hundred people, maximum, and the population is very very scattered and hearty in the Northern part of the country due to the mountainous terrain and harsh weather. Anyway, Fort William is one of the biggest cities in the Highlands, and it has a population of about 10,000, or about the size of Astoria, Oregon. It is near both the Rivers Nevis and Lochy (Ha, there's a Loch Lochy, which does not mean Lake Lakey, but it still makes me giggle!) and Loch Linnhe, and it's known for its water sports, bicycling, and access to great walking and hiking paths. Oh and while I'm thinking of things that made me giggle, I remember two places that tickled my funny bone: Golden Larches and the Thistle Stop Cafe. 

The only monster I saw all day

Where the river meets Loch Ness

Did I mention it was cold?

Finally, we approached our real destination: the town of Fort Augustus on the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness. Interestingly, Loch Ness is not the largest lake in Scotland by surface area, but when you take into account its depth, it is the largest lake by volume in the entirety of the UK! When we got to Fort Augustus, we drove and parked along the canal where it meets the loch. I walked up the canal past five or six locks. Fort Augustus is tiny, with a population of about 300, and in the winter not many things are open. I'm glad I grabbed my sandwich in Callander, because otherwise it would have been gas station food for lunch! After I walked up and down the canal, I got in line for my boat ride. While I didn't get seasick, I can say that by and large it was one of the more unpleasant boat rides I've ever had, because it was COLD and there was nowhere to hide from the wind. Well, I could have hidden inside, but then it would have been really crowded and I wouldn't have had a very good view, so really it's my own fault for electing to stay topside. And frankly, it was kind of boring. I did see a goat - a feral goat, not a true mountain goat, and the lake was kind of pretty, but meh. I didn't even see any sea monsters! Allora. If my choices were to wander around the closed up wintertime town or take that freezing cold boat ride again, I think I'd wander around until I found the single open pub and park there. There seemed to be a fair amount of shops, just the wrong time of year for enjoying them. 

Both goats and deer are becoming problems in Scotland. I mentioned earlier that there are no known remaining natural predators, so they are overpopulated and preventing growth of much of the natural fauna. Scotland used to be home to wolves and lynx, but the last known Scottish wolf was killed hundreds of years ago. There's talk of reintroducing wolves, but many people are concerned, especially cattle and sheep farmers. Dave says that although lynx were thought to be extinct in Scotland before the middle ages, there have been recent claims of lynx sightings. Regardless, I don't think an official reintroduction will be happening any time soon, despite success stories in some parts of the U.S. Successful wolf reintroduction in the States has only been accomplished in areas where the wolves can roam freely, and Scotland doesn't really have any equivalent ginormous free wildlife areas because hey, it's an inhabited island and space is at a premium. I don't think wild boar eat deer either, except maybe the occasional fawn, but they're pretty much extinct in Scotland as well with the probable exception of some farm escapees. 

Pattack Falls

Anywho, the stop at Loch Ness was one of our last stops before booking it back to Edinburgh. We were able to take advantage of sunlight and stop at the River Pattack, home of the Pattack Falls, just before sunset. This was probably my favorite stop of the entire trip, and I enjoyed tramping around in the woods and looking at the river. There's even a viewing platform where you can look almost directly down onto the waterfall. There were many walking paths originating (or perhaps culminating) here and it seems like it would be a great place for a hiker to explore, or for mountain biking if that's allowed. I saw lots of footprints, but no bike tracks, but I don't know if that's because it's not allowed or because it was the wrong time of year, or simply because no bikers have been there since the last precipitation.

We got back into our van and headed back to Edinburgh. We saw many many more deer and sheep, and some beautiful mountains and lochs in the glow of sunset. It started snowing again, and we even saw some cloud iridescence so I got a little rainbow action, too. All in all, a fantastic day.

Recap: Scotland, Day 1

Since I'm about to start working full-time again, I wanted to take advantage of one of my last long weekends for a while. Two factors combined to help me make the decision of where I should go. One, I stumbled upon a blog post of someone who went to Edinburgh for a long weekend in January and had a wonderful time (https://bassetwrangler.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/scotland-in-january-anything-but-miserable/) and two, there were inexpensive non-stop flights from Venice to Edinburgh on EasyJet. Boom, done! I booked the tickets only about a week out, and then booked lodging and adventuring after that. Unfortunately, the place my blogger guru stayed at and recommended was booked, but I used TripAdvisor to find accommodations. I wound up at the Alison House Bed & Breakfast, about a mile from the Royal Mile in a residential area, among a string of other similar B&Bs. It was fine, especially since I only paid about $55 a night and wasn't there much anyway. It was a straight, safe, easy walk to the town center and when I was feeling lazy (or cold) I could just walk across the street and hop a bus instead. The buses came every 8-10 minutes so it was nice to have that option. Breakfast was not included, but as an add-on for 5 GBP a day it seemed like a nice option. However, being a morning person and wanting to take advantage of as much as possible in my short time frame, I knew I would be out and about each morning by the time breakfast was laid out, so I didn't include that in my booking. Really the only con was that the place wasn't sound-proofed very well. I could hear the street traffic as well as all of the other hotel guests. Otherwise, the room was clean, the proprietor and staff were helpful and friendly, and the water was hot. No complaints. 

Inside the Camera Obscura

I landed at the Edinburgh airport just before nine a.m. and immediately pulled some cash from one of the ATMs near baggage claim. I elected not to pay extra money for checked luggage, so me and my teeny-tiny carry-on just went straight to one of the AirLink buses, bought a round-trip ticket for 7.50, and headed straight to the city center. My first stop was the Camera Obscura, which was first built by a lady in 1835 and served as a great introduction to the city. Essentially, a camera obscura is a pinhole camera, or a dark room or box with a tiny hole in one side; they were the forerunners to photography as we know it today. The one in Edinburgh is atop a tall tower and has 360 views of the city, and the attraction is sort of a fun house of illusions in addition to the camera itself. I spent about 20 minutes with a group of people getting a little tour of the city, and took some photos from the roof, and then headed down to explore the remaining 5 floors of attractions. It felt a little bit like a science museum for kids, but even as an adult I enjoyed myself and learned a few things. I especially liked the mirror maze and disliked the vortex room as it gave me a bit of motion-sickness. There were many drawings by Escher and exhibits featuring light and illusions, and it was a good way to spend a few hours before checking into my hotel.

View from the Edinburgh Castle

After I finished playing around at the Camera Obscura, I took a quick walk (about 200 yards) uphill to the Edinburgh Castle to take in the views. I also popped into a shop/textile mill and poked around in there for a while. I got a live demo of kilt-weaving, talked to a very friendly bagpipe player, and got offered a free whisky tasting - which I declined. From the top of Castle Hill it was about 1.5 miles to my hotel, and I checked in, unpacked, and put my feet up for a few minutes before venturing out again for a free walking tour of the city with Sandeman's. Basically I Googled "Free Walking Tour Edinburgh" and picked the highest-rated one, and that ended up being an excellent call. David from Australia was our guide, and even though we had quite a large group he kept a nice pace and peppered us with some fascinating tidbits as we made our way through the city. We covered a LOT of ground and I learned a lot, and got to check some things off my bucket list as well. David also gave us some intriguing information about some of the darker history of the city, and I'm definitely going to do one of the "ghost" or "dark side" tours if I ever go back to Edinburgh because his insight piqued my interest. I'm not even going to give a laundry list of things we walked by or passed, because it would take too long for me to recap! Suffice to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. We finished outside the National Museum of Scotland, so I just popped in there to explore for a bit. There were some really neat exhibits. I concentrated on the sea life and world cultures exhibits, but also got a kick out of the sculptures and bicycles. I think I missed an entire floor, but I just didn't have that much time before it closed. I thought I'd be able to make it back or at least use it as a back-up plan in case of foul weather - especially since entry is free - but I never quite did. Oh well.

Tartan weaving

Stack of woven tartans

Inside the National Museum of Scotland

The only known quad pacing bike in Great Britain

After the museum closed, I headed down the Royal Mile (literally downhill toward the Holyrood Castle as opposed to uphill toward the Edinburgh Castle) and stopped into a place called The World's End for some fish and chips; I heard they had award-winning food and David recommended it, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. Full disclosure: I swapped onion rings for french fries and have no regrets. My word, the piece of fish was enormous! It was longer than my forearm! It was a perfectly friend piece of flaky white haddock, and I was sorely tempted to a) finish the whole thing and b) go back there for every single meal. Alas, I did neither. Fun fact: The pub takes its name from its location at the corner of High Street and the Royal Mile. High Street used to be the site of a city gate, at which a fee was levied for entering the city. Many people (mostly the poor folks) never left the city and thus the location was colloquially known as the world's end. There's also a close (another term for an alley) called "World's End Close" right next door to the pub. After a really delicious meal, I then proceeded to a place called The Royal Oak, which was on my list of places to try for some live music. I caught most of a set by a Spanish guitar player and the first half of a Scottish folk music set, and enjoyed both immensely. I chit-chatted with the bartender and a couple of the locals while I nursed my pint-and-a-half. I tried two ales but only liked one of them; no surprises there. I intended to visit The Jazz Bar (any guesses what kind of music it's known for?) but decided to call it a night. After all, I had to be up early the next day for my Highlands and Loch Ness tour!

The band Tambo playing at The Royal Oak; it's a tiny venue!