Edinburgh day 4

Another interesting day in the cold north land. The day started with sun and no wind, then the clouds rolled in and it got windy, and now it's sunny and windy. All of that is to say that we spent the day walking old town and are now trying to get warm in the bed and breakfast.

After breakfast we headed to old town and the Edinburgh Castle. The Castle sits on a large rock formation and dates back to 1130. If my math is correct we strolled cobblestones that were placed there some 880 years ago. The castle was home to Mary Queen of Scots and we saw the small room where she gave birth to her only child James, who would later occupy both the Scottish and English thrones. For the most part the Scottish Royalty did not live in the Castle, considering it too damp and cold to be comfortable. In later years it's dungeon was used to house prisoners from the various wars Scotland fought.

Flat Ella found this bag Piper and just had to have a photo. She loved the music and also the museum just behind him. The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards are horse mounted soldiers that still are active today.

Just down High street from the Castle is St Giles Cathedral where John Knox, the founder of Presbyterianism, preached on Sunday morning. This stained glass window was the most spectacular window I have ever seen. The picture is a poor representation of the real thing but it gives you an idea of the impact of the window on the sanctuary.

Finally we took a hike to Carlton Hill Park. It's a great place to view the city and just take in the beauty that is Edinburgh. The monument second from the left is in honor of Lord Nelson. I'm not sure what the others are but I'm betting that the one on the far left that looks like the Washington Monument existed before the one in DC. That's just a guess but it sure looked like it had been around a while. As you can see the sky was now blue but it was still cold.

We are heading back downtown in a little while to get something to eat and bid farewell to Edinburgh. It's been a fine visit but tomorrow morning we rent a car and head across Scotland past Glasgow and Loch Lomond to the little town of Oban. So that's all from Edinburgh. I'll do more of this rambling as we get internet service. I hope the next B&B has internet but we don't know till we get there. Till then hope all is well where you are.