Walking the Royal Mile and More: Edinburgh Continued

Like all good tourists, we walked The Royal Mile from the castle at the top to Holyrood the Queen's residence in Edinburgh, at the bottom.

As you can see, it was a beautiful, sunny day!

Ah, but wait a minute.  As our waitress told us the night before, it is possible to experience all the four seasons in one day in Edinburgh....well, we didn't see snow!

Fortunately we had just entered this pub when it started to pour.

I had steak and kidney pie.  For 50 pence extra, you can upgrade to mushy peas.

Julia had bangers and mash.  Good reviews.

And Tom had tikka masala.  Also good reviews.

Scottish Parliament is at the bottom of The Royal Mile, right across from..

Holyrood.

  Quite a contrast in architecture!

We visited The National Museum of Scotland.  Free entry!

And The Scottish National Gallery.  Also free entry!

One of my favorites in the gallery.

We visited the Scott Monument but..

I could not get one decent photo!!

Until Next Time....

In Edinburgh with the Royal Juls: Days 7,8,9, and 10

On Tuesday, we met up with Julia who has been gallivanting throughout Europe with a knapsack on her back.  Here we are at My Big Fat Greek Kitchen getting her advice on Greek cuisine.

We stayed in an "adequate" Air B and B within walking distance of everything!  It has all the necessities including a washer which we used to fresh

en up our travelling wardrobe.

One of our first tourist sites was St.Cuthbert's church.  Here is Julia in the small chapel in that church where Agatha Christie got married for the second time.

St. Cuthbert's cemetery has large tombstones like all the other graveyards we've visited in Scotland.

We strolled through the Princes Street Gardens....

...to Great Aunt Lizzie's house, but...

...she wasn't home.

We climbed the many flights of stairs in Edinburgh....

....past this floral clock

and back to Princes Street!

The city of Edinburgh is definitely DOMINATED by its castle.  You can always see it and it is impressive!

We spent the best part of one day exploring the castle.

Of course, there's more to add about Edinburgh.....

....Until Next Time....

Robert Burns: Ayr and Alloway: Day 6

The city of Ayr, population 47,000, is situated on the Firth of Clyde, just across from the Isle of Arran.

We enjoyed some time on the beach.  Tom even braved a wade in the waters.....not as cold as The Bay of Fundy!

There is a paved promenade along the beach frequented by cyclists, skateboarders, walkers, runners, and many dogs.

Beach Shot

We saw a few jellyfish.....I think.

We walked a couple of miles to Alloway, the birthplace of Robert Burns.

We visited the remains of the "auld kirk" where Robert Burns' father is buried.

Some of the tombstones in the graveyard at The Auld Kirk have an hourglass carved onto them.  It is said that an upright hourglass indicates death by natural causes while an hourglass on its side represents death by sinister means.

We crossed the Brig o Doon, built in the 15th century and featured in Burns' poem, Tam O'Shanter.

We met some Burns' characters, such as Nannie from Tam O'Shanter..

...and the mouse from "To a Mousie", the Burns poem from which John Steinbeck borrowed a line to title his novella, Of Mice and Men.

We stroĺled down Poet's Path...and

...through the Burns Gardens.

We marvelled at the stone fences with no mortar...

...and met a straw man riding a straw horse.

We visited the Burns Cottage where Robert was born on January 25th, 1759.  Burns died at the age of 37 and a half having reputedly lived a rather wild life enjoying women and drink!  Long speculated that Robbie died of alcoholism or venereal disease, recent historians have determined that he most likely died of heart disease.  Although he authored many 

books, poems, and hymns, his greatest hit is probably "Auld Lang Syne."

And just as we were leaving Alloway, we happened upon a wedding complete with tartan, bagpipes, and these four little bridal attendants.

Until Next Time...

Air B and B in Ayr: Days 5 and 6

On Saturday, we arrived at our Air B and B in the small city of Ayr.  The three storey house was built in 1882 and has been recently restored to a one-family dwelling.

Its name, Edendarroch, is inscribed on the cement posts at the gate.

We were greeted by 2 hens at the front door.  These hens actually live in the back yard and produce one egg each, daily.

The house is beautiful with 12- foot high ceilings, generously-proportioned rooms and tasteful furnishings.  The hostess, Theresa, is an Etsy china dealer, so the dishes are unique and endless.

This is one of my favourite sets.

Our beakfast table.

Our tea tray in our bedroom, which I put to good use!!

Linen napkins and sterling silver, of course.

Not a very good shot of our bedroom.

Another shot of the bedroom.

Theresa took us to the roof this morning,

where we saw panoramic views of Ayr,

and their 4 chimneys!!

We leave these beautiful lodgings tomorrow and head for Edinburgh.

Until Next Time.....