Day 49 – Edinburg Part 2

So we awoke today refreshed. We went to the breakfast at the hotel this am as it was part of the room cost. We all feasted on a hearty Scottish breakfast. I even tried the Black Pudding, a Scottish delicacy and potato scones which were quite yummy. Then it was off for some sight-seeing.

First, we took a bus out to HolyroodPalace, a royal palace. And like other Royal palaces, it was very ornate. Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of the Queen (Prince William’s cousin) had her wedding reception here a few weeks ago. After the palace, Nana visited the gift shop and we all had some hot chocolate (Pop had coffee) and some shortbread which hit the spot. Given that the rain was supposed to subside in the afternoon, we saved Edinburg Castle til the afternoon.

We took a double Decker bus from the Palace to the Castle. But it dropped us off a few blocks to the castle and we had to walk. We walked right through the Fringe which is a dramatic Arts festival. We were bombarded with free tickets to shows put on by artists all over the world – one said he was from Texas. We finally made it to the castle and walked right through the stands we sat in last night at the Tattoo to the entrance of the castle. The castle is very large. Scott & Emily went with the tour and Nana, Pop, Ainsley & I walked around on our own. However, we kept running into one another and eventually Scott & Emily joined us. We went to see St. Margaret’s cathedral, which was not discovered for it true identity until fairly recently. During the tour, Scott said the tour guide said that the chapel was sought after by fathers for many weddings. The tour guide said that it may be because the chapel only seats 24 guests.

We split up and Nana & Pop went to grab some lunch, while we went to check out the dungeons. We learned that Americans were held here at the castle during the Revolutionary War. We all saw an American Flag carved in the wood in one of the holding blocks. We also saw a jail that was used during WWII. What a difference almost 2 centuries makes in accommodations!

After we were finished, we had to of course use the restrooms and who should we bump into but Nana & Pop. So we all left the castle together and got some pictures. They headed back to the hotel while we went to do some shopping. The shopping ended up being a bit too pricey since it was of course right in the tourist area, so we eventually gave up and headed back to the Hilton. Pop made reservations at one of the restaurants in the hotel and we met up there for a very nice dinner.

Then off to bed. This time Ainsley slept in with Nana & Pop and Emily stayed with us.