If it's not Scottish, it's crap!

Josh and I on top of Camera Obscura with a view of Edinburgh

 We left for Scotland the day after Christmas, otherwise known as "Boxing Day" here in the UK.  Our plan was to take the tube from our flat to the airport...at least we had a plan, until the tube drivers decided to stage a strike that day!  Luckily, a few tubes were still running and after about 2 hours, and a lot of stops, we finally made it to the airport.  Our flight from Heathrow to Edinburgh was pretty short, about an hour, and all went well until we started our final descent.  Scotland, I've learned, is very windy!  The final ten minutes of our flight were probably the scariest I've ever had on a plane.  We were knocked around and dropped a few times, but thankfully, made it safe to the ground.  Thank goodness for good pilots!

After settling in at our hotel, Josh and I walked down to a local pub called "The White Lady" and had a nice dinner and a few beers.  We made plans for the next day and went to sleep, excited to see Scotland in the light of day!

Josh and I at Gilmerton Cove

Our first activity was a visit to Gilmerton Cove.  The cove is a series of underground rooms and passageways carved out of sandstone.  They have dated the structure back about 300 years!  They are not really sure why or by whom the cove was created.  The theories include witches, miners, bootleggers and secret societies.  There is a bedroom, fireplace, well and other random rooms.  They think that there may be more rooms past were the tunnels are back-filled, but they can't get to them yet because it would damage the road structure above it.  It was a really neat tour, very unique!

What they think was a meeting room in Gilmerton Cove.

Josh on the "bed"...or is it a sacrificial altar?  Who knows?!?

Hallway

After our Gilmerton Cove tour, we took a bus to the Royal Mile.  This is the area of Edinburgh between the castle and the palace.  There are plenty of Scottish themed shops and tons of restaurants and monuments in this area.  The Royal Mile is also considered "old town" because it is the site of the original buildings of Edinburgh.  There are really neat, narrow "closes" between buildings.  Edinburgh grew "up" instead of "out" for safety reasons "back in the day", so there are many tall buildings in the area.

Josh on the Royal Mile

Looking towards the castle.  Love the brick streets, but very uneven!

 

Our next stop was to Camera Obscura.  They are a museum dedicated to optical illusions and altering photography.  We had fun playing in the mirrored maze and all the hands on displays.  Plus the view from the top of the building was amazing!

View from Camera Obscura

He he he!

Proof that I have cold hands!

After Camera Obscura, we had a few hours to kill before our next tour.  We had dinner, walked around the Christmas fair and took a look at the castle (we didn't go in yet!)  The tour was a "Terror Tour", about the underground vaults and the ghosts who lurk there.  Spooky. 

Underground vaults.

The vaults were built when the town built a bridge to connect "Old Town" with "New Town" Edinburgh.  Eventually, the vaults were closed up and used as storage for shopkeepers.  Unfortunately, the vaults get pretty damp when it rains, so it didn't work well for storage.  During rough times in Edinburgh, people would actually live down in the vaults, with little or no light.  Many people also worked down in the vaults at one point.  As far as I know, the only people who use the vaults these days are tour companies and a witch coven.  Yes, really. 

Where the witches hang out.

The tour guide also told us a story about how the term "shit faced" came into existence.  Josh and I aren't 100% sure this is the truth, but it does sound convincing.  Apparently, "back in the day", before running water, Edinburgh had a rule that your "nastiness" could only be thrown out your window after dark.  When the bells of St. Giles would ring, it was time to throw your bucket full of yuckiness into the street.  The evening bell just happened to coincide with closing time at the bars, so on numerous occasions, the drunk men staggering home would look up when they heard "Gardy Loo" instead of get off to the side of the road.  They would then have "nastiness" all over them, hence the term "Shit faced".  I am sooooo glad we live in a time of indoor plumbing!

The next day we went to the zoo, which was kind of sucky because it rained the whole time we were there.  Actually, it rained pretty much every day!  We did see some monkeys that were really fun to watch, and we had a nice bowl of soup at the zoo cafe to warm ourselves up, so it wasn't a total loss!  We went on another tour and to Dynamic Earth.  For dinner we ate at a pub and ordered a haggis appetizer. 

Eat at your own risk!

The haggis was...not my cup of tea, but Josh liked it.  Later on in the week, Josh also tried blood pudding.  It looked like a dried out hockey puck with chunks.  I wouldn't try it.  It is made of blood!  Gross!

By far, my favorite part of the trip was our trek up to Arthur's Seat.  It was a tough climb to the top, but it was totally worth the effort.  There are no words for how beautiful the view is from the top.   The only trouble was it was VERY windy at the top...40-50 mph gusts!  

On our way up!

Josh near the top of Arthur's Seat...see his scarf blowing in the wind!

View from the top...can you see the ocean?

Love this place!

After our hike down, we were quite chilly!

We spent the rest of the day walking around the shops in the Royal Mile.  We were able to find a lot of Baird things, and we bought a meter of the Baird clan tartan.  I'm hoping to make some pillows out of it.  I never did get Josh in a kilt.  Guess we will need to go back! 

The next day we visited Scott Monument and the Edinburgh Castle.  The Scott Monument is in honor of Sir Walter Scott, who wrote novels and poetry.  He is also honored on Scotland's currency.  The monument is 200 feet high and there are stairs inside that bring you to the top.  The stairs spiral and become more narrow the higher you go.  Josh had to duck most of the way and at one point, had to remove his backpack so he would fit through! 

The Scott Monument

Josh squeezing through.

View of Edinburgh from the top of Scott's Monument

Edinburgh Castle was an interesting visit as well.  We were able to find a few Baird references on our walk through.  General Sir David Baird was honored for his battles in India in the late 1700's.  We also found the Baird name in books honoring those who had passed away in Scottish wars. 

Josh next to the display of items from General Sir David Baird.

Cannon at the castle, overlooking the Royal Mile.

Edinburgh Castle

After the castle we took a bus out to Ocean terminal, which ended up not being as exciting as it sounded.  We thought we might be able to get a look at the coastline, but it was mostly just a port for big boats.  It was getting dark and it had rained all day, so we headed into the mall nearby and tried to dry off for a while.  We had dinner and I bought some new socks to replace my wet ones, and off we went to join the crown on the Royal Mile for Hogmanay.  Hogmanay is the Scottish word for the last day of the year.  In Edinburgh, they kick off the Hogmanay celebration with a torch light procession, followed by fireworks.  We started out standing near the front of the line, and we listened as over a hundred people in kilts played the bagpipes.  It was awesome!

Some of the bagpipers.

The first torches are lit!

The procession!

Sadly, our camera died shortly after this (Josh didn't charge the camera!  Ugh!).  The procession took us about a mile and a half up to a higher section of Edinburgh where they shot off a great fireworks show.  It was truly a great trip and I'm so glad that Josh and I had the opportunity to visit Scotland.  If you ever get the chance, do it!

Josh and I at the torch light procession.

Cheers!