No frost or snow in Aviemore in the morning, but low-lying fog. Train to Edinburgh, so we saw new scenery on the trip. Once we cleared the highlands and the fog, we were in a mix of sun and cloud. Went through some nice looking villages and countryside; saw more golf courses, and of course lots and lots of sheep. We arrived in a bustling train station, which was a hint of what was to greet us outside--lots and lots of people! After quite the steep, uphill walk we managed to find the Argyle Backpackers [found out later that Edinburgh is built on seven hills… and it felt like we walked up & down all of them!] where we had to walk up/down three flights of winding stairs for every outing! It was okay, but we did end up missing our guest houses.
Back down & up hill, we found the local Visit Scotland office and had a lovely long chat with one of the staff. We were able to book one of our city tour tickets there, and got information about other things to see & do. Saw the massive monument for Sir Walter Scott -- yes, massive!! Returned to the hostel for a quiet night in.
The next day we started out by wandering down a few side streets we'd seen the day before. Lots of great, old buildings in the city. The side streets and alleys are quieter—that is, fewer people—but interesting and worth checking out.
We eventually made our way to Edinburgh Castle. It was still grey and drizzly with a bit of chilly wind up there, but not enough to deter us from our visit. As tourist attractions go, it was okay, but there were others on the trip and in the city that I preferred. Several buildings are closed to tourists, as they're used by the government/military, so not as much to check out as we thought there'd be. We didn't even stick around for the 1pm canon fire.
After we left the castle, we went into the Tartan Weaving Mill & Exhibition… and didn't stay long there either. Feeling a bit let down, but not defeated, we started the long walk along the Royal Mile. Many shops, pubs, and restaurants along there! Had a quick lunch at Deacons House Cafe; very good. Continuing along the Mile, we went into St Giles' Cathedral. It is beautiful! And it has the biggest pipe organ I've ever seen! We were lucky, as there was someone practising so we got a taste of the wonderful music that can be made with that organ. There's a statue near the cathedral for Scott; how many memorials does one man need?? Continuing along the Mile, checking out various shops, taking more pictures. At some point, near the end, we started to notice some unusual architecture. Turns out it's the Scottish National Parliament building. So modern and different, compared to most buildings in the city centre and certainly along the Mile!
Because we were there, at the end of the Mile, we decided to tour the Palace of Holyroodhouse. A great tour, well worth the cost of admission; nice that audio is automatically included. Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures inside the Palace; we could outside and in the remains of Holyrood Abbey. Similar to Scone Palace, it is a working palace; members of the Royal Family, including the Queen, stay there when in Edinburgh and host events there as well. Fascinating, the furniture and memorabilia they have on display, and the events that have taken place there through the centuries!
After a hike back up the Mile, we had dinner at the Beehive Inn (good food, and okay until the volume of the music jumped) as the Literary Pub Tour started there. A great tour, hosted by a couple of well-informed actors, we learned about mostly long-dead authors and about the city itself. More walking up & down hills, both during the tour and back to the hostel.Whew!
After a few brief hints of sun the previous day, we finally had a full day of sunshine. Great timing, as we found the city bus to take us out to Leith and the docks, for our Royal Yacht Britannia tour. Another fantastic tour, and well worth the price of admission. Audio included, which again was quite interesting and featured clips from various people (including Prince Charles), and allowed us to move along at our own pace. Even though the sun brought out lots more people, and it was the weekend, it never felt crowded on the yacht.
Lunch at the Ocean Kitchen & Bar, in the Ocean Terminal, then off to find a woollens outlet (disappointed, once we finally found it), and bus back to the city centre. Rested at the hostel for a while, then off for our Hidden & Haunted tour. Quite good, and got to visit some of the underground sections of the city. Not as scary as I thought it'd be, so easy for me to handle ;)
Sunday we took it easy, visited any shops we hadn't already been into along the Mile, and enjoyed the warm sunny day along with almost everyone else in the city it seemed. Saw a bit of the fundraising challenge (run with increasingly tough obstacles), and looked at the film exhibit at the National Library of Scotland. Supper at a pub up the road from the hostel, The Earl of Marchmont; very good and another one that allowed dogs (as long as they were quiet and didn't bother other patrons).
