We
arrived too late in Edinburgh to see much of anything and our
dinner reservation that we made based on a suggestion from a
seat mate on the train was a bust -- the seating was at 2200 and
we were way to hungry to wait so we ate at the hotel. It
was pretty good, but also pricey; it was a hotel restaurant
after all.
Next
morning we headed out to look around.
The photos below are what we saw.
It was a
very blustery day with winds up to 40mph. Everything was
blowing about; note the gal holding her hair. This fellow
was actually doing some work. He stood there pretty much
all day playing the bag pipes. I gave him a few coins.
Our
first objective was Edinburgh Castle that we didn't see the
previous day. Kathleen lost her hat and was lucky I was
abut 10 paces behind or otherwise I could not have caught it.
The
morning was intermittently sunny which made for better
photos. This is the view looking at Old Town from the
Esplanade of the castle.
This was
a highly-defensable location set atop a volcanic plug that had
been scraped by glacial action.
The
Portcullis Entrance.
Edinburgh
Castle had been attacked many times and as technology got
better, cannons were installed on the battlements.
Passing
through the Portcullis, we had to ascend a set of stairs to get
to the next level of the structure.
The
upper levers provided great views of downtown Edinburgh.
The Victorian building in the foreground is the Balmoral
Hotel. The obelisk and structures on the skyline are part
of the National Monument of Scotland on Carleton Hill.
The
monument at St. Andrew's Square.
The
castle was in good shape due to conservation efforts. The
basic structure has been enhanced many times over the
centuries. Each King left's his mark.
Classic
architectural style.
One of
the gun ports on the southeast side of the ramparts allowed a
view of Salisbury Crags in Hollyroodhouse park. These
crags are also called "Arthur's Seat".
One of
the halls had been converted into a war memorial to commemorate
battles past.
Ironic
that the motto under this crest in the war memorial states
"Blessed is the peacemaker".
This is
the royal coat of arms for Scotland and claims that the Jacobite
is the first king of Britain, France and Ireland.
Within
the castle all walkways were cobblestone. Some of the
walkways were quite steep and sure to be interesting when there
was ice on ground.
These
structures were built right on the volcanic rock.
We left
to get some lunch and then headed to Hollyroodhouse
Palace. We had fried pig ears as an appetizer. They
were great so we were in hog heaven.
Hollyroodhouse
is yet-another royal palace. When the Queen is in town,
she takes over this facility. They stay in the apartments
on the second floor (which in U.S. terminology would be the 3rd
floor).
Looking
back at the entrance passage.
The
entrance to Hollyroodhouse is rather understated.
The
interior courtyard shows 3 styles of architecture: Ionian on the
ground, Doric on the first floor and Corinthian on the second
floor.
I
believe this is the current Queen in her younger days. No
photos were allowed inside, so that made my job easy.
There
was an old abbey next to Hollyroodhouse Palace. There were
exposed coffins in the courtyard.
We had
made reservations at the Witchery the night before, but it is a
popular place because we could only get a 2200 seating. We
tried again today and got 2015 and that was better. The
food was outstanding even by our picky tastes. We had the
Lamb Wellington and it was exquisite.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2015, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.