Wednesday - 4 June – To Edinburgh
Today I got on the bus from Inverness to Edinburgh. It was a double decker bus and of course I sat on the top in the front. It was a wonderful 4 hour ride. So much beautiful scenery, waterfalls, mountains, flowers etc. Just beautiful. I had not heard from Jennifer about my hotel code. I had also sent multiple messages to Smith Place hotel on whatsapp but did not hear back from them. Hunted for another email from their website and emailed them. Got a reply in a few minutes about the code. Thank goodness! I was really worried. They have a different whatsapp number than given on the website.
Got into Edinburgh around 2 pm. Got into the tram to go to Smith Place Hotel. It was easy to find and easy to check in. It is a little far from the bus stop also. Anyway….lesson learned (I hope). I will book more carefully next time.
Had a cup of tea and then went to Deans Village. Took bus number 36 to Deans Gate and walked around for about an hour or so. It was quite scenic.
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Deans Gate |
From there I started walking towards Ross fountain, but came across a pizza place, Pizza Express, and I had a margarita pizza. $15 and a small pizza. A bit expensive.
Then on to Ross Fountain. It is a beautiful fountain, and the view of the castle is great from there. Spent a some time around there and walked the garden to Scott Monument. Went to the Waverly market and then it is time to go home. I am beat. Walked towards the tram station and got back to the hotel.
Thursday - 5 June – Second Day in Edinburgh – the Royal Mile
Today was a free tour day and then on my own. I have to be at the tour location by 10 am so got up in good time to get ready. The tram is wonderful. I know where to go. The only thing is that I have to climb sooo many steps to get to the Giles Cathedral on Royal Mile. I finally got there. The Royal Mile is about one mile of distance between the castle and the palace. In between is the historical Edinburg.
The tour guide, Ross, started the tour promptly at 10 am. We started with the Giles Cathedral, went to the old Parliament building which is now the Supreme Court. From there it was towards the Writers Museum, then castle, and then down to Grass market. Then to the Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery.
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Giles Cathedral |
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The Hub |
The city started with the castle on the huge volcanic rock. The Giles Cathedral is the oldest building in the area. Around there was all the life, the court, the prison, the market and of course hangings! There were very few houses on this rock. A lot of the houses were vertical, meaning 4-8 stories tall. The rich would live on 2nd or 3rd floor while poor would live on the ground floor or top floor. There was no sewer system and it was just gross living. The castle had its own history. I did not visit.
Grass market was because it was a vegetable and live stock market and only grass remained at the end. This is also the place where criminals were hanged later on after moving from the cathedral. Ross shared some nice stories. Then it was on to the Greyfriars cemetery. It is quite historic and big. Strangely it is a nice peaceful place. Now the main attraction is Tom Riddle’s grave (from Harry Potter novels). Ross told us how Edinburgh protected their gravers from grave diggers when they were stealing bodies for medical research. There is also the story of Bobby, the dog who stayed on the grave of his partner, John Gray for years after John’s death. Interesting story. There are more statues of Bobby than John.
That was the end of the tour. Now I was on my own. I was hungry also, but I needed to see stuff as well. First, since I am already in the cemetery, I stopped by to see Tom Riddle’s grave. So underwhelming. Walked around a bit, then walked out to the left of the cemetery. Had to ask someone how to get to the Royal Mile. They should post a sign there!
There was a road going down from the Grass Market, so I decided to walk it. Good thing I did! It was the Victorian market/street with colorful shops and some Harry Potter shops. Elephant house is there – this is where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book. Apparently, Victoria street is also the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter movies. Scotland is full of Harry Potter references.
I then came back up again to go towards the Royal Mile. Kept walking until I got to the Writer’s Museum. But in the middle, I went into the public library. I thought it would be pretty, but it was just a normal library, but it was a good spot to use the restroom. The writer’s museum was not that interesting. However, I did eat lunch at the Rock Café near it. Again soup and sandwich. It was tasty. Time to move on.
Next stop was the Giles Cathedral. It was beautiful. Lots of stained glass windows and the thistle chapel. The Order of the Thistle is Scotland’s greatest order of chivalry given as a personal gift of the Sovereign to Scots or individuals of Scottish origin. There are angels playing the bagpipes also! Really intricate carving. Amazing.
Then it was just walking the Royal Mile all the way to the palace. Saw a lot of interesting sites on the way. I was wondering why Ross had not walked here, its because there is nothing here to show. The palace is meh. I did not visit inside or even the shop. I am not interested in the British royalty – they are all thieves as far as I am concerned.
I did go to the Scottish Parliament building opposite the palace. Ross was right, it is the ugliest building possible. I had tea and scone inside first. It is 4 pm. Walked inside for a bit and saw the assembly hall. Nice.Decided to go towards the waterfront. Bus 35 goes there. Eh …not much was going on at Ocean Front. Just some cruise ships etc. Walked to Newhaven station and took the tram back to the hotel. All these bus/tram rides are wonderful, I love to see the city on these routes.
Its about 6:30pm and I am back in my room. It was tiring day, tomorrow I have planned at least three things – carlton hill, botanical garden and johnny walker building. That is the goal. Two full days is sufficient in Edinburgh.
Friday - 6 June – Third Day in Edinburgh – Calton Hill and Botanic Gardens
Today is a lazy day with very little on the books. Well – little did I know that the little will be big enough!
Has yesterday’s half sandwich and half scone for breakfast then I am off to Calton Hill. It was a bit uphill but not as bad as I was thinking it would be. The views are okay – not spectacular, but still worth the walk. It is a nice size hill with an observatory and some other monuments. Arthur’s seat, castle and the port are all visible. It is easy to see the new and old city. Spent about 2 hrs here.
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Calton Hill |
I got the bus from Lieth point to botanic gardens. The garden is free to visit. It turned out to be quite big. There is an outer circular route and then some inner ones. I wanted to first walk outside and then inside. It is beautifully maintained garden; one can tell the caretakers really care. Beautiful flowers and trees and bushes and all labeled. Really good! And then it rained twice. Thank goodness for my umbrella. There was no place to eat or anything so I just kept walking around. Went into the rock garden – the best part of the garden, really beautiful landscape. I just loved it all!
Had a cup of coffee then it is time to get back to the city. I have time to visit the museums now. I got dropped off on Princess Street near the National Galleries of Scotland (Art Museum). Perfect. There was a band of kids playing bagpipes and drums. Very nice. I went to the museum – really good collection, Scottish, Danish and Italian artists. I am always amazed at these artists creativity and memory and attention to detail. I enjoyed it. Then I went to the Royal Scottish Academy next to it. It was okay – more of modern art there.
Princess Street is fun to walk on, shops on one side and the gardens on the other side. I had walked in the garden the last time, and this time I am walking on the street, it gives really nice view of the castle. I saw on the other side that there were some tents, kind of like a Sunday market, so crossed the street. It was like a market, but the best thing is I found momos and aloo paratha! Wow…a wee bit expensive but tasty. Ate the momos there and brought the paratha for home and tomorrow’s breakfast.
Then moved on to Johnny Walker store. The Walker statue is not out today. Went inside and am amazed at the all the variety. Wow! Did not have the courage to go up to the roof. Oh well….
Time to come back to the hotel. It is about 5:30 and I have been on my feet all day. The tram is excellent!
On the way bought a piece of cake for Daria, the receptionist young lady. I had to tell her about my issues about not getting the code and I felt maybe she felt guilty when she is not. Anyway, I felt bad for her. She is not responsible for what happened. I am glad she liked the red velvet cake.
Time to move on tomorrow…
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