I was in Edinburgh for a bit over a day, long enough to tour the caverns, see the Castle, Holyrood House, Carlton Hill, walk the Royal Mile, check out Greyfriars Bobby and the church, and hunt through the shops in search of a Cashmere jumper for Alli. Unfortunately the last was unsuccessful because the fashion at the moment is for very short jumpers, which may be ok on the Chinese shop assistant who is about 5'2" but not on a tall person, unless you want a draught in the middle of your back! And the shop assistants were all Chinese or Indian. The shops were full of Asian tourists as well, presumably buying tartan.
I loved my visit to the Castle. Coming up to it from below helped me appreciate what a massive structure the combined rock and Castle is. The audio guide provided good background information and the displays of the Royal jewels: sceptre, sword, Stone of Scone etc was really well done. My favourite part, however, was the War Memorial. It was beautiful inside, with gorgeous stained glass windows and huge memorials to all of the Scottish forces. They even had some lovely sculptures of various animals which had been used in wars - horses, donkeys etc.
At the highest point of the castle, slightly beneath the high walls was the cemetery for the dogs which were the mascots of the various groups. Each had its own gravestone. Really cute.
Holyrood was also worth the visit. The rooms were beautifully furnished, as you would expect from a Royal home. My favourite part was the ruined Abbey. Very picturesque.
The train from Edinburgh took me through the Border Country to Berwick where my father's cousin David collected me. The train had been significantly delayed; more of that in the next post.
David and Molly live in a beautiful and very comfortable house outside Duns, not far from Berwick: in The Brorder country. It was the Miller's House originally, but they have extended and remodelled it several times. Sitting in the dining room I enjoyed watching woodpeckers, tits and other birds feeding from one of their hanging feeders. Even better was curling up on the couch in the sitting room, with the fire burning, getting to know Molly, and David better, and catching them up on news from Australia. The next morning the weather was bleak, but it didn't deter us from touring the neighbourhood to see various sites including walking the Elizabethan wall in Berwick in the wind and the rain! I even managed some photos. Back home David organised yet another delicious dinner, while all Molly and I had to do was relax in the warm with a G&T and share photos with each other. (Molly is a talented photographer).
Quote of the visit: "if you can see the Cheviots, (a series of hills separating England and Scotland) it's going to rain. If you can't see them, it's raining." I achieved both.
Favourite photo: the border of Scotland and England, marked by a very wobbly stone wall. David remembers talking to two farmers, one on each side of the wall, and they spoke with totally different accents.
I loved my visit to the Castle. Coming up to it from below helped me appreciate what a massive structure the combined rock and Castle is. The audio guide provided good background information and the displays of the Royal jewels: sceptre, sword, Stone of Scone etc was really well done. My favourite part, however, was the War Memorial. It was beautiful inside, with gorgeous stained glass windows and huge memorials to all of the Scottish forces. They even had some lovely sculptures of various animals which had been used in wars - horses, donkeys etc.
At the highest point of the castle, slightly beneath the high walls was the cemetery for the dogs which were the mascots of the various groups. Each had its own gravestone. Really cute.
Holyrood was also worth the visit. The rooms were beautifully furnished, as you would expect from a Royal home. My favourite part was the ruined Abbey. Very picturesque.
The train from Edinburgh took me through the Border Country to Berwick where my father's cousin David collected me. The train had been significantly delayed; more of that in the next post.
David and Molly live in a beautiful and very comfortable house outside Duns, not far from Berwick: in The Brorder country. It was the Miller's House originally, but they have extended and remodelled it several times. Sitting in the dining room I enjoyed watching woodpeckers, tits and other birds feeding from one of their hanging feeders. Even better was curling up on the couch in the sitting room, with the fire burning, getting to know Molly, and David better, and catching them up on news from Australia. The next morning the weather was bleak, but it didn't deter us from touring the neighbourhood to see various sites including walking the Elizabethan wall in Berwick in the wind and the rain! I even managed some photos. Back home David organised yet another delicious dinner, while all Molly and I had to do was relax in the warm with a G&T and share photos with each other. (Molly is a talented photographer).
Quote of the visit: "if you can see the Cheviots, (a series of hills separating England and Scotland) it's going to rain. If you can't see them, it's raining." I achieved both.
Favourite photo: the border of Scotland and England, marked by a very wobbly stone wall. David remembers talking to two farmers, one on each side of the wall, and they spoke with totally different accents.
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