Edinburgh, Scotland

We started our visit at the Edinburgh Castle, part of which dates from the 12th Century. The Castle contains the Crown Jewels of Scotland, the Stone of Destiny, and Scottish Military Museums along with a great view over the city. Next we walked around the gardens and enjoyed a pub lunch in the ‘New Town’ which was designed and built in the 18th century. Afternoon brought lots of rain and wind but we took a guided tour through the Old Town and the Royal Mile, which connects the Castle and Holyroodhouse Palace (where the queen lives while she’s in Edinburgh). Afterwards we ducked in and out of the shops, and finally found a warm place for dinner.

The Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour was a terrific end to the evening (Edinburgh is the only UNESCO city of literature...J.K. Rowling even lives here now). Two actors walked us through the city wynds, courtyards, and closes of Edinburgh’s Old and New Town and we visited 4 great pubs along the way. 300 years of great writing and colorful characters of Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) among others. We stayed in Leith Links, the home of The Royal Yacht Britannia and the home of the Royal family.

On the last day we had some more time in town and took in the Firth of Forth bridge, Calton Hill and did a terrific ghost walking tour in the evening that visited the South Bridge vaults. Check out the pictures here.