Today we were hitting up The Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Parking for disabled people is free for 4 hours so we were set, get in early morning, walk a bit, see Edinburgh Castle, lunch, Holyrood Palace and other sights then back to Carberry.
Driving in was easy, we were expecting traffic, parking was also easy and we scored a park right on the Mile. We headed up to Edinburgh Castle. We had to move past the entry area quickly, they
used to burn witches there and I couldn't chance Lorraine's life. 😂 It is steeped in history, too much to discuss here, the pictures tell only part of the story, suffice to say that we both agree the English were really greedy pricks in the past, the way they treated the Scots. The Scots though have their own crosses to bear in history, but I can now truly understand why the Scots are such a proud and patriotic group and I do not blame them one bit at all.
The history is truly awesome of Edinburgh Castle the way it changed hands over time and the battles fought over Scotland are truly amazing. Again too much to summarise here.
After the Castle we went into the Whiskey Experience, I had intended doing the tour but to be totally honest I am getting all toured out (famous last words, and we were close to the 4 hour parking limit). So instead I bought the last two of my 6 bottle allowance, bottles 3 and 4 were in the castle. Bottles 1 and 2 were bought over the last two days in Scotland. The Whiskey Experience has the largest collection of Whiskeys for sale in the world in one place.
Lunch was at "Whiski", which I was pleasantly surprised to see actually featured Nikka, a Japanese world award winning whiskey. nice to see the Scots are not too ashamed to realise some brewers do it well, but remember the Irish invented Whiskey, the Scots refined it and the Japanese have perfected it based on their recent and often award winning brews.
From here it was down to Holyrood Palace. To be honest we were not expecting much, but were gobsmacked. This is a working palace that only shuts for 2 weeks a year to the public when the queen is in attendance (for one week but they close for two). Any other time the royal family are there, it remains open to the public. The admission fee includes the audio tour and it was amazing, every room we visited (1st floor) is for the most part a working room where dignitaries visit and meet the queen, honours are bestowed on people, dining rooms are used, and the upper floor (2nd floor) is where the royals stay. Unfortunately no pictures are allowed inside the palace building proper, so I cannot show anything from there.
The gardens are beautiful as is the view up towards Arthur's Seat. Holyrood is a truly hidden and unknown gem, there were hardly any tourists and it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.
After the obligatory gift shop visit for lapel badges and fridge magnets, we were all toured out for the day. I did want to do Maid of the Forth but the thought of dealing with traffic when I could just drive back to Carberry, have a beer, and relax seemed the better option, so that is what we did.
Back at Carberry, a nice cold one in the Boar Lounge went down well, before returning to the room for some relaxation before dinner.
Another great day in Scotland. Oh and the weather was awesome, no idea what this rainy day issue is that they talk about.😋
Braw!!
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