Edinburgh... Day 2
(5:30 p.m. local time)
Today was fun. Craig and I decided to take a city-wide sight seeing tour on a double decker bus. That way, we get to see some of the regular attractions of the city. This was one of the hop-on, hop-off, and then hop-on again tour busses.
First, we hopped off at Holyroodhouse Palace... the Queen's official residence in Scotland. Oh look... the flag is up... which means the Queen is in residence... which means that the Palace is closed for visitors... damn. On the bright side... the Queen's Gallery was open. There, we saw the Renaissance art of the Royal Collection. Part of the collection were drawings done by Michalangelo, Da Vinci, and Raphel. These were the "blueprints" to paintings that they were preparing to paint. It was so awesome seeing the gridlines and perspective lines on these drawings. The level of details on these sketches were amazing. I had not expected to see these in the Gallery, but am very happy to have seen them.
Next, Craig and I hopped back on the bus and went to visit Greyfriars' Kirk and Greyfriars Bobby. I'll let
kenderjedi explain the legend behind it and him.
After that, we hit the Scotland National Museum. We only had a chance to explore the first floor, but say some amazing things... weaponry, Mary, Queen of Scots' Jewelry and a replica of her tomb (the original is at Westminster Abbey, which I've seen there). The best part though, was seeing the Maiden... an actual guillotine of the 1600s. Used in very public executions. It was Very Big.
By this time, it was getting fairly late in the afternoon and most shops would be closing. A short walk back to Royal Mile took us to some tourist oriented shopping. There, I got a tartan walking cloak and brooch. It's purple/violet, so it's not associated with any clans, but it's really pretty. I really wanted the cashmere one, but it was nearly 3 times as expensive. Considering the exchange rate and the fact that I'd like some money to spend elsewhere on my trip... not a good idea.
After shopping, Craig and I headed back to the hotel (after grabbing a very late lunch) to rest our weary legs before a late dinner. I'm hoping we'd find a restaurant or pub that would serve traditional Scottish fare. I'm thinking of trying Haggis. Chopped up sheep livers, hearts, and lungs, mixed with oatmeal and cooked in the sheeps' stomach. Sounds tasty. Supposedly, it's really good with a whiskey chaser. :)
Today was fun. Craig and I decided to take a city-wide sight seeing tour on a double decker bus. That way, we get to see some of the regular attractions of the city. This was one of the hop-on, hop-off, and then hop-on again tour busses.
First, we hopped off at Holyroodhouse Palace... the Queen's official residence in Scotland. Oh look... the flag is up... which means the Queen is in residence... which means that the Palace is closed for visitors... damn. On the bright side... the Queen's Gallery was open. There, we saw the Renaissance art of the Royal Collection. Part of the collection were drawings done by Michalangelo, Da Vinci, and Raphel. These were the "blueprints" to paintings that they were preparing to paint. It was so awesome seeing the gridlines and perspective lines on these drawings. The level of details on these sketches were amazing. I had not expected to see these in the Gallery, but am very happy to have seen them.
Next, Craig and I hopped back on the bus and went to visit Greyfriars' Kirk and Greyfriars Bobby. I'll let
kenderjedi explain the legend behind it and him.
After that, we hit the Scotland National Museum. We only had a chance to explore the first floor, but say some amazing things... weaponry, Mary, Queen of Scots' Jewelry and a replica of her tomb (the original is at Westminster Abbey, which I've seen there). The best part though, was seeing the Maiden... an actual guillotine of the 1600s. Used in very public executions. It was Very Big.
By this time, it was getting fairly late in the afternoon and most shops would be closing. A short walk back to Royal Mile took us to some tourist oriented shopping. There, I got a tartan walking cloak and brooch. It's purple/violet, so it's not associated with any clans, but it's really pretty. I really wanted the cashmere one, but it was nearly 3 times as expensive. Considering the exchange rate and the fact that I'd like some money to spend elsewhere on my trip... not a good idea.
After shopping, Craig and I headed back to the hotel (after grabbing a very late lunch) to rest our weary legs before a late dinner. I'm hoping we'd find a restaurant or pub that would serve traditional Scottish fare. I'm thinking of trying Haggis. Chopped up sheep livers, hearts, and lungs, mixed with oatmeal and cooked in the sheeps' stomach. Sounds tasty. Supposedly, it's really good with a whiskey chaser. :)