Gie it laldy!

Scottish for do something with gusto!

  Welcome to Edinburgh, Scotland! We came, we saw, and we did it with gusto! It was a four day whirlwind tour of this beautiful, historic city.  I already think we should go back.  The train from London to Edinburgh was only 4.5 hours.  Train travel is much easier than plane travel.  The boys had a nice relaxing ride and so did we.

 

Once we got there, we wasted no time getting out and about.  We rented an apartment on the Royal Mile. It is a mile long street that starts at Edinburgh Castle and ends at the Palace of Holyroodhouse (the Queen's home in Scotland). It is a busy street full of history and beautiful architecture.  We all really enjoyed ourselves and the boys cheeks hurt from all the pictures we wanted them to take- and there are a lot of pictures. Like most places, they don't do the actual location true justice, but I hope you enjoy them just the same.

 

 Near the top of The Royal Mile. We have arrived!

 

 

 

 

The sound of bagpipes in Scotland will not be forgotten.

 

When you think Scotland, don't you think Yoda,

Storm Troopers and Chewy??

 

St. Giles Cathedral 

 

St Giles (patron saint of cripples, lepers and nursing mothers) is the patron saint of Edinburgh. The church's crowned spire makes it instantly recognisable on the Edinburgh skyline.

Within are exquisite stained glass windows, a variety of monuments and memorials and the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle, the most famous Scottish order of chivalry, established by James VI in 1687.

Although earlier churches are thought to have existed on the site, the building, which was originally dedicated in 1243, has played an important role in Scotland's history down the centuries. (Best of Edinburgh)

We went inside the church later in the week.

 

 

Approaching Edinburgh Castle.  We did the full tour the next day.  

 

 

Originally built around 1845 to house the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and known then as the Victoria Hall, the Tolboth Kirk has the highest steeple of all Edinburgh's churches (73m).  (Best of Edinburgh)

 

As you walk down the Royal Mile, there are several little streets called a close.  They are small alleyways and courtyards that lead off it to the north and south. These were usually named after a memorable occupant of one of the apartments reached by the common entrance, or a trade plied by one or more residents.

 

This is quite a famous alley, because literally to many people it was the end of the world.  Situated just inside the Netherbow gate, an entrance to and from the city, some of the poorer residence could not afford the fee to come back into the city and spent their whole lives within the confines of the city walls.

 

The World's End pub is also seeped in history:

 

"The World's End" sounds the sort of whimsical name a national pub chain might have come up with. The truth is very different. At the Battle of Flodden, near Coldstream, in 1513 King James IV and most of the Scottish nobility of the day were killed by the English (see our Historical Timeline). Scotland lay defenceless and the citizens of Edinburgh rapidly built a stone wall around the city to protect it, the Flodden Wall.

Parts of the wall can still be seen, and its course ran along the west side of St Mary's Street underneath where the World's End is now built (the pub reuses the foundations of the wall). The main gate on this side of the city, the Netherbow Port, was on the High Street here. Its outline is marked in the street by brass coloured cobbles.

The wall proved pretty useless when Henry VIII's forces invaded in 1544, but it did very clearly mark the outer limit of what was considered to be Edinburgh at the time. This, then, was the point at which the world ended and Edinburgh began. Hence "The World's End". (Scotland Undiscovered)

 

 

Drink please?

 

My babes fast asleep after a long, long day.

 

To the east side of St Giles stands the Mercat Cross. This is not the original, but a replacement built in the late 1800s. It is based on and incorporates part of the original which was removed around the mid 1700s.

The Mercat Cross was the traditional site for formal public proclamations and other announcements in the town and is still used for that purpose to this day. It was also hitherto used as the site for public executions. (Best of Edinburgh)

 

 

 This is the site of the old Mercat Cross.

 

 

This is 1 Parliament Square, we stayed on the second floor overlooking the Royal Mile.

 

Tempting...

 

Right before we started the tour of the castle.

 

Oliver really enjoyed listening to the audio tour. He made a point to enter every single number to listen- even in the museum.

 

We were able to tour the prison area within the castle. Not the best living conditions.

Lunch in a prison cell...hey, when you need to eat, you need to eat!

 

St. Margret's Chapel

This  chapel was built by David I in about 1130 as a private place of worship for the royal family. The King dedicated the chapel to his saintly mother, Queen Margaret.

 

Every time we visit a church I ask the boys to say a prayer.  It is always amazing to hear what they say. Henry thanked Jesus for our family and for the trip to Scotland. Sweet boy.

 

 

View from the World of Illusions building.  This was a place that had 3 levels of optical illusions. The kids had fun here. At the top was a fantastic view of the city.

 

Hi Dad!

 

Our apartment was on the 3rd floor- see us?

 

 

On Monday we walked down the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

 

Oliver has this down.

 

Inside the Palace, about half way through the tour, was a small room geared toward children. You could color, dress up or read books. Smart planning.

 

King Henry 

 

King Henry and his royal Princess.

 

King Henry's Royal servant.

 

This is the Abbey within the Palace.

The Abbey was founded in 1128 by King David I of Scotland for the Augustinian Canons. According to medieval legend, a vision of a stag with a cross glowing between its antlers came to David while hunting in the area. Interpreting this as an act of God, the King declared that an abbey should be built on the same spot. Holy Rood, the name of the abbey and subsequently the Palace, means ‘Holy Cross’, a fragment of which had been brought to Scotland by David I’s mother, St Margaret, and kept at the Abbey until the 14th century.

Lunch please! 

 

 

This building (quite modern compared to the rest) is the home of Dynamic Earth.  We brought the kids here because they had a lot of interactive things for them to do and they get to learn about the earth at the same time. We saw a very cool show about volcanos. It's fun to re-learn all of this stuff as an adult!



 

The smallest pub in Scotland hence the name The Wee Pub.

 

The inside of St. Giles Cathedral.

 

Hello up there!

 

Our family dinner at The Sheep Heid Inn. This is Edinburgh's oldest surviving watering hole.

 Really good food too.

 

 

 

On Tuesday, we rented a car to drive a little while on the coastal route. The rain was relentless but we had fun anyway!

 

On the coast near East Lothian.

 

On our way toward North Berwick, we stumbled upon a medieval castle.

Dirleton Castle- the oldest parts of the castle date to the 13th century, and it was abandoned by the end of the 17th century. It was home to three families during it's time.

Mom- my face hurts- stop asking me to smile for the camera!



 

This isn't a sanitary toilet. 

 

We did make it to North Berwick and it was a very pretty coastal town. Now back to the city!

 

Every night we would see tour groups outside our building and every night the guide would flog a few tourists at the Mercat Cross to give an example of what used to be done. The boys were impressed.

 

Our last dinner out on Tuesday night - at Whiski Restaurant.  

 

Scotch anyone?

 

Wednesday morning we packed up and headed back home.  It was such a fun four days and we were sad it was over. Now we have to make a plan to return.

Good bye Edinburgh, you are lovely.