Edinburgh Part 2

I had plenty to say so I thought I should break it up and post my days separately so the posts were not terribly long.  On our second day we were up early and attempted to catch a bus from Princes' Street to the Palace of Holyroodhouse but somehow managed to mess that up so we walked.  It was a bit of a stroll but I didn't mind as the weather was lovely and it's fun to see neighborhoods on foot. 

We first went into the Parliament building but didn't plan to well and missed the tour we wanted to take.  They run them frequently but we didn't want to wait so we took a quick walk around the main floor and learned a bit about how the Scottish government works.   So if your interested in the tour make sure you check the site for times.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is near the Parliament and at the end of the Royal Mile.    I was so excited to visit here and it's obviously very popular.  The line for tickets was long but it moved fairly quickly and we purchased the Royal Visit tickets so we got a guided garden tour, entrance to the Queen's Gallery, and entrance to the palace itself which is self guided but has an audio guide available for the rooms open to the public.  I loved the garden tour as we were able to go off the path and deep into the gardens with our guide.

The views of the back of the palace are also better from the garden tour as the paths are pretty close to the building so if getting nice photos are important I would keep that in mind when deciding what ticket to purchase.  

The self guided tour of the interior was pretty informative and if you're obsessed, like me, with the drama of the Scottish/British monarchies you'll enjoy it.  I really enjoy seeing the places that I've only read about before come to life when I get to visit historical sites like this.  I loved it and tried to picture Mary, Queen of Scots wandering through the palace or Jamie Fraser meeting Bonnie Prince Charlie here.  It is such a fun way to meld real history and fiction together.  No photos are allowed inside so I only have exterior shots. 

The palace took a couple of hours so we had a quick lunch at Oink which was a good place for a fast but delicious sandwich.  We met another American couple on the garden tour and then we saw them at Oink and shared a table and some travel stories before heading out.  

As we walked up the hill we found Bakehouse Close which stands in for Carfax Close in Season 3 of Outlander.  This is where they filmed the exterior of Jamie's print shop.  And just up the street is The World's End pub, which is famous enough on it's own but Outlander fans know that Jamie is a frequent visitor here during his time in Edinburgh.  

You can find JK Rowling's handprints just off the Royal Mile in front of the Edinburgh City Chambers building.  This is a quick and easy to find stop for Harry Potter fans.  We also checked out Victoria Street which JK Rowling has said was her inspiration for Diagon Alley.  It's a short street but it is a must for fans to visit.  

At the end of the day we took The Real Mary King's Close Tour and that was really interesting and another thing I totally recommend.  You not only learn more about Edinburgh's past but also see how people lived in the Old Town.  Such a contrast to the Georgian House and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.  Unfortunately they don't allow photos on the tour.  They are located right across the street from St. Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile.  

While we waited for our tour time we went into St. Giles Cathedral.  It was lovely on the inside but I didn't purchase a photo pass from the staff so I was well behaved and didn't take any photos of the interior.  We really enjoy going into cathedrals and churches as they are full of history and some impressive art.  Most are free but usually have a receptacle for donations if you feel so inclined.  

There are a couple of things worth noting that I haven't mentioned yet.  First, we had exceptional weather a majority of the 3 weeks we were there.  Scotland had a record setting summer and we benefited from it.  It was really lovely.  Second, since it was just my husband and me, we kept a pretty quick pace and while some people criticized just how much we had planned we only felt rushed at one site on our trip but we still managed to see what we came for.  Most of the sites maintain a 10-5 operating schedule during the summer so we were up fairly early most days but had plenty of time to eat a nice dinner, relax, video chat with our girls back home, and went to bed at a decent time.  So, this style of traveling worked well for us on this trip.

Thanks for checking in today.  The next part of the trip will take us out of the city and I look forward to sharing those stories with you!  I hope you'll check back.