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.  

Edinburgh Part 1

We took the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh early in the morning.  It was a short 1 hour ride and we got off at the main station in Edinburgh.  The train offered free WiFi which was nice since we didn't add an international plan to our cell phones before we left so the hour went by quickly.  Once we got off the train and made our way to the street I was incredibly happy that our suitcases had wheels.  We had a bit of a walk to our hotel but it wasn't incredibly long.  Our hotel was located on the New Town side of the city and we were once again able to drop off our suitcases since it was too early to check in.

Right around the corner from our hotel was The Georgian House and it is operated by the National Trust for Scotland.  I didn't get any photos inside and I'm not sure why as according to the website you can take photos.  I was certain I had but after reviewing my phone and Canon files I cannot find any.  I do recommend you visit here, especially if you love seeing how the upper crust lived.  It's so different from how people were living in the Old Town side of Edinburgh at that time and I think it's a great reminder on how class struggles have always been a part of history.  It is a self guided site with helpful staff around to answer any questions you may have so you can spend as little or as much time as you'd like exploring this restored town house.

After we left there we strolled through Princes Street Gardens as we headed towards Old Town.  The views of the castle were gorgeous from here and even if you're not staying in New Town, you should check it out. 

After we crossed into Old Town and walked up a lot of hills we came across the Elephant House Cafe and I just had to take a photo.  Harry Potter fans will know this as the cafe where J.K. Rowling spent some time writing the beloved stories.  We were in a hurry so we didn't pop in but I wanted to.  Maybe next time we're in Edinburgh.  

We continued our walk to the National Museum of Scotland where admission is free but even if they charged admission I would highly recommend you schedule several hours and visit this museum.  It's huge!  Make sure you pick up a map of the building on your way in because you'll need it to navigate through.  We decided to focus mostly on the Scottish History and Archaeology Galleries as we knew our time was limited.  One of the coolest things about the museum is that you can climb up to the roof and get some stunning views of the city, especially on a clear day.  It was worth all the stairs it took to get there.  

We rushed back across town to visit the Scottish National Portrait Gallery  (which also has free admission) and made it with about an hour to spend inside.  This museum has a wonderful collection of portraits of some of Scotland's most influential citizens from it's past.  We spent a bit of time looking at a portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie and one of the staff members started talking to us about it and noted some other Jacobite paintings in the same room.  She was knowledgeable on the subjects in the paintings and she shared some juicy stories about them.  We talked a bit about Outlander, too!  One of my most favorite parts of the museum was the ceiling in the hall.  This is a great reminder to always look up, even if you are in a hurry.  

Not too bad for our first day in Edinburgh.  I wish I had more photos to share but I did link all the sites we visited so you can check them out if you want to learn more about them.