Where in the World?

Wow! Edinburgh is simply a wonderful city. We explored only a minuscule portion of the old town. Lots more to see, but what we saw and experienced was fantastic. Our journey started in the Hermiston Park and Ride, just outside of Edinburgh to the west. The owner of our bed and breakfast (Crosswood Hills) recommended we take the bus from Hermiston to Edinburgh as it is difficult to find suitable and affordable car parking in the city. It was a great idea.We exited the bus at the second stop along Princes St. and immediately had a fantastic view of The Mound and Edinburgh Castle majestically built on Castle Rock. I learned that this basalt mountain is an extinct volcano. Our tour of the castle grounds lasted for about two hours. The oldest building in Edinburgh Castle is St. Margaret’s Chapel. For lunch we ate at the Queen Anne Café. Very nice!

The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre was next on our list. After a taste of Single Malt Scotch we learned about the history of Scotch Whiskey and how it is made. This is Scotland’s national drink. The Edinburgh Old Town Weaving Company was an interesting place not only for the incredible clothing merchandise inside the multi-level store, but it also had a database that could print out any of several thousand Scottish clan names.

The rest of the day was spent walking The Royal Mile, exploring shops and peering down the many closes, which are small, narrow alleyways between the main streets.

The people of Edinburgh and Scotland are friendly, open and ready to help. Everyone we met was exceptionally nice and never rude. Great people in a great land!

Michael