St. Giles Cathedral Edinburgh

So I'm on the kerb. It's 3am. I must be lonely. (Sorry for the poor Matchbox Twenty reference)  Bren's disappeared into the 0'C morning to go and collect the car while I stand on the side of the road like a ridiculously packed woman (2 large suitcases, 2 carry ons, 1 backpack and of course, a hand bag) waiting for her chauffeur. 15 minutes and …

Edinburgh is one of those cities like Prague that has a magic about it. The weather has not been raining so that has been very fortunate for me. I'll take it! I will say I have been struggling to really be up for the extra sight seeing stuff a my trip has been winding down. I feel pretty worn out. A fun day in edinburgh to me has been wanting to …

So I didn't end up sleeping too well last night...more people arrived in my room later in the evening and it woke me up. I also tossed and turned a bit, being uncomfortable, but hopefully tomorrow will be better! I had set my alarm for 7:30 so I could get out early to the castle, but I ended up getting up at 8:30 and didn't get out of bed until …

On Friday morning I set off from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for Edinburgh, Scotland. I got into the city around noon and was immediately amazed by its beauty. Edinburgh Castle sits atop old volcanic rock and looks out over the medieval stone buildings of the Old Town, Princes Street Gardens, and the Georgian buildings of the New Town - it's a …

Checked into The Caledonian Waldorf-Astoria. Great hotel and super nice people at the desk and at the door. Really great with directions and suggestions! After dropping my bags, went to Rose Street to grab a bite to eat. Found a pub with traditional haggis, neeps and tatties. Haggis - ummm.... I personally think it's good. If you don't know what …

We slept in a little bit today, which was quite nice, then we headed over to the Edinburgh Larder for breakfast again and again, it was very good! The weather was overcast and cool, but not raining....yet. Our first stop today was at Greyfriars Tolbooth and Kirkyard (graveyard). It's a wonderful, still active church with a lively history and one …

Das Frühstück war dem Preisniveau entsprechend, dafür schien die Sonne… Just an dem Tag also, an dem wir die Highlands definitiv verlassen müssen, zeigt sich das Wetter warm und freundlich. Bill plauderte nach dem Frühstück aus dem Nähkästchen; der Typ war wirklich speziell, irgendwie griesgrämig, dennoch lustig und offen. Schade hatten wir …

Breakfast at the hotel introduced Alan to haggis. I abstained. While he claims it wasn't bad, I don't think he ate it again during our stay. He also insisted on returning to the room to brush his teeth because everything he ate afterwards had a bit of haggis flavoring.

Having taken in much of Edinburgh's New Town yesterday, our plan for …

"This is a city of shifting light, of changing skies, of sudden vistas. A city so beautiful it breaks the heart again and again.”
- Alexander McCall Smith

Waking up in Edinburgh was great! I loved seeing the clock tower out of our window when I got up. Nikki and Dad left for St. Andrews after breakfast to check Nikki out of her …

Felt a bit dusty this morning after beers last night.

Went out exploring the city with James. I thought Liverpool was old but Edinburgh is even older. All of the buildings are so detailed and the roads are made of bricks. Feel ls like some kind of medieval film set.

Lots of touristy things to do, bagpipe players on the street, …

... and closed in.  Increased police presence and barriers were starting to go up all around the streets leading to St. Giles Cathedral.  I wondered what could be going on.  Pathways were lined with men in uniform, and beyond the barrier ...

... show you whilst the Vikings were in town. After some preliminary forays into the festive heart of town, our first stop was St Giles Cathedral which we scuttled into to escape the first of the New Year rainshowers that were to dog our movements in the ...

... a familiar sound, the sound of one my favorite bands' song.  There were two guys sitting on the steps of St. Giles cathedral, one with a bongo drum, the other with a small guitar, singing Kings of Leon songs.  I immediately walked over and ...

... to Edinburgh Castle, which was alright. But mostly about history and learning; not my primary interest...;) And I visited the St Giles Cathedral again. That night we stayed with Ian and Erika and had a lovely home cooked meal, a real shower and a ...

... sleeping and skip the Fordham-fest. We found them at the bus station and wandered around for a bit, taking a look into St. Giles Cathedral and wandering up and down the Royal Mile. We noted the sketchy Museum of Childhood and made jokes about Diane ...

... traffic on the street with just those. We walked up the Mound to the Royal Mile (High Street). We started with St Giles Cathedral, the high kirk (church) of Scotland. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go in because they were doing some significant work ...

... Department Store. By that time it was starting to get late, so I headed back into the Old Town across Waverly Bridge to St Giles' Cathedral, dating from 1124. It was neat to be inside a church that was so old.  I ended my first day by walking down ...

... and Mr. Hyde.  We had a great meal, and it was a fun little cafe.  We walked after breakfast to the St. Giles Cathedral.  It took our breath away as soon as we walked in the door.   Construction dates all the way back to the ...

... lights to match.   After finishing up at the castle we marched back to the hostel with a quick stop at St. Giles' Cathedral. I took a few pictures before being warned that photography permits cost a few pounds. I didn't want to commit double ...

... like our best bet for learning more. We woke up early and headed out for our tour. We walked around Scottish Parliament and St. Giles Cathedral. Edinburgh felt a lot like a giant hill and once we reached the top there was a great view of the rest of the ...