Our Trip to Edinburgh, Scotland was very fast - only about one and a half days. I think I could have stayed there all two weeks though! Scotland is very beautiful, and the people are extremely friendly and full of life.
We visited the Edinburgh castle, the Royal Mile, and took a Scotch Tour. The weather was still rainy but we had a few sun breaks which was very nice! We had a beautiful hotel at the Royal Scots Club, nice bed and we actually had a bathroom bigger than my closet! Thank god! Just walking around Edinburgh you were able to see some of the most beautiful and interesting buildings. Most are very old, with the oldest buildings up on the top of the large hill. We were able to see a lot of great things and learn a little history by taking a Hop on Hop Off bus tour. This way you can see everything from the top of vintage buses and don't have to walk the crazy hill!
The next day we walked up to the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile is a great shopping district that starts at the Castle and goes down for a mile...imagine that! They have all sorts of great Scottish trinkets like kilts, thistles, and history of Scottish family names. It is tempting to want to clad yourself in plaid and play the bagpipes, but then again that look isn't really popular in the States! It was really fun to forget about everything and experience the funny parts of being a tourist, like trying on hats and seeing different types of Scotch. The end of the Royal Mile is the Queen's palace for when she visits. She wasn't in town, but through the bars you can see a very nice grounds that must be a nice place for her to vacation...from her other palaces all the UK...man I wish I were Queen!
We then went to the Edinburgh Castle where the Scottish Crown Jewels (must less exciting than t
he Queen's Jewels) and also experienced a real castle. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be - think Sleeping Beauty. It was very rustic but pretty amazing considering how old it was and how when it was built there weren't cranes or cars to move the large stones around. It was really neat as they had set up several different areas to go into the building like a military museum, Mary Queen of Scot's bedroom, and of course the Crown Jewels. you can see the entire city from the top of the castle - pretty impressive if you think of how the view would have looked hundred of years ago. You really could have seen your enemies approaching not to mention an entire army of your enemies approaching from England. they do seem pretty bitter about the whole English rule thing, especially since it was a very brutal and bloody part of their history. The Scottish Pounds are actually different from the English Pounds, showing more Scottish heroes that the Royalty. Interesting...
he Queen's Jewels) and also experienced a real castle. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be - think Sleeping Beauty. It was very rustic but pretty amazing considering how old it was and how when it was built there weren't cranes or cars to move the large stones around. It was really neat as they had set up several different areas to go into the building like a military museum, Mary Queen of Scot's bedroom, and of course the Crown Jewels. you can see the entire city from the top of the castle - pretty impressive if you think of how the view would have looked hundred of years ago. You really could have seen your enemies approaching not to mention an entire army of your enemies approaching from England. they do seem pretty bitter about the whole English rule thing, especially since it was a very brutal and bloody part of their history. The Scottish Pounds are actually different from the English Pounds, showing more Scottish heroes that the Royalty. Interesting...
After the Castle tour we decided to taste some Scotch Whiskey. I have never been a fan of Whiskey, but hey when in Scotland! The Scotch Whiskey Experience as it is called is a ride in a whiskey barrel through the Scotch Whiskey making process. It is actually pretty entertaining, and after walking all over the Castle a welcome sitting and low energy ride! After the Disney-like whiskey making process you go to a room where you are
introduced to the different types of Scotch from the different regions. They have a fruity, floral, sweet, and smokey flavors all based on different regions and made slightly different based on peat and water types. Way more that I ever thought I would need to know. You smell the different types and then make your choice of what to sample.
I chose the sweet and Brad chose the fruity (I think....). Either way, they tasted nothing like you thought they would. They just tasted like alcohol and burning. We learned how to add water to bring out more flavors (if there were more flavors other than alcohol and burning) and then saw the world's largest Whiskey collection. All in all very interesting and one little tasting was enough for both of us! We bought Dan a little sample since he is the only Whiskey drinker we know. Hopefully he enjoys it!
I chose the sweet and Brad chose the fruity (I think....). Either way, they tasted nothing like you thought they would. They just tasted like alcohol and burning. We learned how to add water to bring out more flavors (if there were more flavors other than alcohol and burning) and then saw the world's largest Whiskey collection. All in all very interesting and one little tasting was enough for both of us! We bought Dan a little sample since he is the only Whiskey drinker we know. Hopefully he enjoys it!
After the Whiskey Experience we decided to enjoy a few pints...a little more our taste. We went to a very old pub where we tasted Scotland's finest brews and listened to several locals talk - their brawls were so beautiful you find yourself just wanting them to talk!
That was our time in Scotland - much too short for me! We had an early flight to Germany in the morning to Frankfurt to meet our friend Steve who would be driving us to Heidelberg.
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