Brittany and I were able to squeeze in a tour to Scotland a couple weeks ago. It's a beautiful country, and I was surprised to find it even more green than Ireland. Go figure! We took a train up to Edinburgh, where they gave us a guided tour of the city. A couple days later, we also took a tour of
Edinburgh Castle. I really liked the setting up on the hill, and our tour guide was pretty entertaining. (Probably one of the best accents I've heard over here, too.) The tour company organized for us to stay at a cozy, little bed & breakfast, and our hosts were very thoughtful and welcoming.
The highlight of the trip was getting to visit my friends from high school, along with their little son. Tom and Chandra were high school sweethearts and have now been married for five years. Their son Rory (about a year and half) is pretty adorable. I think Brittany's a little jealous that Chandra has a little model for spur-of-the-moment photo ops! We had a great time with them, though, and both wished we had more time to spend with them. We were kicking ourselves afterward that we didn't get a picture with them, but we'll have to settle for staying in touch on Facebook.
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| City of Edinburgh from Calton Hill |
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| Looking back toward the castle |
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| Entrance to Edinburgh Castle |
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| Scottish National War Memorial |
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| Tour guide rocking the kilt |
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| The roof of the Great Hall was made by shipbuilders about 500 years ago, and is still all original woodwork. All hammered joints--no metal at all. Well done, lads! |
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| The cannons on display in the battery were actually the type that would have been used on a ship. |
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| View of city from Mons Meg, a massive medieval cannon |
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| I'd hate to be in the way of one of these. They could be fired two miles even though they weighed about 400 pounds! |
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| St. Margaret's Chapel is the oldest building in Edinburgh and was easily the tiniest church I've ever visited. |
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| The castle is built on volcanic rock. |
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| No one has ever taken this castle by force. |
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| Even when the castle was under siege, those inside could survive for up to two years. |
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| Tartan Weaving Mill |
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