Edinburgh

Sunday, November 20
Edinburgh is the capitol of Scotland. Full of bagpipes, cashmere, plaid, shortbread, kilts, hairy coos, thistles, and two tailed lions.
The national flag of Scotland is a blue background with two white lines crossing in the middle. The flag with the two tailed lion isn't the flag of Scotland but is seen all over the area. It is the royal banner of the royal arms of Scotland.
       
The national flower of Scotland is the thistle. A very prickly weed but the flower sure is pretty:

The national foods of Scotland are haggis, shortbread, and whiskey. There was no shortage of any of it in the city. Haggis is made out of sheep's pluck, onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt and then usually encased in the sheep stomach.
View from my hostel room:

Christmas market by the Scott Monument

Monuments, tall spires, and shops all added to the charm of this city. And yes some men do still wear kilts.


School of Divinity New Collage:

Cafe Hub:




Random scenery on the streets:


Tartan Weaving Mill and Exhibition Shop:

The Captain America shield and Thor's hammer were a nice touch.

Edinburgh Castle and Monuments around it:

View of Edinburgh from the castle grounds.

George Heriots School

The Royal Mile is a street that runs from the castle to the palace and has shops, restaurants, and cafes all along it. A great place for a tourist.


Whiskey, whiskey, and more whiskey.








St. Giles Cathedral:



All the buildings are stone and brick.










Tron Kirk with The Royal Mile Market inside:

Jacket Potato at The Baked Potato Shop.

Flapjack: sort of like a soft granola bar with a topping.

Window Shopping!




Scottish Parliament:

Picture with Scotland's national animal!

Palace of Holyroodhouse:

Scone and mochaccino at Cafe Truva Royal

It was a great day of sight seeing and shopping! The only mar on the day was a slight hiccup on the train ride back. Our train got delayed due to signalling issues so we missed our train connection in Wolverhampton. The train we missed was also the last train of the night going to Aberystwyth. It was a relief to find out that since we paid for the train ticket and it wasn't our fault we missed the second train, the train station is obligated to get us to our destination at no additional cost to us. We had several very nice and friendly people help us get off at Crewe instead of Wolverhampton to take a train to Shrewsbury (the closest station to Aber). Then a kind train attendant got us a taxi to take us the rest of the way. Thank you so much to the helpful workers at the stations! We got in later than expected but it all worked out in the end :)