Edinburgh has a very advanced public bus system. Smart phone aps allow you to track
their buses, pay the fares, and indicate which stop you want to get off
at. The average passenger looks
very much like the average citizen, though Pat says that’s more to do with the
restricted parking than the comfort of the busses. We’re using the bus to go from our hotel downtown and back
each day, and it stops right out front of us.
Today, we walked for about four hours, had lunch, and then another four hours. We began the day with Fiona, a city tour guide, who navigated our way through the streets and alleyways (closes) from the Castle to the Queen’s residence. From the mid-1400s to the 1960s, on both sides of the Flodden Wall along the Royal Mile (a means of controlling trade, and protecting against a British invasion).
We saw more poets, theorists, educators, scientists,
murderers, witches, and politicians than I thought one city could call
home. But with 500 years of
history, you collect a lot of characters.
After the tour, we had lunch at the official residence of the Queen in
Scotland, checked out the new Parliament building ($400 million for one
structure), and then took the bus back up High Street to the top again and
visited the Edinburgh Castle. More
a military garrison than a residence, it was the scene of royal births (James
I, son of Mary, Queen of Scots) and is where the Royal Jewels, Scepter, and
Sword are currently stored. Also
has some seriously powerful cannons.
Tomorrow, we head for some stops along our tour path which we want to spend some more time at.
Tomorrow, we head for some stops along our tour path which we want to spend some more time at.
Here is a link to the photos taken today: Friday, August 24th, Edinburgh
Gregory
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