Left B & B at 9 and started walking to Edinburgh castle. We joined up with the “royal mile” about halfway up, taking in all the sites and sounds of Edinburgh.
Our visit to the Castle was extremely busy (no surprise) and difficult to see things or take photos. We rented recorded audio tours in order to get some of the sorry of the castle – well worth it!
The Royal Mile is literally a mile of straight road that was built along a ridge that led down from the main high point of the castle hill. In the early days, the town would have grown down along this ridge from the castle and eventually grew our laterally from this main ridge. Narrow "Closes" led from the main road between the houses down the sides of the ridge to other streets.
We took a tour of the underground vaults, several stories deep. We learned these were the multi-level vaults of a bridge that stretched from the Old Town of Edinburgh (along the Royal Mile) and connect to the New Town built to the North and South sides of the valleys. Tenements were eventually built up around the sides of the bridge so the arches of the bridge provided the tunnels and rooms where people lived and worked in. It was a desolate place where many would never see the light of day.
Left Pam and Bill and walked down to the lower end of the Royal Mile to visit Holyrood Palace – the Queens residence when in Edinburgh. After that, we climbed up and over Carlton Hill to head back to our room to freshen up. Met up with Pam & Bill for dinner at Mal Maison, after walking down to the harbour to see if we could catch a glimpse of the Royal Yacht. Unfortunately, view is obstructed by a large building.
Lovely to chat with P&B over relaxing dinner outdoor as the sun set.
The Royal Mile is literally a mile of straight road that was built along a ridge that led down from the main high point of the castle hill. In the early days, the town would have grown down along this ridge from the castle and eventually grew our laterally from this main ridge. Narrow "Closes" led from the main road between the houses down the sides of the ridge to other streets.
After leaving the castle, we made our way down the Royal Mile into “The Hub” for lunch then on to meet Pam and Bill at Mercat Cross - the market gathering place in Edinburgh. Mercat Cross was a traditional place where people would gather to hear the royal proclamation made in London … three days later; as that is how long a horse would take to get from London.
Left Pam and Bill and walked down to the lower end of the Royal Mile to visit Holyrood Palace – the Queens residence when in Edinburgh. After that, we climbed up and over Carlton Hill to head back to our room to freshen up. Met up with Pam & Bill for dinner at Mal Maison, after walking down to the harbour to see if we could catch a glimpse of the Royal Yacht. Unfortunately, view is obstructed by a large building.
Lovely to chat with P&B over relaxing dinner outdoor as the sun set.
No comments:
Post a Comment