Day 10: Wandering Edinburgh
Holyrood and Arthur's Seat
After our last official breakfast this morning, we spent the rest of the day exploring parts of Edinburgh we didn't get to during our first stop in the city. We got a chance to go by Holyrood, the queen's palace, which was open now since she had left town earlier in the week. Apparently, she is in town about one week per year, and it happened to be this week. After Holyrood, we hiked up Arthur's Seat, an impressive land form which towers above the city. We had been looking forward to this ever since one of our tour mates had told us about the walking path leading up to top. It was a steep walk, but refreshing, and the views from the top were stunning. We took the shorter, more difficult path going up and then the longer, more gradual path back down. The path down went around the back side of the hill and stopped at a ruins. We then made our way up Calton Hill for some more grand views of the city. We saw the tower ball go up and drop, but we didn't hear the canon fire to mark the 1:00 hour. We must have been distracted by the beautiful overlooks.
Princess Street Gardens
Our final meal in town turned out to be a picnic in the Princess Street Gardens. We could do a lot worse than that! While we were down there, we heard a traditional/punk band playing on a bridge and selling CD's. We loved how they merged the traditional with the contemporary. It felt a bit like a microcosm of Edinburgh--a little old town and a little new.
Farewell Scotland
It has been a fantastic trip through Scotland, and we learned so much about this land and its people. It's amazing how little we really knew about Scotland. We are grateful for this opportunity to travel with a great guide, awesome group members and of course, each other. If you decide that a tour of Scotland is in your future, you'll want to check out Rick Steves' Best of Scotland in 10 Days!
We can't wait until our next Rick Steves' Tour. There is a vast world out there, and we are ready to learn more about it!
We can't wait until our next Rick Steves' Tour. There is a vast world out there, and we are ready to learn more about it!