Day 15: Adventures in Scotland
I am so excited to share Day 15: Adventures in Scotland! This is another day that was completely different from what I expected. First, it was pouring rain that morning which made me very thankful for my new-for-Scotland umbrella and Savvy Equestrian waterproof clothing. (If you are interested in what I took to Scotland, my recommendations are HERE.)
Second, my aunt was suffering from vertigo which the cobblestones, rolling hills, stairs, pounding rain and crowds just made worse. Both of us meant to pack Dramamine, but neither of us did. Boots Pharmacy in Edinburgh didn’t have anything comparable.
Our big plan for the day was to start out at the Vennel Viewpoint, then walk around Edinburgh Castle and see the crown jewels. After that, we planned to wing it! We wanted to walk the Royal Mile, but we were both overwhelmed by all of the options that I discovered in Destination: City of Edinburgh Council. In the end the main thing that we both wanted to see in Edinburgh was the Honors of Scotland.
The End of the Quest: Honors of Scotland
After following the story of the Honors of Scotland from Dunnottar Castle to Kinneff Old Kirk, we were ecstatic to finally see the real crown jewels! Finally seeing the Honors of Scotland, in person, brought chills! And that was even with a wee bit of drama before actually seeing them.
Because it was an absolute downpour I had my phone in a waterproof case around my neck. I didn’t realize until the guards told me, “No cameras” that my phone was on. Of course, it was on the camera since I’d been taking pictures. Water was running off my raincoat, my hands were wet, and I could not get my iPhone to turn off! After a good minute of panic, I finally got the phone turned off so I could rejoin the line to see the crown jewels. Talk about nerve wracking!
Tea at the Redcoat Cafe
After all of that excitement we needed a sit down and a cuppa at the Redcoat Cafe. It gave us a chance to reevaluate the day. By the way, the Raspberry White Chocolate Muffin was delicious!
My aunt was still suffering from vertigo so I took her back to our Queensferry AirBnB. It was very conveniently located close to a bus stop. Thankfully our friends had initiated us to bus travel while we were in Cullen. By the time I got back to Edinburgh for my Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour I was feeling like an extremely knowledgeable, well traveled tourist!
Hop-On Hop-Off Buses
The HOHO, or Hop-On Hop-Off buses are absolutely brilliant! And that is exactly what they are, tour buses that allow you to hop on and off as many times as you like. I rode the Edinburgh Tour green bus which has a live tour guide rather than a recorded one. It was still raining so I didn’t get many pictures, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
I especially enjoyed when our guide shared his experiences working with the dog on the Disney movie, Greyfriars Bobby.
I had wanted to get pictures of Greyfriars Bobby as well as the Kirk and graveyard, but the afternoon was passing too quickly. In the end, I decided to stay on the bus until the next tour started so I could get off at the stop near Paddington.
By ‘Paddington’, I mean ‘Paddington Bear‘, of course! The best part is that I was able to watch Paddington in Peru on the flight home.
Writers’ Museum and Makars’ Court
Writers’ Museum
I couldn’t leave Edinburgh without visiting the Writers’ Museum which celebrates the lives of Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson.
Did you know that there is a rather large miniature of the Scott Monument in the Writers’ Museum? The friendly custodians are more than happy to tell you all about it! Let’s just say that if you have the least problem with heights or tight spaces give the tower a wide miss!
Makars’ Court
I’m rather excited about discovering a true hidden gem! In Makars’ Court, outside the Writers’ Museum there are inscribed flagstones. It is Edinburgh’s version of the Poet Laureate with quotes from Scottish authors. The quotes are in Scotland’s main literary languages: Scots, Latin, Gaelic and English.
There really isn’t much information online. AI says that Makars’ Court features over 30 inscribed paving stones. I took pictures of 40 inscribed quotes. This video is a project dear to my heart!
The End of the Day in Edinburgh
The sun did finally come out at the end of the day in Edinburgh. By that point though, I was ready to be done with the day. I discovered something important, at least for me. I would have enjoyed Edinburgh much more at the beginning of this Scotland adventure. Even though I enjoy people, Edinburgh is a very busy city for this country girl.
My favorite pictures of Edinburgh and the castle are those that I took while waiting for the bus before going back to Queensferry.
Final Thoughts for Day 15: Adventures in Scotland
Finally, in order to enjoy Edinburgh to it’s fullest, I suggest planning your visit earlier in your trip. Also, it seems that staying in Edinburgh, where you can walk to everything would be worth the extra expense, especially if you are staying several days.
I’m grateful for the time that I had in Edinburgh. I thoroughly enjoyed the little bit that I was able to see.
If nothing else, I learned important things for planning my next trip:
- Overseas pharmacies don’t carry all of the same things as in the U.S.
- Plan excursions with crowd tolerance and energy in mind.
- Know your options, have backup plans, but be ready to go with the flow. Find joy in whatever the moment brings.
Speaking of options, do you have any idea how many we had going from Queensferry to Glasgow? I am looking forward to sharing everything that we did on our final day in Scotland!
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