This time: Edinburgh bound.
After I finished my photo-shoot with the telephone booth, our first stop was the castle.. naturally.
The iddy-biddy chapel that was very cute and cozy inside. ^
Re-visiting the lion I sat on when I was 9... He's smiling because he missed me :)
Some guy dressed up as William Wallace... Later on, as we were poking in and out of shops, I saw a postcard with him on it - he's famous!
omg. Endless kilt possibilities.
Interesting design for the Scottish Parliament - apparently it has won awards for its architecture.
A little Ceilidh dancing to warm up for the hike to the top. And here we go...
Ironically sitting at the very top of Arthur's Seat - I didn't want to leave.
^ The Queen's crash pad when she visits: Palace of Holyroodhouse. Even the light posts are royal!
Why not finish the day off with a hot plate of haggis, neeps and tatties!? Boo yah.
On our Sunday morning walking tour - because we're that hardcore. We stopped at the grave of Greyfriars Bobby.
Dad, this one's for you - guess who's buried under car space #23 in the parking lot of St. Giles' Cathedral... kinda weird that they couldn't give up that spot to have a little head stone or SOMETHING - he's only considered the founder of the Presbyterian's in Scotland... no biggy.
The rest of this post is for Harry Potter fans only...
The 'Original Hogwarts' private school + Edinburgh Castle = Hogwarts!
And there you have it. Are you seeing the connections?? This is where J.K. Rowling got her inspiration for the books.
^ This is the most expensive private school in Scotland (possibly even the UK) and J.K. Rowling's kids even go here. Who wouldn't want to send their kids to the original Hogwarts?
The cemetery J.K. Rowling used for inspiration when she was stuck on what a character's name should be - Tom Riddle's name is even here, crazyyyy.
And just around the corner - we had lunch at the cafe where she sat and wrote the books themselves (a good chunk of the first one at least. I'm sure once the word got out and the sign went up, she peaced out of there pretty quickly)
My body is sore from carrying my backpack around for 2 days, climbing Arthur's seat, and sleeping on a wonderful wire-y mattress at the hostel. But, like the Ceilidh night, I take this as a sign of a good weekend and I'm looking forward to more days of sore muscles to come!
Thanks so much for the awesome weekend guys! Cheers.
This post brought back all kinds of memories Al. This is the second time you've seen alot of this stuff. Looks like you guys had a great weekend. Isn't that the second time you've run into William Wallace? You two are getting to be very close. The Church of Scotland has to do something about parking spot #23.
ReplyDeleteDad
Ditto to Dad's comment re. memories...love the Greyfriar Bobby statue and shots of the castle. I had no idea what locations were configured into Hogwarts, but it makes sense...thanks for keeping us informed. I see that before you clambered up Arthur's Seat, you were standing in front of the science centre; did you go inside?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you're experiencing fabulous weather there...maybe all we hear of Scottish mists and rain is not true after all.
Thanks for sharing the smiles.
Mom
Slow down darn it! I can't keep up with your fantabulous adventures!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures, that kilt store makes me want to go kilt shopping RIGHT NOW. I even see a sorta purple one!
Also, is haggis suppose to look like lentils? Looks yummy, but sounds not so yummy.
Hope you signed one of the Elephant House books or at least made a drawing. And do you think William Wallace's face is permanently blue under all that paint? He's probably absorbed it all into his skin and dosen't even have to use face paint anymore...
Hope you're having a great week so far! Let us know if that Scottish weather hype really is all a myth.
xoxo
Clem
PS: How easy do you think it would be to smuggle a Scottish phone booth into Canada? You could probably pass it off as a huge fridge or something... It would make THE best lawn ornament of all time.
ReplyDeleteJust a though..
Coolest telephone booth ever!
ReplyDeleteWhat is/are neeps and tatties?
Finding Tom Riddle’s tombstone must have been neat. It would suck to pass away and then be used as a supervillain in a worldwide bestseller, though!