The 17th day of our second European Adventure
Today was supposed to have good weather so we planned on a second trip to Edinburgh. It was drizzling when we picked up Janet and Bonnie and rode downtown to the railway station. A very kind station agent explained how we could get a group ticket which saved a few pounds. As the train traavelled further east the skies got lighter and it didn’t rain in Edinburgh. We bought a grand ticket for the tour busses which let us ride any of the five tours, hop on and hop off type. We rode four out of the five choices only missing the MacTour which seemed to duplicate the Big Red Bus Tour.
The first tour as the official Edinburgh city sightseeing tour. We began at Waverly bridge right out side the Railroad station. The tour was routed west on princess Street on the edge of the New Town, but it was torn up due to the creation of a new light rail transit system. We detoured Down Rose Street. The tour took us round thr west side of the castle so we could look up to see the difficult task of taking the untakeable fortress by military means. The bus made a brief connection to the Royal Mile and a bit. We drove by the National and Royal museums of Scotland, and the house of John Knox the Protestant reformer. Then we went down hill to the Scottish Parliament building and the Palace of Holyrodhouse, which is the Queen’s official residence when she is in Scotland. The final leg of the tour we back up the hill, then down the hill, across the railroad tracks and a halt at the Waverly bridge.
Rather that start a new tour we chose a lunch in the Princess Mall. It was a typical mall food court, Subway, McDonalds, Subway, A Fish and Chips place, and a Potato Place. Janet had a wonderful potato, Bonnie had a Subway, Nancy and I had McDonalds. The food was what we expected and lunch was done. After lunch we stopped in a weaver/souvenir store where Bonnie found and purchased the sweater she had been looking for. The we headed for the Majestic Tour, which covered more miles than any of the others. The bus headed North through the New Town built in the 1760’s to a stop at the Royal Botanical Gardens, then on further north to the Cruise Terminal, there were no cruise ships in evidence, except for the Queen’s former yacht, the Britannia. We motored back uphill from Leith toward the “old town” Past the Palace of Holyroodhouse, up the royal mile. Across the bridge and the tour ended.
Next was the “green Edinburgh tour. This tour spent a bit more time in the New Town begun in the 1760’s then by the National gallery and up the hill for a stop on the Royal Mile. The most interesting part of the journey was around the south side of castle hill and through the Grassmarket originally a market for cattle and sheep now night clubs and restaurants. Then the bus followed Cowgate street which went under the bridges of the main streets above. From the side of Cowgate the buildings go up seven to eight stories so that they match the three and four story buildings of the main streets. The remainder of the tour was a repeat of the previous two. As the tour ended the sun came out and the debate was whether to pack it in and go back to Glasgow or to do another tour.
The sunshine won our and we headed to the Edinburgh World Heritage Official Tour. While it covered some of the same places as the others, it also visited some less well known areas. We saw Fettes Univerdity, and Stewart Melville’s College, crossed the Water of Leith on two very high bridges, and drove by St. Mary’s Cathedral. The tour also went south of the castle to visit George Heriots’s School, and the Old Royal Infirmary. The commentary on the tour was quite interesting and the sites different from the others so it was well worth the time. It was time for home to Glasgow and we took the very firt off-peak train home. A quick transfer to the subway and back to the “west end.” Westopped in at Amber for dinner. As usual in a Chinese restaurant Nancy and I ordered more than we needed to, but it tasted really good. Finally up the hill to the Hotel and Pete’s. Another day cramed with activity.
9123 Neil Steps
The sights of Edinburgh from the tour busses
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