It was bound to happen.  After so many trips in a row with great weather, our luck was eventually going to run out.  What better place than Scotland?  Known for its gloomy skies and rain, we expected it; and, today was the day. 

There’s something about seeing a Scottish castle and palace in gloomy weather.  It seems so fitting!  (Although, it makes for rotten cityscape photography…)  Since we didn’t exactly have a choice with our limited days in Edinburgh, we gave ourselves a “make lemonade out of lemons” pep talk, donned our rain gear, and set off to explore.

Royal Edinburgh Ticket and reserved Edinburgh Castle Tour ticket in hand, we boarded the green double-decker tour bus and climbed the stairs up to the top for our guided hop-on-hop-off tour.  It was raining lightly, so Bruce opted for the covered seats in front, and I headed to the back, so I could do some photography on the way to the castle.  Thank goodness for waterproof pants!  I swept the puddle of water off the seat, plopped myself down, and happily snapped off a few shots (that appeared in my last post).

For those of you unfamiliar with Edinburgh, I’ll give you the Cliff Notes version of this capital city.  It’s the second largest city in Scotland (after Glasgow) with a population of around 506,000, and the seat of the Scottish Government. Edinburgh has been the country’s capital since the 15^th century or so.  The city is a center of education, and it’s the second largest financial center in the United Kingdom.  There are loads of historical and cultural attractions, so it is the UK’s second most visited tourist destination. 

Speaking of historical attractions, Edinburgh Castle topped our list of the places we wanted to visit for Scottish history—at least, visually, and for photography.  Construction of the castle began in the 11^th century, and it has seen a lot of battles and wars since then!  There was the Wars of Scottish Independence, from 1296 – 1357; the Siege to free James III of Scotland, in 1482; and, the Lang Siege, from 1571 – 1573.  There were a total of 26 sieges in its 1,100-year history!  That poor castle was the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world. Do you think England finally got the message?  Hands off!

It’s a much happier place now.  Historic Environment Scotland is taking good care of this gorgeous gem, and it has become the most visited attraction in the country—especially in August during the annual Edinburgh Festival.  That’s when the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo takes place.

(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)

See that funny-shaped building off to the right in the distance (above) and in the center-top (below)? Check out this article about the “Golden Turd,” (aka the “Poop Building,” as well as several other not-so-complimentary names.) W Edinburgh is located in the St. James Quarter of Edinburgh.

The stained glass windows (below) were photographed inside St. Margaret’s Chapel, located above the dog cemetery. It is the oldest building in Edinburgh Castle. Built in about 1130, it is dedicated to Queen Margaret, who lived in the castle in the late 1000s.

Edinburgh’s other historical icon is the Palace of Holyroodhouse, located on the other end of the Royal Mile from the castle.  (You can also call it Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse; the Scots won’t mind.)  Since the 16^th century, this has been the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.  For those of you who didn’t get the memo, that would be King Charles III; although, he only spends one week at the beginning of summer there each year.  The palace doesn’t sit empty the other 51 weeks, though; it gets a lot of paying visitors!

We enjoyed touring both Edinburgh Castle and Palace of Holyroodhouse.  It was history overload, but a feast for the eyes!

Next up:  Royal Botanic Gardens & Royal Yacht