Edinburgh, Scotland

Our trip to Edinburgh (said Edinborough) began after a short bus ride on Halloween night. The view of the city at night is simply spectacular.

As part of the celebrations, there is a parade to mark the end of summer. It is mostly pagan with old gaelic traditions. The costumes relate to the earth and the elements and there is a small dance after the parade in which the heat and light are taken away from summer King (or something similar).

Since we didn't have costumes, we tried to fit in by representing good and evil in this photo.

We also took a ghost tour on Halloween night, which wasn't worth the money, but did give us a good intro to the city.

Once the sun came up we decided to get some more info and took a guided tour.

No matter where you are in the city centre you are bound to hear the distant sound of bagpipes.

Or more creative and modern pairings of instruments. These were awesome!

We also got the sights of the old city.

This is a monument to Sir Walter Scott, and is the largest monument to a write in the world.

This stone marks the place where a police holding cell once stood. It was so despised by the people that they took to spitting on it. When it was demolished, however, it remained the only place in Edinburgh where spitting is actually legal.

A visit to the local cemetery provided some good history and a view of the strangest giftshop I've ever seen.

This gravestone is to mark the resting place of the most famous dog in all Edinburgh...Greyfriar's Bobby. When the owner of this dog passed, the dog (as loyal as it was) spent the next 14 years of its life sitting on the grave of his master. To mark his loyalty the animal society of Edinburgh raised this stone for the dog (though he is actually burried just outside the gates).

He even got a bronze statue erected and a restaurant named after him.

Home to J.K. Rowling (the author of Harry Potter), Edinburgh is also home to this school, apparently the inspiration for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series.

And this cafe, the place where it all started.

The next day we visited the Royal Yacht Britannia, the Queen's former yacht.

Mat is relazing in the Queen's sun room.

This is her sitting room...

And here is the formal dining hall for guests of state.

But Mat found his favourite place...the officers' bar.

Another exploration of the royal estate brought us to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The original building was the home for Mary Queen of Scots.

This is also the official residence for the royal family on their visits to Scotland.

These are the ruins of an abbey beside the palace.

And this is the view of the palace from atop the hill of Holyrood Park (some 500 meters up).

The journey up the hill was well worth the view...

Us...1/2 kilometer above the world.

Just a tidbit for you: notice that this building has windows boarded up. That is because of the window tax, which taxed a home with more than 6 windows. Who knew we were lucky not to have to pay for sunight?

But no trip to Edinburgh is complete without a viewing of Dolly...the world's first cloned sheep. She even spins now.

Well life here is just fine. We're back in London---well I am. Mat started his new job yesterday. He's working on a dredger, taking sand from rivers to help further England's expansion. I've talked to him since he left and he says it's good. His room is nice and the people are friendly. He'll be home December 26th, but I'll keep you posted as to how he is doing.

Till then, Cheers!