Rain, Wind and A walk to the Castle!

Let's step back a moment to yesterday's adventures. We had been seeing small alley like streets called close. Some examples are Anchor's Close, Fleshmarket Close, Jollie's Close, etc. So curious as to what part they played in Edinburgh's history, we took an underground tour of the Mary King's Close for an unusual look at Edinburgh's gritty and crowded past. (A close is a very narrow 'alley' that ran off of the Royal Mile, the only road in Edinburgh at the time. At night, each close had a door on each end that was locked to protect the residents.) A costumed tour guide led us through a recently excavated underground street and buildings on the north slope of the Royal Mile. This complex structure included up to 14 stories of 'homes' on top of each other. No room much taller than 5'8"-6'. Keep in mind there was no indoor plumbing in those days. So at 7:00 am and 10:00 pm, the youngest member of the family would take the family 'pot' to the door, scream something like "Heads up fools!" Then they would chunk the bucketful of mess out the doorway! Since all the close were tilted toward the lake, all the 'stuff' would drain its way toward the lake. According to our guide, the stories say that no one drank any water. They (including the children) drank some sort of alcohol, malt, ale, whiskey! Imagine the living conditions! Nasty, stinky, and full of disease and rats! What a way to live! Check it out. www.realmarykingsclose.com

Back to today...this morning's excursion started at 9:00 am with a brisk rainy walk to Calton Hill and a look see at the National Monument. As we walked up the hill, the wind started clipping about 60 mph! It was a beautiful view of the city of Edinburgh. However it was difficult to stay on your feet and hold the camera still! Without our trusty Marmot raincoats, these two old broads would have been soaked very quickly! (The weather man has issued Wind Alert for Scotland for the next couple of days.)

While it was a very cold rain, (felt like sleet at times) and the wind roaring around us, it was still a very good walkabout starting at one end of the Royal Mile and ending at the Edinburgh Castle. Along the way, we got a picture of the birthplace of Harry Potter, The Elephant House. This was the coffee shop that JK Rowlings penned the story on napkins while sipping coffee.

We walked to Greyfriars' Church which has several important Scots buried there. But the most famous Scot of all is the little dog "Bobby", a small dog that stood by his master's grave for 14 years. He was immortalized in a 1960's Walt Disney movie, "Greyfriar's Bobby". His story can bring a tear to your eye. He was given the highest honor any two legged person (let alone four legged) can be given for his faithfulness and dedication by the city of Edinburgh. www.greyfriarsbobby.co.uk

The walk to the Edinburgh Castle continued under extremely adverse conditions fighting headwinds and steady rain all the way up the hill. (I personally think after today's efforts, we have earned double our fitness points!)

Edinburgh Castle is considered the birthpace of the city 1,300 years ago. A regal fortress overlooking the city that was once on the shores of a lake before more room was needed for the city. Really too much detail to go into here. But read up on it at www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk But they continue a tradition to fire a cannon from the top of the castle wall at 1:00 every afternoon (except Sunday) to give ships in the bay something to set their navigataion devices by. (The frugal Scots don't fire it at high noon, as that would cost 11 additional rounds a day! LOL!)

After our walk through the castle, we had the afternoon and evening free. So we wandered down from the hill looking in little shops, and stopping at St Giles Church. It started rainy again, so we popped into a Starbucks for a cup of latte to wait it out.

We are now back in our hotel, but will have to go out in search of dinner very shortly. It's not raining anymore, but the wind is still giving it heck! We have a Chinese restaurant at the end of the block so I think that may be on the agenda. Tomorrow morning at 8:45 we get on the bus for the next leg of our trip.

We have been online watching the weather in the midwest. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and families in Joplin! Have also seen the line of storms coming through Arkansas. Be safe everyone!