South Scotland - Edinburgh

Scottish countryside on the way to Edinburgh.















From Penrith to Edinburgh, we passed almost flat land with gentle slope and green farmlands broken by patches of wooded pine trees. The scenery was a little different here but my photographs did not represent the beauty of the landscape as they were taken while the car was running. I realized that though the scenery looks the same they are different in so many ways. Jin commented that I took the same scenery again and again but I explained that they aren't. It may look the same to her but very different to me. I know that to travel, you must have companion that is of the same interest, otherwise there will be a lot of unwelcome comments. With the help of GPS, we sailed through into Edinburgh but was stuck when the road that we wanted to go wasn't in the GPS. We stopped to ask for direction. A group of Muslim men were going to Friday prayer and I stopped to ask one of them for direction. He was kind enough to tell me in detail where to go but it was quite confusing to me.


Another white lady came along and she was able to explain quite clearly where we should go.
Ardleigh House B&B is at Ferry Road. We managed to find the B&B at last. Like the lady said, this road is lined with so many Bed and Breakfast Guess houses. Ardleigh B&B was cozy enough but I wasn't so happy because there was no WiFiconnection in our small twin room. Bob, the caretaker, was not helpful enough when I asked for help. So for the whole duration of our stay in Edinburgh, we were cut off from outside world except for hand phones. By this time, I missed Rania and imagined that every little girl was Rania.



In front of Ardleigh House.












Ferry Road, Edinburgh.






Bob told us not to drive to the Royal Mile as parking was difficult and expensive. Instead, he advised us to go by bus which passed in front of the House. That was convenient. We paid 3. 60 British pound for a day's trip to any destination around Edinburgh, which is much cheaper compared to driving. Taking a bus, we went to the Royal mile. I was curious to know what Royal Mile is all about. Then I found out it's an area around Edinburgh Castle with history and attractions for tourists.





At the Royal Mile in front of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Office.


























At the Royal Mile.











The first stop Jin made was to visit St. Giles' Cathedral which is also known as the High Kirk Of Edinburgh, the great Presbysterian church in Scotland.












History turned pub.








There were also many hop-on-hop-off buses which tourists can take for a small fee, departing at Waverly Bridge at regular intervals. We opted to walk around on our own. We wanted to familiarize ourselves to the place and browse through the shops.












The Waverly Bridge snuggled among historical buildings of Edinburgh.










Jenner's department store is housed in one of the prettiest old buildings in Edinburgh, situated opposite the Scott Monument.















The Waverly was once a 'new town' created about 200 years ago during George 111's reign. Now it's a part of pulsating modern Edinburgh though many of the buildings are old and intricately designed.












Scott Monument commands the skyline of Edinburgh. It's built in memory of Sir Walter Scott, the famous Scottish writer. There are 287 steps to the top of the tower and it's accessible to public for a fee.













The Scott Monument garden with people enjoying the precious sun.














Commanding view of Scott Monument.











A lonely Scottish blowpiper playing a tune hoping people would drop a penny or two as appreciation of his music. Background - Scott Monument and Waverly Bridge.







While walking, I heard someone spoke in Malay and I turned my head to see 3 young Malay girls conversing about something. I greeted them in Malay and we introduced ourselves. It's so good to meet people from my country who speak Malay. These girls are sisters from Trengganu studying in UK. They visited Edinburgh with their father who was the photographer. After a short chat, we moved on and I wished them good luck in their studies.



The next day we were in the long Q waiting to buy ticket to the castle. Hundreds of people were queuing up but the sale was fast. Jin and I bought tickets with discount for Senior Citizens. The castle ground was large and impressive and one can get lost in it. Armed with the castle map with brief explanations, we explored the castle on our own, occasionally stopped to listen to the explanation of some tour leaders to their groups.






Edinburgh Castle was built on solid volcanic rock with a number of twist and turn lanes surrounded by medieval city developed from early 12 century, built by King David 1. This is called the 'Old Town.'












Jin and I at the front of Edinburgh Castle.
















Edinburgh taken from the top of the castle.













On the castle ground with panoramic view of Edinburgh.











On the castle ground.













Taken with a Scottish Guard after he played a haunting melody on his blowpipe on the palace ground.








Mons Meg, one of Europe's oldest siege guns that fired stones weighing 150kg. I think the Russian's gun is bigger weighing 40 tons which can be found in the Kremlin, Moscow.










We had a great time visiting the interesting sights in Edinburgh. Due to some misunderstanding about dates, we were not able to meet Ayshoda, Mages's daughter, who lived in Edinburgh. It would be more fun if she could take us around but maybe next time. Instead we took 2 different buses to see the places the bus went until late at night.