Our 3rd day in Scotland, we decided it was high time for us to see the castle and also the Royal Botanic Gardens.
We took a nice walk to the Castle, which was just a couple of miles away. Rajiv and Nalan rented the headsets, so they soon wandered off according to the program. The rest of us decided to do a walking tour with a nice elderly gentleman named Gavin. He was very tan and quite good natured. He told a lot of jokes and kept us laughing.
After the walking tour, we waited in a very short line to see the crown jewels. Ooooh shiny sparklies! From there, we headed down to the apartments and saw where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James I (or James IV of England).
The birthing chamber was very small, about the size of a breakfast nook! I couldn’t imagine being holed up in that room for all those months. I gathered Mary detested the Court watching over her and didn’t want them at the birth. Can’t say as I blame her-but it was awfully small!
It was now lunch time, so we walked down George Street in search of food. Errin suggested we try Gourmet Burger Kitchen. I got a buffalo burger which had been cooked until it was very well done. It still tasted good, but I would get it medium next time.
While planning for the trip, Nalan had expressed an interest to see the Royal Botanic Gardens. I was totally excited to see the Rhododendrons as I had heard about them. I figured they would be in full bloom and I just couldn’t wait! Dennis and I had been to the Portland Rose Gardens a few months ago, so we were curious to see what Edinburgh had to offer.
It was just amazing. We wondered around, checking out the various formal gardens and paying to see the large Victorian Atrium. Towards late afternoon, we all ended up spread out on a soft patch of grass. We soaked in the warm sun and each took a short nap. It felt so perfect outside, I could have just stayed there the rest of the evening! Unfortunately, they have a closing time, so eventually we had to leave.
Map courtesy of Map My Run!
After the Royal Botanic Gardens, we took a cab back to the flat for a late afternoon rest. I needed to go for a run, so I enlisted Dennis to join me on a jaunt over to Holyrood Park. We were going to run around the park, but we missed Queen Street and ended up in some neighborhood. No worries, we just turned around…we ran almost 5 miles. Not too shabby for people on vacation!
Everbody was waiting for us to get back as it was now approaching dinner. We decided to go for Thai food. Phuket Place was marginal, the food tasted good but the flavor didn’t *pop* as I was hoping it would. I ordered a pad thai, which was served a little on the dry side. Most of the time I’ve had it, the noodles were well coated with a sauce, but these noodles were a little clumpy. The Thai Iced Tea was good though!
When we were all completely stuffed, we walked back to the flat and hung out. It was nice to just sit and talk all together without distraction. It had been a very long time since we were all in the same room! I couldn’t believe how many years, and when it dawned on me, I suddenly felt quite old!
Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle, Royal Botanic Garden, Scotland