Soggy Moose Travels : Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, and Place of Holyroodhouse.

Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, and Place of Holyroodhouse. 8/4/2019

We started our day with breakfast at the Ibis Hotel as it is included with our room. We had pretty much a full Scotch breakfast.

Haggis

It has been raining and the forecast is for a bit more so rain gear was packed. Tomorrow night we will be attending the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and as a pre experience we have arranged for the Wallace Package. This starts at the Scottish Whiskey Experience and we wanted to time our walk to this location. It took only 15 min but the streets were empty, so tomorrow we will plan for the crowds.

We then explored several little alleyways and streets in the rain. We found a coffee shop and stopped for coffee and a scone.

We next made our way the Edinburgh Castle and started exploring with one of the offered tours. This was informative and good over view.

Queen Mary

Edinburgh Castle is one of the oldest fortified places in Europe. With a long rich history as a royal residence, military garrison, prison and fortress, it is alive with many exciting tales. Yes to many tales to share here, and such rich history, the Castle is not to be missed.

Once we arrived at the top of the Castle hill, we visited the Great Hall. The rich wood work and displays of armaments is worth the stop. One point of interest is the ceiling is the original ceiling from the 1500’s.

Then there is the Scottish National War Memorial, first built to honor the Scottish fallen of WWI. It has since expanded to in all conflicts since WWI. This is very solemn moving memorial. I was moved when I found the line "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old" from the 1914 poem "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon, inscribed upon a wall therein.

Next we visited the Scottish Crown Jewels. These have been described as the smallest collection of crown jewels in the UK. They simply consist of three items, a scepter, a sword, and a crown. The crown is of gold and the gold from which it is made is from Scotland. It is said this is all the gold in Scotland as there is not much to be found in Scotland.

NOTE: There are two entrances to see the Scottish Crown Jewels. I highly recommend using the less direct door located on the side of the Royal Jewels Building. One climbs a set of stairs and there is an excellent exhibition about the Scottish Royals before you enter the Crown Jewels Room.

Here you also find the The Stone of Destiny, which is an ancient symbol of Scotland’s monarchy, used for centuries in the inauguration of its kings. Seen as a sacred object, its earliest origins are now unknown.

In 1296, King Edward I of England seized the Stone from the Scots, and had it built into a new throne at Westminster. From then on, it was used in the coronation ceremonies of the monarchs of England and then Great Britain.

On Christmas Day 1950, four Scottish students removed the Stone from Westminster Abbey in London. Three months later it turned up 500 miles away – at the high altar of Arbroath Abbey.

In 1996, the Stone was officially returned to Scotland. Today, it is one of the priceless treasures on display in the Crown Room, visited by millions of people each year. The stone will only leave Scotland again for a coronation in Westminster Abbey.

We visited St Margaret's Chapel.

Scotland’s royal family once knelt to worship in this serene private chapel. Today, the doors of Edinburgh’s oldest building are open to all castle visitors, and the chapel continues to host weddings and christenings.

We then visited the Royal Scottish Dragoon Guards museum and learned of their history and viewed Napoleons Banner captured at Waterloo.

Next the Prisons were visited. Here we see the stark contrast as to how French Prisoners were treated vs. how the American Prisoners were treated. The French were considered an enemy and deserved better treatment as opposed to the Rebel Americans.

We made our exit via the Esplanade trying to find our seats for the Tattoo.

We walked the Royal Mile, which is much longer than a mile to th Palace of Holyroodhouse. This included passing many shops and street performers. The upper portion of the Royal Mile is open only to pedestrians during the Edinburgh International Festival. This is a big event and the crowds are well, plentiful.

We did make a couple stops, one at a local market where I had a cider and a stop at another OINK location.

The Lion King was performing

OINK, the best

We arrived at Holyroodhouse Palace and toured the palace using the self guided audio devices provided. This is the Royal residence in Scotland. The artwork and history of Mary Queen of Scots is highlighted. After our Palace visit we strolled the gardens .As we started to hear thunder, we made our way to a bus stop for a return to the Royal Mile.