Rick Steves'
Best of Scotland
Pre-tour
We decided to arrive in Edinburgh a few days before the tour started so we could recover from jet lag and see a few extra sites that weren't covered in the tour. Best. Decision. Ever. We arrived totally exhausted - I guess we were too excited to sleep a wink on the plane. The first day was sort of a blur for us, both figuratively and literally, as it was the foggiest, rainiest day of our trip. After settling into our hotel and eating a quick lunch in the restaurant next door, we decided to take it "easy," venturing out of the city to see Rosslyn Chapel. It ended up being a nice way to see the city sites through the windows of the warm and dry bus. We walked around the city for a bit after returning from our excursion and then headed to bed early.
We found this cozy little restaurant right next to the hotel for lunch - doesn't it look like a good place for a power nap?
This is his tired-but-happy-to-be-in-Scotland face.
We found this cozy little restaurant right next to the hotel for lunch - doesn't it look like a good place for a power nap?
The next morning we got a quick traditional Scottish breakfast (consisting of eggs, baked beans, boiled tomatoes and mushrooms and potato cakes) before strolling down the Royal Mile. We climbed to Arthur's Seat, the highest peak around Edinburgh, for views of the city. We somehow managed to lose the trail and take twice as long as planned, but we stumbled on our first patch of Scottish heather, so it was all worth it. After climbing back down, we visited the Palace of Holyrood House, the home of Britain's Queen when she is in town, and the ruined abbey in the back.
We thought it was unique when we got baked beans and boiled tomatoes for breakfast the first day, but would come to learn that is traditional, as we were offered those options each day.
Edinburgh really looked this quaint everywhere!
You are allowed to eat dessert for lunch on vacation, right? Isn't that the cutest little scone ever?
We thought it was unique when we got baked beans and boiled tomatoes for breakfast the first day, but would come to learn that is traditional, as we were offered those options each day.
After lunch we visited St. Giles Cathedral, caught the best views of Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street Gardens while the sun was out, and walked to nearby Leith Village before having dinner and turning in for the night. The next day we would meet our group and start our tour!
Beautiful carved details around the doors and windows.
Beautiful carved details around the doors and windows.
Back door experience
It was important for us to get off the beaten path a little. One time we were able to do this was when we took the public bus out of the city center to visit Craigmillar Castle. It is a wonderful castle ruin that doesn't get nearly as much attention as Edinburgh Castle, so we had the place to ourselves. We got to see the outlying areas where locals live and go about their day-to-day business. We were the only tourists on the bus so the driver took pity on us, helping us get off at the right stop and providing walking directions to the site.