Connections from the Lake District went fine and we hit Edinburgh (say: "Edin-burra" to sound like a native) around 2 pm. Great hotel right on the Royal Mile (see the pic - it's Radisson Blu Hotel) which is the main drag through this terrific city. Edinburgh appears to be 3 long parallel (and quite tall) hills, so it's a lot of up and down to get around. The center of town where the train station is today, used to be a lake that was drained many years ago. In addition to the train station there are gardens to tour in this ancient lakebed. Even though the city is hilly, the architecture is so interesting, the skyline so beautiful, and the hustle-bustle so ever-present, you don't even notice that you're climbing big hills. It's a very busy spot, and lots of young people bring great vibrancy to the place. We love it here!
The Royal Mile, where the action is, is basically the middle of the 3 parallel hills. Our afternoon walk took us to one of the surrounding hilltops, where parliament buildings, the observatory and a Greek-inspired structure tower far over the city. Great views all around, including in one direction the huge inlet called the Firth of Forth (an estuary to the open ocean just a mile from the city center). The opposite hill is undeveloped, and we will be climbing it probably Sunday (picture shows the steep cliff-side and if you zoom in you may see some hikers at or near the top of the mountain).
Pictures today are from our walk around town this afternoon. Tomorrow I go birding at nearby Musselburgh Lagoons with a local twitcher. Then i think we will tour the castle...
what fun!
oh yeah, picked up another new birdie today -- Long-tailed Tit.
No comments:
Post a Comment