More Edinburgh!

Edinburgh

The Royal Mile & Thistle Room

One of the most popular and well-known destinations on Edinburgh is the Royal Mile, which is a long street filled with restaurants, shops, and street performers. You can knock it out in an afternoon, unless you like to wander and spend time in every store.

 

Aint she pretty?

Rose Street

The Scott Memorial is built and named after Sir Walter Scott, the famous novelist and playwright. For about five pounds you can walk to the top! Although I hear it's quite claustrophobic.

As you walk around the mile, small alleyways shoot off the main road every few hundred feet. Some are gated closed, some lead to apartments, some whisk you away to more shops and restaurants! They're called Closes (as in hold something close),  and are mini adventures!

View down Advocate's Close on the Royal Mile

Afternoon tea was hosted by The Dome on George Street, a gorgeous restaurant with views of the city. We met our friends and the bridal party (since we're in Scotland for a wedding) and chowed down. Thankfully for Meg, they also have Gluten Free options!

After tea, Meg and I headed back to the Royal Mile to explore and find dinner. We found a small alley (called a Close) that led to an underground bar. We ordered a few drinks and Haggis Bites which were quite yummy!

Meg ordered a hot spiced buttered rum, I ordered wine and then an Aztec Cocoa which was hot chocolate with rum and smoked paprika!

If staying in a B&B while in the city, chances are you'll find the little-known areas that stay hidden from the general population. This lovely area was between our flat and the city center, so we were treated to some glowing artwork on our walks!

The St. Guiles Cathedral on the Royal Miles may seem like another historical artifact smack dab in the middle of the city. But trust me, it's beautiful both inside and out, and has a hidden gem inside!

The Thistle Room

St. Giles Cathedral

The Thistle Room is now one of my favorite locations in Edinburgh. Inside the St. Giles Cathedral, this Chapel is the home to the Order of the Thistle, the highest honor in Scotland and second highest in the U.K.  The Order of the Thistle is comprised of 21 Knights, including 5 of the Royal Family, and headed by the Monarch. Knighthood is for life, so once a Knight passes away, the Monarch appoints another. They are chosen for their good deeds and work for the country and around the world. Once chosen, they meet once a year in this chapel to discuss what they can do in teh coming year to better the world.

The colorful bits above each chair are the emblems of the Knights, which represent who they are, where they come from, what they do, and what matters to them.

St. Guiles Cathedral from the Royal Mile

The living Knights all have specific chairs and emblems which represent who they are. The chapel itself was hand-carved from oak by two brothers in an 18 month span. 

The five members of the Royal Family's seats, with the Monarch in the middle

This is the Monarch's (Queen Elizabeth's) chair

The coat of arms on the Monarch's chair 

The handrests are carved animals that represent gifts once given to the Monarch. Animals from the Scottish Menagerie were presented to the Monarch back in the day. 

Again, the woodwork was created by two brothers...only two, in less than two years. Amazing!

Glasgow :: Uni & Kelvingrove

Day two in Glasgow! Today we visited Glasgow University and the Kelvingrove Art Museum

Courtyard in Glasgow University

In front of the school crest

We (mainly Meg) decided to explore by randomly opening doors...we found a few hidden gems.

Kelvingrove Museum was interesting and a good way to spend a few hours out of the cold. The museum has an organ, and we were able to watch a recital an hour after being there.

This display was interesting, and we searched and searched but couldn't find the plaque that described what it meant.

One thing is not like the other....

 They had a few natural history displays, as well.

Ella

WAHHHHHH

We connected on a deeper level

This section of a tree trunk was over 600 years old!

Again, that evening we checked everything off our to-do list and headed back to the flat mid-evening. Before heading back, we had dinner at Tennants bar, which was the last bar in Glasgow to allow women to attend (previously, women were not allowed in bars). Ever since that ban has lifted, the bar has ironically only had women managers. Girl power!

We had a pre-bed snack of cheese and chocolate milk from the supermarket, because we're super classy like that.

Glasgow :: Cathedral & Necropolis

April 9th was our first full day in Glasgow! We headed into town and explored via the Hop On Hop Off bus, getting a cool history of the town. 

Fountain near the People's Palace

River running near Glasgow University

Glasgow University

The outside of Kelvingrove Art Meuseum

Glasgow Cathedral

Us in front of Glasgow Cathedral

 The cathedral had some beautiful stained glass:

The Necropolis behind the cathedral had thousands of tombs and graves, and overlooked the city. 

We had lunch at the Drygate Brewery. Unfortunately, Meg's cold prevented her from tasting most of it, but her cauliflower and blue cheese soup was delicious!

A bridge over the river in town

 The rest of the day was spent simply walking around the city center, which included Buchanan Street and the surrounding areas. Most areas were simply shopping, which Meg and I had little interest in. We headed back to the flat in the early evening, as jet lag was still effecting us. We had dinner at one of the local pubs which was within walking distance.

As Meg the story behind this photo...

Glasgow :: A Day in the Park

My sister and I are partying it up in Scotland! We arrived to Glasgow after a seven hour flight to London, and an additional 1.5 hours to Glasgow. Poor Meg has six hours of flying before that just to get to the East Coast so we could fly together!

After arriving in Glasgow, we checked into our Air B&B and met our awesome host Doug and his sweet dog Erin. His flat was only a short walk from Glasgow Vet School, which is somewhere Meg wanted to attend when she was interested in Vet School. 

Doug invited us along his afternoon walk for his dog, so we spent the next couple hours being shown the area by a local and playing fetch!

The vet school had a river running through it, and large grassy areas that multiple dogs were running around. 

The town also had old (somewhat abandoned?) gas containers...they used to hold natural gas stores for the city/country, but they were decommissioned in the 1920s ish. Now they're protected landmarks!

After the walk around town, Meg and I grabbed some Chinese take out for dinner...it was a fight to keep Meg awake past 6pm. Her jet lag was hitting her hard!!

Funny story: we ordered the take out, and when Meg asked for packets of hot sauce, the woman had the HARDEST time understanding what we wanted. Maybe it was because she was a woman who spoke Chinese, used to Scottish accent, speaking to an American. It took Meg three tries before giving up and running out the door!