Edinburgh

A looooooooong flight from SFO to Paris with a transfer to Edinburgh.  Lots of stairs, no elevators or escalators.  Gave us a full workout.

The Ibis Hotel is on the Royal Mile, right in the center of activity.  August is Fringe Festival month and out our window is a place of activity.  It is a treat to walk the crowded streets.  Buskers entertain, some good and many not-so-good, but all is fun. 

 Thousands of tourists of all backgrounds and creative attire fill the road (we are not in Rocklin any more).    

 We stopped at the Scotch Whiskey Experience to do a bit of shopping.  Anyone want a sip of this one, only $25,000.00 for a bottle.  50 years old, a bit younger than us.

Our next activity was to go to Edinburgh Castle to buy the Scotland Historic Society membership that gives us entry to most of what we plan to see in Scotland.  Then we went to church.  St. Giles Cathedral was built 1000 years ago.

 

It was remodeled in the early 1900s adding the Thistle Chapel with the many Coats of Arms.  

The architecture is typical of the era, amazing as is the stained glass.  

 The acoustics superb.  We returned to the church for an outstanding concert.  The Kong-Affonso Piano Duo performed Grieg, Debussy and Mendelssohn to an audience of our peers (the elderly).

In addition to the sights, we have found the people we encounter charming and helpful.