Edinburgh - Day 11 - Heart of Lothian

Last night, we were awoken at midnight by loud explosions. No worries, it was fireworks!  Right over the castle...right out our window...at midnight. It was so beautiful!  What a cool thing to wake up to. We could see them right from the bed. We didn't take any pictures, but here is the view from our room:

This morning we slept in a little. Probably because we were tired from watching fireworks in the middle of the night.  We had a bigger breakfast than usual (eggs, bacon, toast) at a place called Patisserie Valerie. It was good and the portions were large. They made the bacon very crispy, just how I like it. 

After breakfast we went to a few shops, including Jenner's department store. It wasn't as fancy as the London department stores but I did find this Ralph Lauren sweatshirt bearing the name of my hometown!

We also went to THREE more CD stores. Do the Scottish people not know about iTunes?  Does Mark love CDs so much because of his Scottish heritage???  So many questions...

Early in the afternoon we saw a Fringe play called, "Banksy: The Room in the Elephant."  It was based on a true story about Tachova Covington, a homeless man living in Los Angeles. In 2011, the street artist Banksy painted the words, "THIS LOOKS A BIT LIKE AN ELEPHANT," on a water tank Covington had made into a home. Covington's world was turned upside down when the water tank, suddenly considered valuable art, was sold and moved. The play was very thought-provoking and I really enjoyed it. 

Later, we found Scottish Parliament. It has very interesting architecture. 

Here's a wee bit of Scottish Parliament with Arthur's Seat in the distance. Arthur's Seat is one of the many hills in Edinburgh. Look closely and you will see some tiny people on the hill.  Well, I'm pretty sure they are normal-sized people and not some undiscovered tribe of tinies...but you know what I mean.

Later in the afternoon, we went to yet another palace - the Palace of Holyroodhouse. This is the Queen's official residence in Scotland. We learned a little about the history of Mary, Queen of Scots. 

We also saw the remains of the Holyrood Abbey. It's connected to the palace. 

Keeping watch.  I'm not entirely sure I was allowed to be in the guard house...but not entirely sure where the guard was either...wait, should I go back? Is the Queen counting on me?

We found the Royal Daddy Longlegs. (Mark said that even the Queen's house has spiders.)

Trudging back up the Royal Mile, we spotted some great Edinburgh scenery. 

Edinburgh was much quieter today than yesterday and we were able to find the Heart of Midlothian. It marks the entrance to a prison located here in the 15th century. People used to walk by and spit on the door of the prison to show their disgust for the prisoners. People continue to spit on this spot today!  

After our long walk, we stopped for a break at a place called Maxie's. It had a great terrace with a view. That is George Heriot's School in the distance (the school is the inspiration for Hogwarts). 

We had dinner at a place called The Grain Store. It was recommended by Mark's work colleague, Nitasha. I had the free-range chicken and Mark had the rib-eye. It was a pretty good meal. 

We're back at the hotel now and I'm enjoying my peppermint tea and cookies, while Mark sips wine and searches the Internet to find stories for us to talk about during our meals tomorrow!

Postscript from Mark:  You might notice the beer in the picture above.  Well, it turns out that my heritage is Scottish...and I am from the Gunn clan (which eventually became the Wilson clan...so I can wear the Tartan of both clans!  So many kilts to buy...).  Anyway, Innis and Gunn.  Well, there you have it. Also, Heart of Lothian is a classic Marillion song from their Misplaced Childhood album.  I understand the song much better after learning the history of the Heart.  Oh, and for Pigeon, there was a certain dish on the menu tonight that she didn't order!  So, I think you're safe for another day.  OK, I have to go to yet another CD and Vinyl LP store now...oh my, I need to live here.