Edinburgh Castle
One of my top travel tips (seems obvious I know), before you go somewhere, do your research. Know what you are looking at--the city, the sites, something, anything. Not only does this make it so much more interesting and rewarding, it helps me answer (somewhat intelligently) the million and five questions that you know one of my children will ask. Scotland was Bill's pick so I didn't give it much thought, but then I started watching a mini-series on Mary Queen of Scots and got a bit hooked. It led me down a spiral of research, reading up on the history of Edinburgh Castle, the coast line (routes the ships took between France and Scotland), the relationship between England and Scotland, John Knox (funny story about where he is buried), James VI, and when the Stuart line ended. I was giddy on one of our walking tours when I realized I could actually follow the historical timeline. So, needless to say we were booking tickets to the Castle ($70).
Expecting crowds, we headed out early and were there before it opened (9am--the sun was still rising!). Melina and Zach had each planned out what they wanted to see from their research and Zach picked up the scavenger hunt as soon as we entered which kept him occupied until the 10am tour. And, thankfully it was not crowded at all so he had many staff members more than happy to help answer his questions and provide more details. He went off on his own and the rest of us explored and met up at the tour.
After the tour and getting the lay of the land, we went the The Royal Palace and saw the room where James VI was born in 1566. A little history fact: he was crowned king at 13 months and was the first monarch of both Scotland and England in 1603 - after Elizabeth I. We then went to The Great Hall, the Crown Jewels, and St. Margaret's Chapel (Edinburgh's oldest building built around 1130). We took a break at the Tea Room up by Crown Square and had tea and snacks in their open air courtyard. It was a much needed break and we all loved the space and the treats. I would highly recommend planning time to make a stop here if you go. After our break, we explored the prison cells, War Memorial, and dog cemetery. Closing in on 1pm, we of course found a spot for the One O'Clock Gun. Beginning in 1861, it is fired everyday - except Sunday, Christmas and Good Friday - at 1pm. It originally began to help the ships know the accurate time when they were out on the water. The day before, Mel, Zach and I had been at the park below the castle and jumped a bit at the sound until we realized it was 1pm. Big surprise, this was top on Zach's list so we knew we would be at the castle until at least 1pm. A great visit and we all enjoyed it. The views from the Castle Rock - the rock that formed after the volcano erupted 340 million years ago - are incredible.
Update: So glad we visited on Friday. Woke up Saturday morning to a major storm with rain, wind and a notice that the castle was closed due to weather. It must be pretty bad considering this is Scotland and I am sure they see their fair share of bad weather. And, Melina is sick.
