Touristy things

After living in Edinburgh for 6 weeks, this past weekend I decided it was finally time to do some touristy things around the city. I live within 15 minutes of most of the big tourist destinations around town but had yet to be a "typical tourist" for a day.  Therefore, Sunday morning, my adventures began. I started at the Edinburgh castle, the most popular spot for travelers in the city. The castle is impressive and learning about the history was really cool.  The original castle was built in the 1100's, and one building from the original castle still stands. This tiny chapel is the oldest building in Edinburgh.  The majority of the castle has been rebuilt several times due to the many military conflicts that happened in the area.  Most of the castle's exhibits focused on Scotland's military history and conflicts with England.  I also got to tour the room where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth, the prisoner of war holding cells, and the Great Hall, a beautiful, ornate room still used for ceremonies.  Finally, I saw the Scottish crown jewels.

After the castle, my friends and I checked out St. Giles cathedral, a beautiful building still used for services today.  The stained glass and architecture was incredible and the church was enormous.  During our tourist weekend, my friends and I also visited the National Museum of Scotland. I live right down the street from the museum, and it's free, so it was perfect! I was very impressed with the entire museum.  It was enormous and the exhibits were very interesting. Visitors are also allowed on the roof which offers incredible views of the city, and we tried to get a few pictures, but the rain and fog made it tough.  After the museum, we crossed the street to one of the most famous pubs in Scotland, Greyfriar's Bobby.  This pub was built in honor of a small dog, owned by a businessman in town.  When the man died, the loyal dog guarded his grave (in Greyfriar's Kirk, behind the pub) for FOURTEEN YEARS! The town fell in love with the dog and fed him, and when the dog passed away, he was buried next to his master.

On a sadder note, I've started wearing my winter coat, and I'm very depressed about it. It's gotten extremely cold and although I'm a Mainer and should be able to handle any weather, I really miss 80 degree summer days.

Tomorrow I leave for London for the weekend to do some sightseeing and shopping!