DAY 2 OF TOUR EDINBURGH

Day 2 of the Scotland Tour..

Early breakfast and out the door  by 8:30 am for our tour of Edinburgh with a local guide  by the name of Rita, excellent!  She was well versed on local lore and full of stories as we walked the streets up and down the hills  until noon.
We briskly walked up the long hill known as the Royal Mile, to old Edinburgh and the two castles.   Along the way we explored hidden courtyards, narrow passageways and quaint shops.  Today we explored the very old Edinburgh Castle from top to bottom. We saw the  crown jewels, and the famous Stone of Destiny that over the centuries has been placed under the throne when crowning a king or queen .
The views were spectacular.
We then wind our way back through medieval streets as we listened to more Scottish lore from Rita about Harry Potter being written here and many of the names she used were found on tombstones, the story of Bobby the loyal dog who visited his masters grave every day for 14 years. Both are buried in Greyfrairs cemetery.  We ended at the National Museum of Scotland.  Oh, must not forget the wee bit of whiskey tasting here and there along  the way!
We were on our own all afternoon and gathered at 5 in The Conan Doyle Pub across the street from our hotel where we shared stories and raised a pint to our tour guide Helen who is doing a marvelous job!
Made it to the 7:30 PM Mass before calling it a day!