Edinburgh, Scotland - Clans and Castles

Celebrity Silhouette will anchor in Leith and Edinburgh will be a tender port. 

I can hardly wait to visit Scotland again!  What a lucky girl I am to be able to travel to this gorgeous country more than once in a lifetime!  Oh my!  Scotland is more than a wee bit beautiful!  On our last visit, our first stop was S. Queensferry, where we were ferried to shore for our excursion to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.  Gorgeous fields of barley welcomed us along our drive to the city.  Barley, of course, is one of Scotland’s important agricultural products.  It’s essential to the production of Scotch whiskey and beer! 

The highlight of our upcoming August 2016 visit will be the opportunity to attend the renowned Edinburgh Military Tattoo!   It takes place on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle and will be an evening of music, dance, theatre, and ceremony, including pipes and drums, military bands and more. I've read that tickets for for 2016 will go on sale in November or December of 2015. 

We jumped on the HOHO bus (hop-on/hop-off) upon arrival in Edinburgh for an overview of the city.  First stop was Edinburgh Castle, where of course, we hopped off!  This majestic castle, perched atop an extinct volcano, dominates the Old Town.

Next up was a tour of the Scotch Whiskey Experience… you know the drill:  when in Scotland, do as the Scottish do!  This was a swirling, bubbling barrel ride through a replica distillery, followed by a tasting.  Did you know that in just two minutes 4,680 bottles of Scotch Whiskey have been sold worldwide?  This experience did not turn me into a Scotch whiskey lover, but it was interesting and oh so very Scotch!

Afterwards, we proceeded for the most essential walk down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle to the Holyrood Palace.

As we explored our way down the Royal Mile (yes it’s down hill all the  way!), Ken & I were both looking for the perfect Scottish lunch spot.  We found it at Angels with Bagpipes!  Oh what a most divine lunch in a beautiful setting, away from the hustle & bustle of the touristic Royal Mile!

We were given a fixed price menu and chose the two course option.  I ordered fish & chips, as I am planning to write a review of the best fish and chips in the U.K.  It was the best fish & chips yet!  My first course was a salad with ham and rocket greens.  Ken’s entree course was a beautiful dish of mackeral (not fish & chips style) and apricots with poppyseed ice cream for dessert. Wine complemented our lunch quite nicely. 

After lunch, we continued along the Royal Mile, past St. Giles Cathedral, to Holyrood Palace, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland.  The HOHO came our way so we hopped on to continue our city tour all ‘round Edinburgh.

As for shopping... there is plenty!  You will find lots of shops and boutiques to purchase your Scottish souvenirs!  You may also want to make a stop in the department store, Jenner's The House of Fraser.  In 1849 Hugh Fraser and James Arthur opened a drapery shop in Glasgow and it's been in business ever since!