Wanderings continue: Edinburgh

For those who need a refresher, this post is a continuation of our last one which can be found here.

After getting up early Sunday morning to catch a shuttle from the hotel to the airport and a short, uneventful flight (which incidentally had great food service) we arrived in Edinburgh. We took a bus to the center of the city where our dear friends from Regent, Jeremy and Katy, met us to take us back to their cute flat where we were treated with enormous hospitality. They really know how to go above and beyond!

We went for a walk around a nearby park (with a very full swan pond) and experienced some of the beauty (and bitter chill) that is Edinburgh. Later that night we all met up with some other friends of ours, Derek and Katie, at a local pub. (Deanna and I were at Regent, the U of O, and Camp Harlow with them back in the day and Derek is about finished with his degree at Edinburgh.) It should be noted that the Cambridge Pub treated us very well and wouldn't even let us pay for the mini-burger that they made especially for Nora!

On Monday, Ben had a meeting with his potential supervisor at Edinburgh and so he went into town with Jeremy to see New College, the building where the Divinity School is housed and where Jeremy has begun (and Derek is finishing) study.


New College

New College

Later that afternoon we went to Derek and Katie's for tea/coffee/various goodies and to see where they've been living the past 3 years! We were hoping that Katie would deliver their baby while we were in Edinburgh but baby Evelyn was shy and decided to wait until we went home...

The next day was our big sight-seeing day. We spent a good deal of time at Edinburgh Castle which dates from the early middle-ages and is where we saw the lovely Scottish Crown Jewels and loaded Nora in a 15th century canon! Weird fact: they have a special dog cemetery there for the dogs of knights and noblemen with tombstones and everything! (Sounds like something LA needs to build for all the celebrity dogs who die!) All in all, the castle was loads of fun and very interesting. I was definitely not made for the difficult life of the middle ages!
We also saw the Princes' Street Gardens and the Sir Walter Scott Monument (which is probably the most epic and otherworldly monument ever built). In short Edinburgh is a beautiful city (even if the wind is uncommonly biting).



Edinburgh Castle


One of the buildings inside the castle walls.


A view from outside the castle. Can you imagine climbing this cliff to try to invade the castle?!


Nora spending some quality time with her 'aunt' Katy!


A view to the sea…


Mons Meg from about 1450 AD (So HUGE! - She can fire those massive 400 pound stones for 2 miles!!)


Nora easily fit inside.


Nora fit in very well with her plaid coat. (Thanks for the gift Helen, Christina and Elizabeth!)


Deanna and Katy on top of the "mound" (where the castle is located).


Just us in a fun little alleyway.


A window in St. Margaret's Chapel


This stained glass depicts a certain warrior with the name "Wallace." I thought it was blog-worthy since the Edsalls can trace some of their ancestors back to the Wallace clan in Scotland. We have our own stained-glass window, apparently. (Actually, I think we have our own castle too!)


The Sir Walter Scott Monument



The final day was all goodbyes and traveling. Getting home after a trip is always a relief and all four of us were tired. Although it was a thrill to see so many new (or rather, old) things, the best part of the whole trip was being able to see our friends and experience a bit of their lives again.