Royal Botanic Gardens....or at least part of them...

So after my shower this morning I headed out to the Sainsbury's to see if I could find some insoles, since all this walking is killing the ball joints of my feet. Alas, they had none. It was highly irritating especially since I had quite the ways to walk today. I walked back home so that I could see if there was another Sainsbury's that I could head to on my way back. There was so I wrote down the directions and headed on my way.

It was a very long walk, that, even though Google maps said 1 hour 33 minutes, I thought I could complete faster. However, losing your way makes it last soo much longer. Alright not that much longer, actually it was approximately the time that Google estimated but it felt like forever...I didn't take any pictures through those old streets, even though the buildings were beautiful. They were the kind that the Upper classes would live in back in the Regency era (and I suppose before that as well....). When there was no one walking down the street, you could almost imagine some gentleman or young misses coming out for a walk, or morning callers being admitted or refused by the butlers.

After getting directions from a nice older gentleman, I finally found my way, and then I took a side street that I thought was the right one, but it turned into a winding path, and just when I thought I should turn back and try again it came out on the right street. So I finally made it to the Gardens, and found a park bench on which to eat my lunch. By this time, since I was still insole-less, my feet were quite sore. There were some lovely flowering bushes that I went to take a few photos of, and then I decided to head to the Sainsbury's.

I found that quite easily, and went searching for the insoles. And what do you know, they didn't have the right kind. So I bought some that were technically for heels but I thought I might as well buy them as not (name that inadvertent movie quote), I figured I could always put them in my heels if they don't work in my trainers. Which, of course, they didn't. So I am still insole-less, but hopefully I'll be doing a little less walking for a bit, perhaps more standing, but I hope my feet can rest and we'll see if I find new shoes or insoles soon.

Enough of my feet troubles, here are the pictures I took today.

That side path that I took, thinking it would take me to the park sooner

More spring flower! :)

This bird let me get so close, and it stayed sooo still when I took the picture. It was great. I have no clue what kind of bird it was but it was fairly biggish...

Gorgeous flowering Rhodendrons

This bush was, I kid you not, called Snow White. I'm not sure what the Latin name would be...

More Rhodendron bushes

Some cool bushes

The tea house

All the crocuses!

I just had to take a picture

Some sort of portrait building, I'm not exactly sure what was in it, but I think it may have been paintings...

This was just a really pretty dress I wanted a picture of...and technically I only took pictures of the building above because I wanted my camera out to take a picture of this one . . .

A neat little side street

Saint Andrew's Square

I haven't a clue who this is (the man or the statue...)

Some more pansy-like flowers in The Pleasance

Well that was it for today. Tonight I go out with Margaret and meet with her Fellowship group, and tomorrow I leave on the 10:51 train. So my next post will be from Barcaple House! :)

Exploring Edinburgh

Today started out bright and sunny! I woke up around 8:30 but then dozed for a bit till 9, and then woke up for a bit, ate breakfast, took a shower, made a lunch, actually put on some make-up (which I completely forgot to do yesterday..whatever...), and headed out between 10 and 10:30.

I walked to Holyrood Park and then all the way up the seat, which, if you know the area, is quite the climb! It has some ancient stone steps all the way up, which are uneven and all over the place. It actually made it more exhausting for me to walk up. I mean, it didn't help that there was a frost last night and the sun had melted it and made them slick, but I really did find that it was easier to walk up where there was just path. Some of the steps were quite high as well! But the views were spectacular, and I made a point to catch my breath admire the view every so often.

Old cobblestones

A hotel on the way to Holyrood Park

There are so many cool old stone walls..and yes..that is my head

Post Box : )

Those ancient stones steps I was talking about earlier...they look nice and innocent here but just wait till you start climbing them and they're slick with dew and frost. . .they shall betray you!

This city just keeps going and going

A golf course below

The very top! There's not much of a set pathway, so you have to scramble up the rocks.

From the top! And if you look closely at the end of that park, that church tower is Barclay Bruntsfield!

The ruined chapel

sooo many swans

After Arthur's Seat and the ruins, I went and made my way across the park to look at Holyrood Palace. I didn't go in, I just peaked through the gates and then went on to the Royal Mile!

The wrought iron gates to Holyrood Palace

A sign on one of the buildings. It says "Blissit be God in all His Giftis"

The children's museum!

John Knox (the Protestant Reformer) House

The man himself (and my terrible photography in cutting off the bottom half. . .)

Medallions above the fireplace (they were quite large)

The ceiling in the one room was covered in these carvings

For Sharon

Statue of Adam Smith

David Hume statue

The University where my grandfather was studying, so I believe!

That says "Free Church of Scotland College"

Looking down at Victoria Street from Upper Bow Street

Above the door (on the scrolly stone work) it says "Let There Be Light"

 I went to this fantastic restaurant, which is sort of like a coffee house, but anyways. It was called The Elephant House. Here's the website if you want to check it out: http://www.elephanthouse.biz/index.html and according to that, it's a Gourmet Tea and Coffee House and Restaurant, so there you go...

 I couldn't get it all in one shot since the sidewalk was fairly narrow there and, for some strange reason, I didn't care to step out into traffic

I succumbed and took a picture of my tea, but only so that I could show how awesome the cup was, and since it wasn't an Instagram photo I forgave myself! ; )

Ah, all the Harry Potter graffiti in the ladies bathroom! Thank you JK Rowling for writing most of your book at The Elephant House (as well as all you other famous authors who wrote there...)

After one  three cups of freshly strained Earl Grey Tea and my slice of Brambly Apple Pie, I went to Greyfriars Bobby. Now for those of you who don't know the story, here it is in short. There was (and this is completely true) a farmer who had this dog called Bobby, and they would go to the Market Square and when they were there they would see an old shepherd who went by the name Auld Jock. Now, winter came and Auld Jock died. Bobby, who loved the man, guarded his grave stone in the Greyfriar's Kirk yard till the day he died. I kid you not. Now, I may have gotten a few details wrong, but you can just go ahead and read the book, it's by Eleanor Atkinson...  

Bobby

Bobby's gravestone

The Kirk

The grave stone of Auld Jock

 Alright, so it said on the one sign that in the same area as Auld Jock's gravestone there was one belonging to John Watson. So for obvious reasons, I wanted to find it. Alas, I couldn't. However, I couldn't read what was written on either of these, so it could have been one of them....

Some more cool cobblestone

The door says "Bedlam Theatre" My Studies in Lit classmates will understand the Bedlam reference (think King Lear)

And then I went back to The Meadows to sit on a park bench and read : )

Thus ends my days adventures! Tomorrow I head on a very long walk to the Royal Botanic Gardens, and then I go out with Margaret with some of her fellowship friends, so that should be fun! I'll try blog in the afternoon, since it's liable to get late tomorrow night....not that it's not late now...Night, night!