Walking Tour; welcoming Ann!

We are getting used to our new hotel, the Leonardo hotel Haymarket. It’s a busy place, filled with tour groups and families. Breakfast is included and is plentiful.

We were scheduled to leave for our walking tour this morning, and walk we did! Our guide, a delightful local, had lots of stories to share and kept us entertained throughout our trek. There are two of us using canes and the pace was brisk, so Cindy and I opted to get a cab for the first part of the journey because the terrain, we were told, wasn’t as interesting. We began our tour at the Grassmarket, where we had just stayed for three days!

We focused our tour on the people who have made the city memorable over the years and a good place to begin was the cemetery at Greyfriers, where the most important resident is Bobby the dog, commemorated in everything from statues to tote bags!

Bobby was the terrier who was the faithful companion of John Gray, an Edinburgh City Police nightwatchman. Around this time Bobby would follow John Gray when he was at work. According to records, policemen were obliged to have watchdogs with them. Gray reportedly died of TB in February of 1858 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. For 14 years the dog stayed at his master’s graveyard before he too died. The dog was not allowed to be buried in the churchyard because dogs were not allowed in consecrated ground, so Bobby was buried just inside the entrance, at the gate, a very short distance from his master’s plot. His grave is a popular tourist destination.

The graveyard is the eternal home of many and is also the site of many ghoulish stories of grave robbers, which were recounted by our guide in excruciating detail.

It’s a good place also to enjoy the beauty of untamed nature and sit while listening to the many stories about the residents of this monument to former residents in the heart of the city.

We continued our trek by visiting the Royal Mile, now a pedestrian thoroughfare where lots of street entertaining was taking place. We had one last look at Bobby. Visitors like to rub his nose. For good luck?

St Giles Cathedral has been here for 900 years, from its early beginnings in 1124, founded by King David, to its current standing as a modern Presbyterian church and High Kirk of Scotland. This area is also home to many municipal areas, including the Old Tollbooth, which held early meetings of Parliament and also served as a jail. Public executions were held here. The Edinburgh city chamers are also here.

We ended our tour here and four of us had lunch across the street at Luckenbill’s before heading back to the hotel for a rest.

This bowl contained lots of good grains and veggies. Very tasty. Others had Scottish salmon on brioch bread, sort of a panini.

Many people enjoy being a part of the action outside, but we preferred the quiet of the restaurant, which is part of the hotel. Cindy and I opted to take a taxi back. When we returned to the hotel, we discovered that Ann had arrived and we caught up a bit. We had about an hour’s rest before attending a comedy show, which was another 25 minute walk, this time in the rain. We have been incredibly lucky to have clear skies so far. The comedy show was another hour. Five of us joined our guide Cecile for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. Home and bed by 10! I managed to walk 4 miles which was less than my favorite sister and traveling companion, because she didn’t take taxis. The knee is holding up and actually feels stronger. Fingers crossed!

Tomorrow is free as far as the tour is concerned, but Beatrice, Ann and I have tentative plans to visit the National Portrait Gallery. Five of us will be attending the Drummer Experience at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo this evening. Fortunately clear skies are forecast. If you haven’t heard of ghis event, google it!