UK 2022

I had set my alarm for 7:00 am, but we got out of bed at 8:45 am. Showers, then heading towards breakfast at Caffè Nero. Walked through a farmer's market. Lots of good things. Back to the hotel, we quickly ate breakfast, then headed to Edinburgh Castle. We got there before 10:30 am, and walked around the grounds. Up and up and around. The views of the city were magnificent. A beautiful sunny day also. Saw many exhibits of the royal military in the Scottish War museum. There was a small church, and canons inside the grounds of the castle. There was a one o'clock canon that we did not hear go off. There was a memorial to the fallen Scottish soldiers where no photos were allowed. Majestic. We saw the crown jewels of Scotland. Not as ornate as England's but nice. We saw the Royal residence, then headed to the prison. After that, we left the castle and split up, to meet at 4:30 at Pret A Manger. Gwyn and I walked down the Royal Mile, and stopped in a Caffe Nero. After our snack and a pit stop (no toilet paper in the bathroom) we continued down, and took a left down a long curved street. We came to a bridge that took us over the train tracks. There were protestors laying in the street, protesting against fossil fuels. We took a left and walked up to the Walter Scott monument. It is tall! A bagpiper was playing. Continuing on, we went into the Royal Museum of Scotland. Then to the other museum building to see some impressionist paintings. After, we walked back up the Royal Mile to our hotel, stopping to look at a store that sold Diana tartans. Decided not to go in.

Back to the hotel for a bit, and then walked up to the Pret A Manger. Joe and Deb were waiting. We got something to eat, and left before they closed at 5:00 pm. We walked over to the West End Fair at St John's Church that had 50 vendors and walked around, it was on different levels. A lot of really nice items available.

Back to the hotel for a short nap and a rest. Watched Big Bang, and Hidden Figures. We will be walking over to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo at 8:45 pm. Oh, the weather was absolutely beautiful today. Sunny with a nice breeze.

We left to go to the Tattoo about 8:45 pm. The crowd moved along pretty well, and we were in our seats about 9:20 pm. The couple behind us was Scottish, and they have seen the Tattoo 4 times. The show was amazing. I was crying during the opening, the pipes and drums were just incredible. The colors, sounds, music, precision were just unbelievable.

We got back to the hotel just before midnight. I finished my pizza as I was a bit hungry. We fell asleep about 12:30 am.