Scotland
24/09/07 09:48 PM Filed in: Travel | Thoroughbred
racing
After departing from Dublin at a very early hour (and
having an excellent Irish breakfast at the Dublin
airport at 4:30AM), I arrived in Edinburgh. I found
my way to my hotel without too much difficulty, left
my bags there (it was still morning, and too early to
actually check in) and caught a bus to Musselburgh -
just on the outskirts of Edinburgh really. Why would
I go there? It had a racetrack, and the horses were
running that afternoon - the only racing that
would take place there during my visit . A very
nice track, small, but newly refurbished and
quite a pleasant place. I had a very enjoyable
afternoon (in spite of my lack of sleep), and
again was quite lucky with my selections coming
away from the track with a small profit.
My accommodation was a B & B, and was quite
comfortable. It seemed like quite a walk from
the hotel to the Old City area, but after I had
done it a few times it got easier with each
walk. I still took the bus from time to time
though - I had found out just how out of shape I
was during my many walks in Dublin, and needed
to get used to long walks in stages.
Edinburgh is enchanting in many ways. The Edinburgh Castle dominating the city is quite a spectacular sight, and the old part of the city is loaded with historical points everywhere. The part of the city around St. Giles' Cathedral has some sections that you swear were designed by M.C.Escher. You can walk into a building a couple of stories up and walk out the other side at street level. It can be a tad disorienting until you get used to it. Fortunately, as in Dublin, I had someone to show me around and keep me from getting lost. That orientation helped immensely later on when I was walking the area on my own, and saved me from the trial and error approach that would have been both tiresome and time consuming. She also made sure I got a supper of haggis, neeps and tatties to properly introduce me to Scotland.
A visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia was one of the highlights of the trip. There were many historic buildings I skipped, as a visit to a yacht is rarely available, and in Europe castles and palaces are not uncommon. Visiting a friend's family in Inverness later in the week (with more golf thrown in) led to a visit to the famous Loch Ness and on it, Urquhart Castle (see more here as well). A visit to Scotland would not be complete (I reasoned) without a trip to the Whisky Heritage Centre. Not your average stop for a visitor, but well worthwhile if you like Scotch at all. By the way, the tour starts off with a tasting; a grand way to begin any tour!
As with Dublin, a week just gives you a taste of the city and leaves you wanting more. I'm already thinking about when I can come back to both cities. With that in mind, I boarded the train for London.
Edinburgh is enchanting in many ways. The Edinburgh Castle dominating the city is quite a spectacular sight, and the old part of the city is loaded with historical points everywhere. The part of the city around St. Giles' Cathedral has some sections that you swear were designed by M.C.Escher. You can walk into a building a couple of stories up and walk out the other side at street level. It can be a tad disorienting until you get used to it. Fortunately, as in Dublin, I had someone to show me around and keep me from getting lost. That orientation helped immensely later on when I was walking the area on my own, and saved me from the trial and error approach that would have been both tiresome and time consuming. She also made sure I got a supper of haggis, neeps and tatties to properly introduce me to Scotland.
A visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia was one of the highlights of the trip. There were many historic buildings I skipped, as a visit to a yacht is rarely available, and in Europe castles and palaces are not uncommon. Visiting a friend's family in Inverness later in the week (with more golf thrown in) led to a visit to the famous Loch Ness and on it, Urquhart Castle (see more here as well). A visit to Scotland would not be complete (I reasoned) without a trip to the Whisky Heritage Centre. Not your average stop for a visitor, but well worthwhile if you like Scotch at all. By the way, the tour starts off with a tasting; a grand way to begin any tour!
As with Dublin, a week just gives you a taste of the city and leaves you wanting more. I'm already thinking about when I can come back to both cities. With that in mind, I boarded the train for London.