Surrounded By Castles

Oh Edinburgh. Scotland has been one of my favorite parts of the trip so far. There is no where else in the world like it. Even now that I am in Ireland, it's still different. Edinburgh has a stormy atmosphere, even when it's sunny it still feels stormy for some reason. It's a cozy little town. And the Scottish people welcome visitors with friendly smiles and no filters. 

The first day we got there I took an evening walk in the Prince's Gardens which was right close to our hotel. As I was staring, mesmerized at this structure above me a little old Scottish man remarked to me on its largeness. I agreed with him and intended to continue on my journey alone, but unlike most Americans I know the Scottish man kept up a conversation. He talked to me about my travels and life. He was hard to understand at times A) because he was old and slurred his words a bit and B) because he was Scottish. It's still the same language... but is it really? When I finally headed off in the other direction after a friendly chat the old man surprised me by giving me a hug and complimenting me on how warm and friendly I was. Never have I met a sweeter stranger in my life. That was my first impression of Scottish people and it continued to go up from there. 

The first day we went to Old Town and walked the Royal Mile. The streets looked like the picture above, with cute little colored shops filled with everything plaid and plenty of embarrassing kilts I considered buying for my brother. 

I found this old record shop on one of the streets and after promising myself for the thousandth time I would buy a record player, I bought my favorite Bob Marley album. Before you go thinking I am a total hippie, my dad served his mission in Jamaica and I grew up listening to good old Bob. He's my cure for when the occasional crappy day strikes. 

I also bought a Claddagh ring. Yes, I'm that cheesy. 

This is the infamous "Castle" of Edinburgh, although we were basically surrounded by castles so I don't know why this is the only one that is good enough to get the name. Probably because it's by far the oldest. 

The street performers were half the fun. Unlike most of the big cities I've been to where the street acts are highly disappointing, Edinburgh had some real talent. Bagpipe-blowing aside, there were some great guitarists and amazing singers. But this guy winked at me, so he gets to make it on the blog. 

Here is a back view of the castle walking through Prince's Gardens. 

Also we stumbled upon this mini-mountain (I've been away from Utah long enough to where I consider hills as mountains, yes) and decided to climb it the next day for a view over the city. We were out of breathe by the time we hit the top. It's steeper than it looks. 

Here is the view from the top. We got a complete view of "the castle" and of all of Old Town, Edinburgh. One of the prettiest views I have ever seen. 

Oh, and I saw the Sherlock statue. Sooo... famous by association?