The Best of Britain and Ireland: Day 6

Hooray for Scotland!! I was so surprised that Scotland turned out to be my favorite place that we visited on the trip. I loved the scenery, the history, and of course the accents. The first thing we did this morning before entering Scotland was to visit a part of Hadrian's Wall in Northern England. This wall was built by the Romans as a military fortification of the northern border of their hold in Great Britain.

Hadrian's Wall

After leaving Hadrian's Wall we drove into Scotland and stopped at the border. We were greated by a bagpipe playing Scotsman dressed in the traditional kilt. I thought this was the perfect way to start our day in Scotland. :)

Our welcoming Scotsman...doesn't he look good in blue. ;)

Our next stop was a "comfort" stop but we got to view the beautiful Jedburgh Abbey founded by King David I in 1138.

Jedburgh Abbey

Our next stop for Lunch was in the town of Melrose. Of course they had an Abbey as well, the Melrose Abbey. It is said that the heart of Robert the Bruce is enshrined here. Pretty morbid but I learned that the Scots love Robert the Bruce (more on that tomorrow).

Melrose Abbey

Melrose Abbey

We walked around the town for awhile. It wasn't very big but there were some interesting shops. Erin bought some earrings there so she could say she got something on Melrose. ;)

Our next stop of the day was the grand city of Edinburgh. I would LOVE to visit there again! We were there for about a day and a half but there was so much that we didn't get to see. (I see another trip coming on!)

A beautiful building in Edinburgh

When walking towards the information center in Edinburgh, Erin and I passed some bagpipers playing their toons. I think I must be my father's daughter because I really liked hearing the echo of the bagpipes in the city. At the information center, we got a map of the city and began our plan of attack.

View from a bridge crossing over into Edinburgh old town

Erin and I decided to go walking the Royal Mile which is about 1 Scots mile running between the Edinburgh castle at the top and the Holyrood Abbey at the bottom. The roadway is very steep and is lined with tall buildings, cathedrals, and of course, many, many shops. One of the first shops we stopped in was a jewelry store where I got a bracelet made out of heather. The stems of the heather are bound together, shaved down, dyed pretty colors, polished up, and made to look like a stone.

A street view on the Royal Mile


A cathedral on the Royal Mile

A view of the city

Erin and I made our way back to the bus and after settling into our hotel room, we left for an excursion...a traditional Scotish night (at least that is what they called it). There was singing and dancing as well as story telling. At the end of the night they had the "Ceremony of the Haggis". Where they brought out this scary looking blob of something on a bed of antlers...yes you saw that right...antlers!! The host of the evening said something in Scots Gaelic over the haggis and then stabbed it with a sword. Then he ate some of it and invited all of us to try some. The waiters and waitresses brought us each a plate with a pile of haggis and a pile of mashed potatoes and turnips. So Erin and I decided to be brave and try it. It actually wasn't too bad. It was very spicy (I'm sure to hide whatever other flavors were in there). But I'm glad that I tried it...just to say that I did.

PROOF!! Erin and I tried Haggis.

Next Up: Another day in Edinburgh