I'm Ba-ack

 Well, I'm back after our trip to Edinburgh and I have to say we had a GREAT time. 

We got home about tea-time on Friday night feeling pretty exhausted - we did an awful lot of walking - up and down hills, up and down stairs and steps phew!!! 

 I've discovered though how unfit I am. 

I MUST do something about that!!!!

Anyway I took lots and lots of pictures - 278 to be exact - how many!!!!!! 

I know, I don't know when to stop clicking :)))

I'm not sure how to blog about it - I thought I would do some of the castle in this post and take it from there. It may be a loooong post - hope you don't mind.

So without further ado - here we go!!! 

We decided to go by train, which meant getting a train first to Glasgow and then changing stations and going onto Edinburgh - roughly about 2 hours travelling time. We arrived at Edinburgh at about 11am and dropped our bags off at the hotel and booked in. 

Then we wandered up the Royal Mile to the castle - mostly uphill.  

The entrance to the Castle

 The Lang Stairs

 Steps, steps and more steps

 This is the One O'clock Gun - this history of this stems way back to 1846 when an Edinburgh business man (John Hewitt) saw a similar gun in Paris. He mentioned it to those that mattered and it came to fruition when a time ball was added to the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill (we didn't go there but I have a picture of it from the castle). This was used as a visual signal for shipping on the Firth of Forth. The gun salute served as an audible signal to go along with it. 

The gun goes off every day except Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas day. The only time it stopped was during the two World Wars.

The Nelson Monument is the tower on the right hand side of this picture - not very clear I'm afraid.

I have a bit of a funny story attached to this which may give you a wee giggle. 

I decided I was going to capture the gun going off at 1pm and was all set with my camera ready.  Well when the gun went off I jumped out of my skin with fright and as a result this is the picture I took.

 I totally missed my chance.

 So I took this one immediately after - it did give us a good old laugh though. Silly me!!!!

 Foog's Gate

 Half Moon Battery

Looking down the barrel of the canon

 Entrance to The Scottish National War Museum

 The Royal Palace and where the The Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny are kept.  Photography not allowed inside so no pictures I'm afraid.

 Mon's Meg - was called Mons as this was the name of the town it was built in Belgium. Not sure where Meg comes from - although it is a shortened form of Margaret - there must be a link somewhere.

It was presented to James II of Scotland in 1457 as a gift from Duke Philip of Burgandy. It was fired in 1558 to celebrate the wedding of Mary Queen of Scots.

The huge gunstones that you see here weighed 330lbs each and had a range of almost 2 miles.  

I wouldn't like to get in the way of that!!!!

The view from the Half Moon Battery

Well, I think that will do for this post. 

It definately a place well worth visiting if you are ever in the area. 

I really recommend it.