Edinburgh Iconic Gothic City
We took a quick island jump from the Republic of Ireland to Scotland, which occupies the northern third of Great Britain. We flew into the claustrophobic, fairytale gothic style capitol city of Edinburgh. This city is a show stopper, dramatic on every turn. Yes, you look like you landed in the middle of a Harry Potter film.
With some instruction from our hosts, we took the airport tram to the central bus station in the city center, then nearly 1.5 hours of scenic countryside and 45 stops later, we arrived in the storybook country town of Innerleithen. The Autumn foliage is a delight, but a stark reminder that we may not want to stay too long given what is to come.
The Scottish borders are dotted with market towns, a lot of them with some pretty time-honored traditions.
Every photo that I took looked like a 1000 pc puzzle that my mother-in-law would put together. This one has her #1 Son in it though.
We visited St Ronan's Wells pavilion (1820), when this town was known for its natural spring spa days. Dignitaries from all over came to frequent the spa. The well didn't look like anything I would get in, but the gardens were beauuuutiful.
The chirping birds in this area were something of a delight. They made such specific appealing songs. We were able to spot a few of them on one of our extended walks
Redneck Pheasants hang out in this area. It was fun so see them walking about the village. They are not a golden ticket for tourism or victims of the hunting culture, but rather a beautiful bird to be enjoyed. Darling Red squirrels are also a critter that is highly looked after and they are working to keep the population strong.
In this photo, we are waiting at the bus station to head into the big city. This village town still had milk delivered to our door, small dairy operations where you could see cows grazing, and locals walking everywhere. You were sure to get a,"hi-ya". It doesn't have the pub culture, but certainly more nature lovers. Mountain biking is what draws visitors to this Scottish destination. It was so cool to see all the bikes and campers. Seeing people enjoy the trails on foot and non-motorized transport was super neat.
This is not the dog we cared for, but a dog at the grocery store at the 'dog stop' outside. Most places allowed dogs inside but if they didn't they had stop stations for them.
Cows eating grass as nature intended, such lucky happy guys, and tons of huge sheep grazing. Beautiful paths, both in and out of the forest surround the town. Day one we covered over 7 miles of trails.
We learned quickly that pets do reflect their owners. Fortunate for us, we found B and L's sit in the countryside community of Innerleithen in the southern Scottish borders. Two pretty outstanding dogs, Jess and Archie, gave us an opportunity to really experience a perfect example of serious therapy dogs.
The Mum is an advocate for children, author, speaker and meditation instructor. The feel and vibe of her home is the most comfortable calming environment you can ever imagine. Her orchids were like nothing else, and in her back garden you felt a peaceful solitude.
We also very much enjoyed Teddy, the spirited house cat who had a rock out all night, sleep all day lifestyle! She too had a very cool calm about her much like the pups. Well, maybe it was just because she was so pooped from being out all night??
It was a soul filling 5 days taking in the local market Boarders town, chilling, walking, and soaking up autumn and the fall colors before heading to the city to go south to our next warmer destination.
Hop on Hop Off Edinburgh:
With 16 hours to take in the city we did what we do best. The highlight tour! 7 miles on foot, we had to hit a few of the usual suspects, some Harry Potter sites, an Art Museum, and the Old Town to name a few.
Considering an extended stay and trip up north, we opted for a short stay. We decided our toes were cold and we wanted to head south. However, we would put this on our go back to list for a future visit.
Aye, Aye, as the Scots would say. Hidden courtyards, cobbled streets, windy (and windy) streets with hidden alleyways, steps, and hills, New Town is Georgian style (named after a bunch of King Georges, like a shit pot of them 1700-1830's)
The Old town where the castle and major tourists hang is more Gothic. Holy black sandstone buildings.......like coal smoke black stained. When we first arrived I couldn't get over how dark and eerie it was. After learning more, in the 1960's they tried to clean the buildings but quickly learned it wasn't worth risking the integrity of the historic soft stone.
We certainly are not experts of architecture styles but have enjoyed learning as we move about our travels. When you travel for the length of time we do you have time to dig into new interests.
Small? Everything in the UK is small. Cars, thrift shops, refrigerators, bags of crisps (OMG those are SO small), seating in bars, to-go coffee, hotel rooms, and street signs. It is the land of small footprints, we love that.
It was a week filled with no expectations. Just being present and taking in a very unexpected peaceful nature. The folks here are sincere and kind. Fall colors and falling leaves was super romantic and heartwarming, just not so warm on our faces and toes!
Come along, we are flying out bright and early to the Canary Islands.
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