Final Full Day in Edinburgh (Day 3 - GToE)

Today marks my last full day in Edinburgh and it was a day of full of sightseeing and walking. I wish that I had thought to bring a pedometer along to see how much walking I've done. My aching legs can attest that it has been A LOT of walking!!! As a friend mentioned, I'm going to have to buy new shoes really soon if I keep up this amount of walking.

Today started with a tour of the Real Mary King's Close. In Scotland, a close is a street or alleyway which leads off of the main thoroughfare through town. In Edinburgh, the main thoroughfare is known as the Royal Mile. If you think of the Royal Mile as the spine of Edinburgh, then closes will be the ribs that are connected to the spine. Mary King's Close is "an old Edinburgh close under buildings in the Old Town area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It took its name from one Mary King, daughter of advocate Alexander King, who in the 17th century had owned several properties within the close. The close was partially demolished and buried under the Royal Exchange, and later being closed to the public for many years, the complex became shrouded in myths and urban legends; tales of ghosts and murders, and myths of plague victims being walled up and left to die abounded" (Wikipedia). The close has been turned into a tourist attraction where visitors get an idea of what Edinburgh was like 400 years ago or so. It made me appreciate all the mod cons that we now have, i.e., plumbing, electricity, and modern medicine.

After departing Mary King's Close, I took a quick look around St. Giles Cathedral. It was a pretty church, but nothing spectacular. I then headed over to the New Town section of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is split into two sections: Old Town and New Town. Old Town was founded in the 7th century and has preserved much of its medieval street plan and Reformation-era buildings. New Town is ... well ... not so new anymore, but, in comparison with Old Town, it's a child. New Town was built in stages between 1765 and 1850. Splitting these two sections of Edinburgh is the Princes Street Gardens. This was my next destination.

As I strolled through the gardens, I happened upon the Scottish National Gallery and the Royal Scottish Academy. Yes, two more museums - side by side. These are Scotland's fine arts museums which are some of my favorite places to visit. During my tour of the National Gallery, I observed some of the finest paintings by such notable artists as Titian, Rodin, Rubens, Gainsborough, and my personal favorites, the Impressionists (Degas, van Gogh, Renoir, Seurat, Monet and others). The Royal Academy is home to modern/contemporary artists and I often feel like I miss something when I view modern art. Today was no different. It's not that I don't like modern art, I just don't see how much of it art.

After leaving the museums, I continued to meander through the Princes Street Gardens. When I reached the end of the gardens, I continued to walk around New Town heading towards Dean Village. If it hadn't been for a friend (and a former Edinburgh resident), I would have never found this little oasis in the middle of this bustling city. Dean Village is a beautiful old mill village which sits along side the Water of Leith and makes for a nice respite from the bustling city.

I then walked back up Princes Street and headed to Old Town where I had a spot of tea and a scone. After tea, I headed to my hostel for a much needed rest. It was then time for dinner. I decided that I probably wasn't going to have many (if any) more opportunities after today for haggis, so I went to a local pub for a pint and a dinner of haggis, neeps and tatties. Yum! Deciding to make one final attempt at some night photos of the city, I meandered around taking random evening photos. They're not great, but at least I have something to show of evenings in Edinburgh.

You can view my Day 3 photos on my GToE photo site. Tomorrow around midday I head for London.

Crappy evening shot of Edinburgh Castle!