Activities:On our own; we explored the Royal Mile, visited the Scottish History Museum, toured
St. Giles Cathedral, and had dinner with St. Giles's minister, the Rev. Gilleasbuig Macmillan.
Vendors:
None, except cab to/from South Queensferry
Why Selected?Our primary expectation for this day was to visit with the Minister at St. Giles, as we've visited with him when he's been a guest at our own church in the Los Angeles area.
Tips/Tricks:
There are certainly many options for transport into Edinburgh. The train, we heard, involves many steps up to the station and we'd intended to do this but the rain made it less appealing so we went by cab. A typical fare of 20-25 pounds was quoted but neither our inbound or outbound trip was that expensive. I'd say 15-20 pounds is more likely and especially inbound to Edinburgh it's pretty easy to pair up with another couple and share the cost.
Serendipity:
Visiting with our friend, the Rev. Gilleasbuig Macmillan, catching up on items of interest to the three of us and sharing a meal with him. Despite his busy schedule and our inflexible one (no choice of day we could be there of course!) everything worked out very well. He'd arranged a mid-day tour of the church for us and we were able to attend Noon Prayers just prior to this. We appreciated his hospitality very much; it made our visit to Edinburgh very special indeed.
Comments:We found the Royal Mile easy to walk although it is all downhill from the Castle (start there! walk down!) and uphill to return to the center of that area. If uphill walking is an issue plan to not need to return to the central area of the Royal Mile; depart from the Palace area. In addition to our St. Giles visit we enjoyed the Scottish Museum (many nice displays; some audio-visual features which offer a nice opportunity to sit down and rest for a minute while watching!), the Writers' Museum, and the Fudge Shop--we noticed one on each side of the street and the candy is delicious! We didn't go into New Town so I can't comment.
