Scotland, Part I

Early this morning, we docked in Rosyth, Scotland. It is just a few miles across the River Forth from Edinburgh. Since we dock in a working ship yard, buses are used to take you to the nearest train station for a 10 minute ride into the city or you can take a taxi. We had a tour this morning so that will be our adventure tomorrow.

The River Forth is spanned by 2 bridges at the moment. The older one was built in 1895 and was an engineering marvel at the time. The newer bridge looks just like the George Washington Bridge. A third bridge is under construction and should be done in 2016.

The city of Edinburgh is very old. Edinburgh Castle, which was the start of the town, is purched high up on a hill top and was begun over a thousand years ago! Gradually, the town grew outside the gates and spread down the hill. The Old City is a rabbit warren of tiny winding cobbled streets. Some of them are barely wide enough to call alleys. The city was getting so crowded and dirty, they decided a New City was needed. That new city was built in1729.
   

The New City is Geogian in style, laid out on a grid with lovely open spaces for gardens and parks. It was required that 15% of the space had to be open. It is, to this day, a very expensive place to live.

While on the tour, we stopped at the queen's residence whenever she is in Scotland (Holyrood). It is a lovely palace from the outside (the only part we saw) and get to tour Edinburgh Castle. What a view from up there! We could look down on the whole city below and see the river as well. No wonder it was never conquered. Scotland has its own Crown Jewels (though not as many) and we got to see those, too. While driving around the city, we saw the ancient colleges, the famous medical college, and even the place that a penniless J.K. Rowlins wrote Harry Potter.

NOTE : Sorry about the lack of pictures but for some reason they won't transfer.