I don't know if there is such a thing as a Whistle Binkie but it is the name of a pub in Edinburgh near the Royal Mile. And a wonderful name it is, don't you think?
Enough of the digression onward - a train ride from York brought us to Edinburgh and a jarring -cobbled streets- but speedy taxi ride had us at our lovely B&B (AmarAgua) in no time at all.
Tired and hungry after the mishap on the stairs, emergency room etc., and the two hour train ride, dinner and sleep were in order. Edinburgh would wait until the morning.
Shaved, showered, shampooed, and full of a delicious breakfast, the first order of business was a walk up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle - actually the city bus dropped us about half way up the Royal Mile, so the walk was not exactly a mile... but what a day we had. Edinburgh Castle kept us occupied the entire day. The castle which dates to the 11th century has everything from the crown jewels of Scotland and the royal palace to the Scottish National War Memorial and a pet cemetery to suits of armour and a large 13th century siege cannon, Mons Meg. This bad boy was a gift to the Scottish people from the Belgians(Merry Christmas do you like your new cannon?) and was capable of firing a 300 pound rock ball about 2 miles. Must've left quite the crater. This brings up the fact...
At 1:00 PM a cannon is fired-no not Mons Meg silly. A practice started (prior to standardization of time think keeping time) as a means for ships to set their navigational devices, gauged the tides, etc. Castle visitors grab the best viewing spots about 45 minutes prior the firing. We were among those jostling for a prime location and snared good real estate. Cameras were everywhere awaiting the blast and with a poof and boom the whole things happened before the shutters could be clicked. More castle stuff...
Mary Queen of Scots resided in Edinburgh Castle when she gave birth to King James VI of Scotland- the year was 1566. James VI became the King of England but known as James I. It was this James I who authorized a translation of the bible -hence the King James version of the bible.
To tell you the truth -I am now utterly confused by the history of the English monarchy. Royal families all over Europe seem to be connected and a genealogical chart listing all the cast of characters would be very useful to try and track all these folks through time. Wars were fought over who deserved to be crowned but I still find myself befuddled trying to keep all of the relations straight.
I don't think that this qualifies as a digression but I need to add a short bit about the Royal Mile. What a fascinating collection of medieval buildings, 21st century businesses, buskers, street performers and alley's with names like The World's End Close and Flesh Market Close.
Although it was a little slow going for me due to the ankle, Edinburgh Castle, yes I do believe we saw it all. More later...Edinburgh part II is in the works...
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