A lovely day in Edinburgh

Hello all,

Today I took Pa (pronounced 'paw', like the end of grandpa(w)) and Laurie around Edinburgh. We did quite a bit of walking but the beauty of this city is that you can walk everywhere!

First I gave them a tour of the school. We had a cup of coffee and pastry then walked around the Student Union. They were as shocked as I was to find it has 4 or so bars located in it. Pa made the comment that students get good grades here because of the Library Bar. Good times.

We then saw Greyfriars kirk which is home to Bobby the terrier (I think he was a terrier). He stood on his masters grave for 14 years back in the 1800s. Very loyal that Bobby was.

Next was a walk on the Royal Mile where I gave them a tour of St. Giles. I felt smart because we toured the cathedral for my architecture tutorial so I had a lot of information to share. It is such a beautiful church.. It took centuries to make it into the current state but I am glad it is as it is.
From here we went up to the castle and toured it. The Great Hall and Crown Jewels were really spectacular. The castle is really large and has a fantastic view of the city. Well worth the 15 pounds I thought.

Our last stop was the National Museum of Scotland. You talk about big! That place is 7 stories filled with stuff. We got there close to closing but what we saw was awesome. There was this chronolage time thingy that was really neat. We also saw a peoples of the world exhibit and animal exhibit. The building was incredible so I'm excited to go back and explore. I see why it's so talked about and why they put millions of pounds into it.

To finish the day we ate Indian food at Mother India Cafe and walked back home. I've eaten there once before and once again it was superb. Didn't disappoint!  When we got home we talked some, skyped my parents and little brother which was a joy. My little brother showed off his skill on stilts and what he's been learning from violin lessons. We played some Go Fish and an epic battle of Battle then said good night.

I cannot tell you how great it is to have them here. Tomorrow we are going to do one of  the double decker bus tours, see the Botanical Gardens, and maybe the National Portrait Museum.  It will be a great time like always. I'm sad they are leaving Sunday but when they come back we are heading to Norway to see the Northern Lights!! Plus, it's probably best that I focus on school, got my first real essay due Oct. 31st, and I haven't even started.. tsk tsk.
Well I better head to bed.. got a big day ahead of me!

With hopes of sweet dreams and rested feet,
Alyssa