We purchased coffee and breakfast snacks at the market across the street, and Oldest went for a morning run.  He’s a runner.  My offspring is a runner. He runs for fun.  I still can’t get over that one.

Anyway,  we began the day by walking uphill along the Royal Mile, our destination being Edinburgh Castle.     This wasn’t our first bagpiper sighting, but it was probably our most touristy.

 

 

The castle itself,  which sits on a steep hill above Edinburgh,  is dark, imposing, and simply oozes history.  I have some Scottish blood, and  I had the very creepy feeling that some ancestors were watching me.  Scottish sorcery, I guess.

The green lawn visible in the forefront of the photo above is the castle’s dog cemetary. At least today we experienced typical atmospheric Scottish gloom.

Conveniently located just outside of the castle is the Scotch Whiskey Experience. Oldest and I didn’t know much about Scotch,  so we figured this would be a good way to learn about it.   A cheesy hologram guided us through the history of Scotch Whiskey,  we sampled aromas from the 5 major whiskey regions, and then we sat down for a tasting with about 10 other tourists.   Learning Moment Alert:  We do NOT like  Islay whiskeys (pronounced Isle-a,  not Iss-lay like we thought). Peat just doesn’t seem like something I want to ingest.  Oldest pretty much did not like Scotch, to be honest,  while I enjoyed a smooth Speyside and several blends.  A few photos from the Experience:

 

After dinner at the World’s End Pub just across from our AirBnb, we wandered uphill toward Greyfriars Bobby –  we love dogs –  but every photo we took included closed eyes.  Really,  we weren’t even drunk (yet).  We’ll try again,  we’re all about the photo op with a dog,  even if it’s just a statue.   After listening to quiet trad music at Sandy Bells,  we headed  to Cowgate, where we stumbled upon Stramash,  a dance hall with a stage and a fantastic band.  Amazingly,  even at my semi-advanced age,  I didn’t feel out of place –  it was that kind of club.   I don’t know,  maybe some nights it’s crazier or hipper,  but on this night, this mom & son fit right in.  We ended up dancing til 2 before walking uphill back home.  Some photos from our evening in Edinburgh: