Sunday August 10 ~ Stuck inside in Edinburgh

Holyrood Abbey

Oh how it has rained, and rained today.  Without much effort, I talked Tim into simply staying inside where we are warm and dry.

The past couple of days we did get out for a few hours each day of walking and sightseeing. Where we are staying, is about a mile from the lower end of the Royal Mile so it takes us about a 15 minute walk to get to any of the “touristy” places.  Of course that translates into a 30 minute walk for me if I have my camera in my hand as I am often distracted or sidetracked by one more thing to take a picture of.  

Holyrood Palace

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

The royal residence whenever the Queen is in Scotland, Holyrood Palace is located on the lower end of the Royal Mile, at the opposite end from Edinburgh Castle.

One of the more interesting parts of touring through the palace included the visit to Mary, Queen of Scots apartments.  Photography was allowed in the Abbey ruins and in the gardens, but sadly not inside the palace itself.

Doors to Queens Gallery

Holyrood Abbey

Adjacent to the palace is the remains of Holyrood Abbey.

“Rood is an old word for the cross which Jesus Christ was crucified upon; thus the name Holyrood is equivalent to “Holy Cross.” ~ Wikipedia

Holyrood Abbey

Abbey

Abbey

There are also two small museums that we spent some time wandering through.  Both were free and offered up some more insights into the history of Edinburgh and her people. The first one was the Museum of Edinburgh.

Museum of Edinburgh

Of note here was the reconstructed headquarters of Field Marshal Haig and an original copy of the National Covenant.  But what was even more interesting to me was the story about Greyfriars Bobby.  Sorry, I’m a sentimentalist at heart…

Story of Greyfriars Bobby

Bobby was a little black Skye Terrier with a heart tugging story (although contested as to its accuracy) that tells about his everlasting devotion to his owner.  Apparently after John Gray died back in the late 1800’s, Bobby slept every night for the next 14 years on top of his masters grave in the cemetery next to Greyfriar’s church.

A local pub owner taught Bobby to come to his establishment every day for a meal when he heard the midday cannon blast from Edinburgh Castle.  Stray dogs were collected and often destroyed if not licensed.  The pub owner refused to purchase a tag for Bobby under the principle that he was not the rightful owner.

The children of the town collected pennies, but in the end the Lord Provost of Edinburgh purchased a collar and license for Bobby, saving him.  The story has been told and retold in several books over the years, each time with a slightly different twist, and was even made into a Disney movie, “Greyfriars Bobby”.

The display in the museum even included his dish and collar.

Entrance to another good and free museum to check out

Another small free museum is The People’s Story.  This pleasant museum gives excellent examples of what life in Edinburgh in the 1800’s was like for the normal every day person. With costumed vignettes and colorful stories that drew me in, I was able to compare their situation vs our modern-day living conditions.

Family of four in the 1800’s

Gratitude Moment:  I know there are still many, many people in this world that struggle daily to provide food for their family and a roof over their head.  I grew up in a family that worked hard, pinched pennies to make ends meet, wore hand-me-down or remade clothing, and at times stretched a can of soup with crackers into an evening meal for four.  But I have never known starvation or worried about where I would sleep that night.  I am truly grateful for that.