Where to stay in Edinburgh

The Royal mile is the most accessible part of the city if you are a tourist. The mile really caters to you. Travis, Ryan, and I stayed in Fraser Suites. The hotel is nestled in a side street off the mile and is more than worth the walk up a HUGE hill from the train station. The rooms are expansive. The rooms were (in pounds) 80 on weeknights and 120 on weekends. I think we were off-peak travel-wise, but no matter what it was an amazing hotel.
From the hotel you can hear bagpipers as well as the Edinburgh Castle cannon.
There is a sweet little cafe just outside the hotel with good, affordable food.
There is also a Radisson which looks like a castle itself. I am not sure of the prices, but to me it looked quite swanky.
Cheers

Edinburgh Castle

We arrived in Edinburgh on Tuesday evening. This is Wednesday afternoon. We all serendipitously met at the top of High Street aka The Royal Mile. Jen Bartley and I stayed for about an hour after the rest of the clan had left. We were able to see the crown jewels, the room where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to the king, the stables, the dungeon, and the officer prison. The hallways were small and the dungeon was small and probably packed tight as can be.
Prince Charles and Camilla were in Edinburgh during our visit. I did not see them, but the castle was all a bustle.
The history of the castle is amazing. The cost of the tour is worth it, but the audio tour was not. The headphones were about $6 american. Everything on the audio was also written in a cool book which Bartley bought. Buy the book.
The gift store at the castle gave free tasters of scotch. Try it if you want and if you are 18.

Edinburgh street performer

My dad loves bagpipes. Daily one will find a man playing on the streets. You may stop and listen. You may take pictures and video. You may also tip. A few pounds is nice, a few pence is acceptable. No matter what taking time to watch this amazing feat is well worth it. I wish I would have had more space on my camera for a longer video.
Enjoy.
Cheers

Jack The Ripper

The six of us went on the Jack the Ripper Tour. I reserved us a spot on www.jack-the-ripper-tours.com. There are a number of walking tours, but this one was easy to work since you do not pay until the end of the tour. It felt more legitimate.
Dickie was our tour guide and he was very...enthusiastic. He really got into telling about the ripper and his victims. As we walked from spot to spot Dickie told us about historic places we passed one of which was Charles Dickens' primary school.
It is nustled in what is now full of India culture.
I remember a bit about Jack the Ripper from writing a research paper my senior year of high school, but there was so much more information. When I wrote my paper I was limited to encyclopdias and books, now there is so much more information and access to information.
Unfortunately, most of the spots where Jack attacked his victims have been refurbished. Many places were alleys which have become parts of shops or apartments. It is sad that 5 women and one unborn child paid such a price; having their throats slit 1 or 2 times, being disemboweled, and often having an organ removed.
The point of the tour was to try and figure out who he was. Who was he? No one knows. Fingerprinting was used, but it was too new. Photographs were possible, but police believed if you took a picture of the victim's eyes one could see the last thing the victim saw before death. This, of course, did NOT work.
Time was wasted and people were scared. Hysteria set in and people died.

The Globe

This program will only let me upload 5 photos at a time. The Globe was cool. I thought it would be more of a "religious" experience. The trip to the Globe was arduous. The lock box of tube stops is a bit tough to unlock. I think no matter who you are three days is not long enough to master the tube. Travis, Ryan, and I walked about 3/4 mile from the tube stop. That 3/4 mile took us about 30 minutes. There is no straight road - and there is too much to see. We would stop occasionally to look at very helpful maps and to take pictures of funny street signs. There are maps of town everywhere. It may be difficult to get home, but there is no reason to be lost.
The Globe - Once there I purchased a ticket for the tour and walked around the gallery. Jeremiah, Jennifer, Travis, and Ryan were also looking around at the paraphenalia. A hand bell is rung to signify the start of the tour; then we were taken to the entrance. Our tour guide, Kitty, was very funny which is not always the case. Here are 10 things I learned:
1. the new Globe was the brain child of an American
2. there were no power tools used in the reconstruction so that it would be authentic
3. the "nails" in the green oak beams are well carved wooden stakes
4. the plaster has a mixture of goat hair and sand to help it weather well
5. the stage of the theater represents heaven, earth, and hell
6. when there was a death in a play Goat's blood was used
7. when a "god" decended from Heaven the rope/wire was gaudy so that none of the onlookers thought they were using magic
8. groundlings bathed once a year and chewed garlic at shows to keep their heart well
9. men, women, and children drank beer all day because people were afraid the water was bad
10. the rich and wealthy sat at the side of the stage in nice boxed seates because they wanted to "hear" the lovely words of the play and not see the vulgarity

I was so excited the whole time I was there that I tried to contain myself. I think I kept saying how happy I was.
Cheers

Train to Edinburgh

I am on the train to Scotland. Happy Birthday Aunt Suzanne and Jimmy!

Day 2

Today was beautiful! It was sunny and cool. No rain.
I have uploaded some pictures, but there are too many to post. I have some pictures of Big ben, Parliament, The London Bridge, the lions that "protect" the south bank, and me while Travis is on the phone.
It was a wonderful day on the top of a double decker bus. I was able to see so much and our guide had some great stories that I will be able to share with my classes.
Tomorrow - The Globe.
If it was not 3 am here I would write more.
Cheers!