Rosyth
We came up the Forth river estuary, called the Firth of Forth, and tied up at the Rosyth dockyards.
 On the way in we participated in an exercise in which a rescue helicopter deposited a man on an aft deck and retrieved him. |
 We passed under the Forth Railway Bridge, an engineering marvel finished in 1890. |
 And then under the Forth Road Bridge, |
 Just before the bridges we passed Inchcolm Abbey. |
 A piper piped us ashore ... but why was she playing Waltzing Matilda? |
 Half forgotten on the grounds of the dockyard are the remains of Rosyth Castle. |
Edinburgh
Edinburgh (pronounced Ed-in-burr-uh) is a real class act! The city is beautiful, pleasant to walk around in, friendly, and interesting. We landed during the Edinburgh Festival which combines the Military Tattoo, the Fringe arts festival and a variety of other cultural events. The streets were alive and crowded, but every so often we could duck down a narrow close and enter a calmer place, simply enjoying the daily life of a great city.
 From the castle you could just barely see the two bridges. |
 Another view from the top of the castle toward Saint Giles Cathedral. |
 Many homes and businesses had wonder flower boxes. This particular pub honors the hero of the battle of Waterloo. |
 A fairytale house viewed from the castle grounds. |
 Then we found out that it was the groundskeepers cottage in the Prince Street Gardens |
 There were some beautiful flowers in the garden, but mostly lots of very green grass. |
 Had to take a picture of Scotland's national emblem. |
 The flower clock at the entrance down to the gardens. Yes, the Prince Street Gardens are below street level. |
 Difficult to get a good picture of the tale spire honoring Sir Walter Scott. |
 Entrance to one of the narrow closes that lead to apartments in the back. |
 Tiny white shop between two larger establishments. |
 Another close. |
 Fritz in front of the house of Protestant reformer, John Knox. |
 The Edinburgh Military Tattoo was performing nightly with bands from all over the world. Unfortunately, tickets were all sold out, so this is the only view we saw of the Tattoo. |
 Lots of crowds in the Royal Mile, a pedestrian area that starts at the entrance to the castle. |
The Fringe was also in town. It is alternative theatre that is held during the Tattoo week with venues in any available public building. We visited an Episcopal Church where they were practicing for a performance |
 A colorful balloon girl. |
 Another street performer that claimed to be hammering nails into her face. |
The Castle
At the center of Edinburgh is Castle Mount. This imposing rock has been recognized as a highly defensible position for millennia. The city has grown up in its shadow. Most of the current structure dates back to the 16th century, some older, some newer. Edinburgh Castle is one of the few ancient fortresses that still has a military garrison, though now they serve as guards for the Scottish Crown Jewels and War Memorial, fire the one o'clock gun, and serve other ceremonial functions.
 A view of the castle from Princes Street. |
 Entrance to the castle. Tourists, tourists everywhere! |
 Old City observatory and Hamilton's Obelisk on Calton Hill. |
 A view of Princes Street (and gardens) from the castle. |
 Thomas Randolph took the castle back from the English in 1313. |
 The apse of the chapel in the Scottish National War Memorial. |
 One of the lovely stained glass crests in the castle windows. |  "James the First, King of England, France, and Scotland," |
 ... which explains the fleur-de-lis and thistle on this downspout bearing James' monogram. |
 The small chapel of St. Margaret is the oldest building in the castle. |  Dog cemetery for the soldiers dogs. |  Gyp, a crown room dog. |