Today we did the Castle, which was RIGHT next to Castle Rock Hostel. Once inside, we were talking to an employee and she mentioned that the day before they had to close the Castle grounds due to dangerously strong winds. Did you catch that? The day before. As in, the same day Margaret and I climbed a hill WITHOUT rock walls to shield us from said wind. Hmmm. We had actually wondered on the way up, if, as tourists, we wouldn’t be aware of any precautionary warnings or closures due to wind. (I know. You’re thinking, well if they wondered it, why did they keep climbing? In my defense,…  hey, it’s me. And Margaret? Well, I guess we share the same sense of obliviousness mixed with stubbornness and daring.)  The employee’s eyes became as big as saucers when we told her that we had climbed to Arthur’s seat that day. Probably in admiration. I’m sure she wasn’t thinking we were idiotic tourists….

In total, we spent 4 hours inside the castle walls, and it was worth every pence of our £18. In the Memorial to soldiers who had fought in the First and Second World Wars, there were books for the Honour Roll of each division / troop. I found several Calders, both officers and regular military. Being a daredevil (re: Arthur’s Seat) I ignored the “No Photos” sign and snapped some shots of the role call of the Calders I found. It’s not a common last name where I’m from (except of course for the Calder Cup) so I was excited to find their names.

We walked around and saw many cool things and a great view of the city, then gathered with others for the One O’Clock Gun, named such because that’s when it is shot off every day. Very original. Anyway, it was cool to watch as a Scottish female military officer prepared & fired the gun in true military style. After that, we went to the Great Hall (which also had the Listening Window) and heard a guy in Jacobite costume talk about the kilt and give a demonstration on how to properly fold and don a kilt from an 8m length of tartan material. He also showed the versatility of the garment, the many ways it could be worn or used. Pretty awesome!

After the Castle, we went back to the hostel and I ate a late lunch / early dinner. Later that evening, a group of us went out for haggis, neeps & tatties, and whiskey. The haggis was DELICIOUS (and I’m not just saying that!) and tasted somewhat like peppered meatloaf. The neeps and tatties were mashed (turnips and potatoes). Margaret and I decided to share whiskey, as neither of us were super-keen on it. But when in Edinburgh…   so the barkeep recommended 2 kinds, one of which was rubbish, and we didn’t drink it. The other (Laphraoig cask) tasted like campfire smoke which had been made into a liquid, and although that may not sound appetising, it was fairly good. But strong. We took our time and took turns finishing the whopping half cup that was served to us.