Sunday in Edinburgh

The day dawned sunny so we all decided to head to Roslin to visit Rosslyn Chapel, made famous by Dan Brown. There are apparently many spellings. We hopped a Lothian Number 37, stopping on the way at Dolly’s Tea Room.

Dolly was cloned at Roslin Institute from a mammary cell (named Dolly, after Dolly Parton) and they knew she was not related to her mother because she didn’t have a black face. The carrot cake was fabulous.

Next we walked down one of those paths less trodden, saw some old oak forest with oak trees up to ten feet around, and toured a cemetery that had several women named Marion (unusual) and many people who died accidentally. Otherwise it seems the Scots in this neck of the woods have good genes and live a very long time.

Rosslyn Chapel has a chapel cat named William. He’s very friendly. The chapel is well under way to fully restored ahead of schedule thanks to Dan Brown and Hollywood.

You can see the newer stone in the window. And the green man in the right.

What a lot of decoration! I got one inside picture before being told no photography. You can see she’s coming to talk to me.

After walking back to Roslin we found some yummy vegetable curry at the Original Rosslyn Inn. The Priest from the chapel was having a beer at the next table.

We bused back to Edinburgh and booked into a tour of Mary King’s Close. It’s one of four closes or alleyways (so named because the houses were close together) which were covered over by what is now city council chambers in the 1750’s. They’re not underground but they seem that way, and touring them is like touring a time capsule. Very interesting, and they also don’t permit photography.

There are reported hauntings here. Edinburgh has lots of ghosts and ghost tours.

Tomorrow we’re hoping to tour Edinburgh Castle.

Keep smiling even when your feet hurt.