some sketching
On Friday, Amilia went to the Real Mary King’s Close at 10 and then met me for our trip to Edinburgh Castle. We had pre-booked those tickets, too, and it was a good thing, because it was sold out—it was unseasonably warm and also Accession Day (ie, the day Queen Elizabeth II died and Charles III became king) so there was going to be a special gun salute at the castle that day.
The Royal Mile is VERY STEEP going up, so we asked our taxi to get us as close as possible, which was pretty close, thankfully.
Heading to the ticket booth
The Wi-fi wasn’t working here, so I wasn’t able to access our tickets, so we had to take them to a staffer, who told us to just head up.
You walk across the esplanade, which is about 5% incline, to get to the entrance.
Bleachers from the Military Tattoo being taken down.
I was always somewhat iffy about Edinburgh Castle, because of the issues with hills and steps, and I knew the only way I’d be able to visit was by using their “mobility vehicle”, which I assume was something like a golf cart.
Because of the special gun salute, the cart wasn’t running until 1:15.
It was very hot in the esplanade, and 1:15 was over an hour away. I didn’t want to walk down the hill just to come back up, and I’d rather do something else. So we watched the special salute, and then Amilia went for her tour, and I headed to a pub down the mile called the Ensign Ewart, which was a great place to sketch.
The Accession Day changing of the guard
Edinburgh Castle wasn’t very well run. One of the staffers kept asking us “Do you have internet?” on our phones, which, yes, we did, but the castle did not have accessible internet! It wasn’t a problem on our end! (I also realize it was very crowded that day and that probably impacted the staffers.)
There was a woman sitting in a wheelchair in an area full of sunshine, waiting for the mobility vehicle. There were no umbrellas, no covers, nothing, over her, and she looked miserable. There really needs to be some sort of cover for people waiting for the cart. So I really can’t recommend the castle for people who have any sort of mobility issues, because there are times during the walk when it’s a 15% hill you’re going up, and if the cart isn’t running…..
Be sure to look at what the website says and think about how much you actually want to see the castle. For my money, Holyrood was run a lot better, and it’s the actual residence of the king when he’s in Scotland. Anyway, buyer beware when it comes to accessibility here. I’m very glad I wasn’t set on seeing the castle.
Anyway, I went to the pub!
Americans, why do we not make the fronts of our restaurants look pretty?! I loved this!
And yes, this is where I discovered that Diet Coke comes in pints. :) And there will always be lemon or lime with it. Not entirely sure why, but it wasn’t bad, so…I didn’t ask! (Also, hot chocolate is served everywhere! America, please do this!)
Cheeseboard!!
After Amilia toured the castle she met me here and we had some lunch (I had a Scotch egg, yummm) before heading down the Mile a bit more and then going back to the hotel to get ready for dinner—we were meeting an old friend of mine, Richelle, for dinner!
Spread in The Scotsman about accession day.
The Mile was VERY crowded and the most “touristy” I felt during our entire trip. The Mile is a road that functions, so please beware when you’re tying to take selfies in the middle of the road with your selfie stick (yes, I did see this.). I also noticed that vaping and smoking are quite common, more so than what I’ve noticed at home.
We met Richelle at Waterstones (the UK version of Barnes and Noble), did some shopping, and then headed to Mowgli, an Indian restaurant Richelle had recommended. She’s lived in London for almost ten years, and I hadn’t seen her since she’d moved across the pond, so this was very exciting for me.
Paneer is SO DARN GOOD.
We had a ball at Mowgli. The food was absolutely insanely delicious, the atmosphere was gorgeous, and it was a very, very fun night. This was my favorite dinner of the trip (and it was very close—the food the entire trip was insanely good). We all ordered a main dish and sides but shared the rice and a side dish of greens. There was also, of course, dessert.
Outside Mowgli, looking at the National Portrait Gallery.
Another thing to note was that every restaurant had vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. If you have any sort of food sensitivities, it seems like Edinburgh is a town where that’s very well taken care of. (None of us had really dangerous allergies or sensitivities, though, so don’t just take my word for it!)