ARRIVING IN EDINBURGH, ST. ANDREWS, GLAMIS CASTLE AND DINING AT MICHELIN STARS!!

EDINBURGH & THE LOTIAN REGION

The drive on the way from Cullen. 

The white dots are all of the sheep that we have seen on our drive. 

Edinburgh has been called on of Europe's fairest cities, the Athens of the North, and the gateway to central Scotland.

Edinburgh grafitti. 

Street scenes.

Walking to the Tattoo.

Edinburgh's past is filled with historic and literary icons: John Snow,Mary Queen  of Scots, Robert Louis Stevenson, Alexander Graham Bell, Sir Walter Scott, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 

During our stay for the month of August, it is famous for the Edinburgh Festivals- The Art Festival, The Fringe Festival, International Book Festival, the International Festival, Jazz & Blues Festival, and of course the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Built atop extinct volcanoes on an inlet from the North Sea, and enveloped by rolling hills, lakes and forests, Edinburgh is a challengeing city, but made for walking. 

Our arrival in to Edinburgh was not a pleasant one. I blew out a tire on my car, and £230  and 2 1/2 hours later it was fixed. 

Unloading to get the tire key, and tools.....

and bouncing on the rim to remove the old tire......

And during a 2 1/2 hour wait, watching the show at an un-named

Michelin star.........

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and has been since the 15th Century. It is divided into Old Town and New Town both of which are a Unesco World Heritage Site.  We are staying in Leith , a few kilometers north of Princes Street, in the Port of Leith. Our highrise is near the Oceania Port where the Royal Britainna - Queen Elizabeth's now drydocked, and a tourist attraction ocean liner- is docked. 

THE 2014 ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO

The Tattoo has always been performed on the Castle Esplanade. The first Tattoo was in 1950, and only 6,000 spectators. Now more that 13 million have watched the Tattoo since its beginning. Over 220,000  visitors attend the Tattoo each year. 20% from Scotland,50% from the rest of the UK, and 30% from overseas.

Not a single performance of the Tattoo has been cancelled. Around 1,000 performers take part each year. Performances have been a sell-out for 15 consecutive years, generating over £9 million in box office receipts each year. 

The royal Scots Dragoon Guards

The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion 

New Zealand Highland dancers....

The Shetland Fiddlers

The Band of the Armed forces of Malta

The nagaland Folkloric Group in the North East corner of India. 

The Massed Bands of Her Majesty's Royal Marines

the Highland Dancers

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Steel Orchestra. 

Te Waka Huia in New Zealand.

Fireworks finale over the castle

Wonderful evening - perfect!! We saw the Tattoo on the eve of the 100th Anniversay of the UK's entry in to World War I....August 4,1914 - August 4, 2014

Special night.

ST ANDREWS- HITTING THE LINKS

The Old Course

All six of the St. Andrews courses are fully owned by the municipality and open to the public - with a balloting system. Ballots are polled one day in advance. To play the hallowed Old Course, you must present a current handicap certificate and/or a letter of introduction from a bona fide gold club. 

The Old Course is the world's legendary temple of golf one whose difficulty is shapted by nature and the long ago paths of grazing sheep. This fabled par 72 course hosted the 2000 British Open, when Tiger Woods became the youngest golfer ever to complete a grand slam (and only the 5th golfer to do that feat) Green fees are £90-£150 depending on the season; a caddy costs £50, and clubs  rent for £45-£55. There are no electric carts allowed, and you can rent a trolley on afternooons only between May and September for £5. The Old Course will host the 2015 Open next year. 

The Castle Course

Sea view from the Castle Course

GLAMIS CASTLE

One of the most famous, impressive and privately owned castles in Scotland. Of course, it's haunted, too. For 6 centuries the castle has been connected to members of the British royal family: The Queen Mother was brought up here; Princess Margaret was born here making her the first royal princess born in Scotland in 3 centuries. The current owner is the queen's great-nephew. The castle contains Duncan's Hall- the Victorians claimed this was here Macbeth murdered King Duncan, but in the play the murder takes place at Macbeth's castle (Cawdor) - we visited near Inverness. 

The castle dates from the early 15th century, the Lyon family has owned the Castle since 1372. The name was changed to Bowes for many years when the wealthy Lady Bowes married into the Lyon family. Her father decreed that her name would be in the family crest.....Bowes-Lyon was the Queen Mother's maiden name. 

The Italian garden and a memorial to Princess Margaret

DINING AT MICHELIN STAR RESTAURANTS IN EDINBURGH

PLUMED HORSE....

Yes, we drank Sheep Dip which was a fine blended scotch.

Won the Michelin star in 2009. Tony Borthwick brought the best food from the country to Edinburgh.

We rated this restaurant on a 1-10 scale a 6.

KITCHIN

Tom Kitchin born in Edinburgh, Scottish chef and owner of the Kitchin. He became the youngest chef to ever earn a Michelin star at the age of 29 in 2009. He studied under Alain Ducasse and Pierre Koffman, both 3 star restaurant owners. He has combined French techniques with Scottish

food.  

We rated this restaurant a 7.

MARTIN WISHART

Earned a Michelin star in 2001. He uses Scottish ingredients . Very imaginative menu. Superb food, and impeccable service.

This is a tomato macaroon with a horseradish puree. 

We rated this restaurant a 9.

WE HAVE BEEN ENJOYING ALL OF THE PERFORMANCES OF THE FRINGE FESTIVALS....WE WILL POST MORE LATER.......