Saturday 27 August: Edinburgh

We spent the whole day in Edinburgh city, doing the usual touristy things.

We went on the various open-top bus tours, and had a good look around the city. Some of the live commentaries are extremely witty, and really make the place come alive.

We spent most of the afternoon at Edinburgh Castle. This is an ancient fortress, which has seen history which we as Australians can only imagine. Had a great guided tour, looked in the various apartments, and saw the Scottish crown jewells. There is enough material there to spend days, but after a while the museums take on a certain sameness.

Edinburgh is a city with two distinct parts - the old town, dating back to medieval times, and the Georgian era new town. Although some of the new town architecture is quite magnificent, the sheer expanse of almost identical grey and brown stone buildings can have a quite depressing effect. Combined with the cold, grey weather, it isn't the cheeriest of cities.

In the evening we drove out to a big park called The Meadows, where there was a fun fair set up. Had a good time wandering around and pigging out on junk food.