We saw so much in Edinburgh in such a short time, it is hard to put it all in one (or even two) blogs.
The Royal Mile runs through the heart of the city.
We stopped off for lunch at Cafe Musa, just off the Royal Mile. Â The kids wanted baked potatoes, but passed on haggis as a filler. They took the bbq pork instead. Â Imagine! Â While Beth enjoyed a cup of hot tea, the kids and Rob tried a more moderate local favourite: A soda called Iron Bru. Â Yep, ANOTHER British favourite has come our way.
We started at the top of the hill at Edinburgh Castle. Â Apparently, they didn’t hold the throne for us, so we wandered in and out of the shops and cafes along the Royal Mile. Â We walked past Parliament Square and some important churches in the history of Scotland. Â In September 2014, Scotland will hold a vote to decide upon independence. Â We took a moment to take in the sights of a quiet scene, knowing that in a few months, we would see this same spot on world news reports when the results are announced.
Edinburgh Castle
We then worked our way over to the National Museum of Scotland. Â We could have spent a week there. Â They have many hands-on exhibits and interactive displays. Â Meg, our budding biologist, particularly enjoyed the animal exhibits.
Meg meets a pint-sized pachyderm.
The museum has several wings of great exhibits including technology, transportation, and natural history. Â We were intrigued by the section covering Scottish History. Â Joshua is a fencing student so he was interested in the swords. Â We think we’ve found one for him.
Joshua wants to give one of these a try.
Christmas Market, Art, History, Science, whew. Â How did we fit it all in one day? Â I’m not sure. Â Guess we’ll have to go back and learn even more next time!
Merry Christmas from Great Britain!
Rob
GILESGATE JOURNAL 
Hello Haynes Family: I am so much enjoying participating vicariously in your adventures. Merry Christmas, Elouise Chapman
________________________________
Thanks for following our blog Mrs. Chapman. Joshua is doing a good job teaching Meg Latin this year but she complains all the time that he isn’t doing things like Magistra Chapman.
Hi guys. A trip to Scotland is on my bucket list and your description makes it even more desirable. (I see that some of the spelling in your blog has become British as well–). Scotland’s quest for independence will be interesting to follow. England, Scotland, and Ireland have been united as the United Kingdom since 1603 when James I came to the throne. (The King James Bible guy). When I was at Westminster Abbey several decades ago, the Stone of Scone, a stone all the Scottish kings were crowned on, was located (stolen) in the Abbey under a throne. The Scots have always been ticked off about this until it was returned a few years ago. Hope everything remains peaceful.
Anyway, I want to wish all of you a merry Christmas; our family plans to attend one of the worship services at FUMC, probably at 3:30. We’re all looking forward to the new year. May God’s blessings follow all of us–Barry