An owl at Edinburgh Castle

View from Edinburgh Castle

Kristy and Kathy

This guy was really excited to find
out that I was from the States so that
he could display his 'stars and stripes.'
Apparently when it is cold it is okay
to wear something under the kilt!

The 1 o'clock cannon, which fires at, you
guessed it, 1PM each day.
Scotts are known for being cheap, so
word has it that firing it at 1PM uses
the minimum amount of shots

Me and Jason in a whiskey
barrel ride car at the Whiskey
Herritage Museum, Kristy's
favorite part of Scotland

On the double-decker bus tour,
in the rain

In front of the Palace of Holyrood house,
the queen's official residence in Scotland.
Mary Queen of Scots lived here for six
years, during which time she
debated with John Knox (she grew up in
France and was Catholic) and witnessed
the murder of her secretary
(and favourite) David Rizzio by her
husband's henchmen.

The inner courtyard

Kristy, enjoying the audio tour

Holyrood Abbey, founded by King
David I in 1128. Most of the
surviving ruins date from the 12th
and 13th centuries.

'Rood' is an old Scots word for
cross, so the abbey was probably
named after a fragment of the
True Cross said to have been
brought to Scotland by King David's
mother, St. Margaret.

Another view of the Abbey

Back to St. Andrews. This view is
from St. Rule's Tower, looking out
toward the 'East Sands' beach

In front of the St. Andrew's Castle

In the mines below the castle

View of the North Sea through
a Castle wall