Edinburgh!

After London it was off to Edinburgh in Scotland.  We took a train up and got to see some beautiful parts of the countryside.  We got there right around sunset (which pretty much starts at 3:30 now) and got to explore town a little but by night.  Saturday we woke up early and went for a little hike down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Park, right near the Her Majesty's Royal Residence in Scotland.  We climbed (and I say climbed because it was no walk in the park with the strong gusts of wind and steep inclines we weren't expecting) up a few hills near "Arthur's Seat" to get a great view of the city from atop a dormant volcano.  Then we wandered around the town for awhile, and finally ended the day with a visit to the National Museum of Scotland which was really fun because they had a lot of science exhibits, and science exhibits always have fun stuff for kids that I still find entertaining at 20 years old.  Then it was back to Galway to pack for a few days and to say my goodbyes to the people and places I've grown to enjoy for the last 4-ish months. 

The view of Edinburgh Castle from Castle Rock Hostel

A tartan weaving mill

Sunset from the castle

The front of Edinburgh Castle

Ferris wheel at the Christmas market

On the ferris wheel

Monument to Sir Walter Scott

St. Gile's Cathedral

Inside the National Museum

Here I am seeing what it looks like to see through the eyes of a dragonfly

The lens of a lighthouse beacon--never realized how big they are

Statue of Adam Smith, the man behind "The Wealth of Nations"

Scottish Parliament

Holyrood Palace

Arthur's Seat (or a hill nearby, we weren't sure which was which)

Rachel getting blown away by wind

Calton Hill from a distance

Monument to poet Robert Burns

The National Monument

Monument to Horatio Nelson