Edinburgh II

Today, our second in Edinburgh, proceeded in four parts: the physical, the intellectual, the spiritual, and the gastronomical. 

Delightfully, we awoke to a beautiful day, in sharp contrast with our first day, which was chilly and drizzly. It was so nice we decided to take a morning walk which turned into a hike and then into a climb. We walked to a park that is close by our room and saw people way up on a--less than a mountain and more than a hill. The more we walked, the more we felt energized and before you know it we set our sights on the summit. 

 

The higher we went, the more striking the view.

Then we were at the top ...

 … with a spectacular view, including of the Firth of Forth in the distance.

Next we walked--why stop?--to the National Museum of Scotland for a short course on Scottish history (the intellectual part of our day). The museum has seven floors; we limited ourselves to sections devoted to Scottish history.

I was struck by a monumental drinking fountain.

We were a bit worn out from all the steps we'd taken, so we didn't stay too long at the museum. Next, we took an Uber (enough walking already) to St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral for an evensong service. 

We attended evensong at St. Paul's, in London, and at Bath Abbey. So this was our third service of the trip. It was longer than the others, an hour. Beautiful singing, however.

Finally, we had dinner at an Italian restaurant not far from St. Mary's. Then it was on to home. Jo has caught a cold so she was ready to take it easy.

So was I.

Tomorrow we're off to York.