Scottish Birth Control

The Edinburgh Castle is a beauty mark on the face of Edinburgh. It is seemingly out of place amongst an outdoor arena of bleachers, construction equipment, and semi trucks; it's as if modern society is encroaching upon it. However, it's fortress walls which once offered protection from enemies at war are still protecting the rich cultural histories within from today's technologically aided society. It goes without saying that it is a must for all tourists. We began our Saturday by exploring all the castle's marvels.

The castle is so huge that you can't capture the entire thing in one shot! But as you can see, it's absolutely gorgeous!
The castles' crest.
A scale model of the castle. It amazing to see all the different buildings and to think that each one of them was build by hand! Wow!
The castle offered fabulous views of the city of Edinburgh.
One of the castle's intricate edifices.
Just shootin' stuff with a gen-u-ine siege gun!
If these guns were to be fired today, this would be the target. Good thing these guns are disabled!
One of the castle's many underground vaults. This one is called David's Tower. The crown jewels of Scotland were once hidden here during World War II.
More remarkable architecture!
We were able to see the Honours of Scotland (aka the crown jewel) but photography was prohibited as it would set off the alarms.
I found this picture online. This is how they were displayed.
Here is a better picture of what they consist of. They were made in 1617 and were first used in the coronation of King James VI.
These royal portraits are hung in the Birthing Chamber, where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI. It's really mind blowing to stand in a place where so much history was born!
Quite a lavish fire place!
This is the Great Hall, where many royal gatherings and celebrations were held. It has been recently restored to its original condition.

The walls of the room are decorated in genuine pieces of armor and weapons. They were very artistic displays!As the sign says, this is the castle's oldest building and was built by King David, in honor of his mother. It was so tiny! It was probably 9ft by 15 ft!

One of our last stops was in the Prisons of War. They were set up to reflect the actual setup from the times of use. We also found a great connection to America in these dungeons!
This was probably the coolest thing in the castle. There were doors on display from the actual cells. Prisoners had carved their names and other pictures and words in them.
During the Revolutionary War, some Americans were held in the cells of the castle. One of them scratched an American flag into the door. So cool!
Here we are in jail. Lauren looks quite pleased to be there!

This concluded our adventures in the castle, but our day was far from over! The highest point in England is in Edinburgh and is called Arthur's Seat. It is a dormant volcano that is rumored to aid women in conception if they climb it. Moral of the myth: if you don't want to get pregnant, don't climb it. I decided to take my chance! Let me tell you, it was SO TOUGH!

Here's the beast! I'm looking so happy, well, because ignorance is bliss!
The view after about 10 minutes of climbing.

There are no official paths up the volcano, only areas of grass that have been worn down by foot traffic. The "pot holes" are twisted ankles waiting to happen. Amateur climbers beware!

A gorgeous view of the ocean and coastline! Still not to the top yet!

Nope, not there yet! Not how the layers of clothing are diminishing.
More lovely views--where nature meets industry.
SUCCESS!
The view from the top! (823 feet in the air!)
Champion climber!
Brooke, Katie, and I conquered Arthur's Seat and avoided pregnancy. Yay us!

It took us about 45 minutes to climb the volcano and about 20 to climb back down. We were completely wiped out after such a trek. I can't even remember what I ate but I'm sure it tasted like the best thing ever at the time! With aching bodies and a sense of accomplishment, we went back to our Lego room for some wonderful sleep.

Our hostel was right on the banks of the Fourth of Fifth. A very lovely view indeed. In fact, Grandpa B (aka. Professor Bultman) loved to take nightly walks there. Not that Katie and I were creeping on him or anything...

Did I mention that the hostel looks like a castle?
Ol' Frothy!
Frothy at sunset was a very beautiful thing!

Phew! This day was just as long as this blog! Thanks for hanging in there! Stay tuned for the rest of my trip! There is still a week left to go!