The Harry Potter Trail ended where it began, in front of Greyfriars Bobby. From there, it was a short trek up the hill to Edinburgh Castle.
At this point my phone decided to consume the last 30% of its battery life in the span of a few minutes, so most of these pictures are Jen's or me using her phone.
Did I mention that it was uphill?
The scaffolding seen here and in many other pictures of the castle exterior is the remnants of seating assembled for the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a series of performances held on the castle esplanade by bands from the various British and Commonwealth armed forces. Sadly, we missed the event by a few weeks.
The view of the city from the castle parapet was simply breathtaking. You could see Fife across the water, and all of the beauty of Old Town lay before us.
The Great Hall of the castle. Tell me this wasn't the inspiration for Hogwarts' chamber of the same name.
Pictures were not allowed in the War Memorial. It was not unlike Westminster, in that you could feel the gravity of the place on you. Words cannot suffice here.
Again, no photography allowed in the Royal Treasury. In it lay the crown that once sat upon the brow of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the sword used to induct her.
Great, great, great (etc.) Granddad (Charles I) .
Tea at the castle tearoom. We weren't up for a full High Tea, so just a cuppa with a scone.
The signage was delightful.
Trekking back to the hotel. We were weary and footsie, but what a day! It will take a lifetime to fully unpack and process all of the things we've seen in just this one day.
We swung back through Victoria Street (aka Diagon Alley) and visited one of the old bookshops. Here Jen acquired a Scots Edition of Philosopher's Stone, which is translated into a very thick brogue and is hilarious.
Dinner at the hotel. We were far too tired to venture out for a meal, and so partook of their excellent kitchen. I had the Cassoulet, which was delicious.
