Just North of the Border...Really

I was not originally going to post on this first day, as it wasn't the plan to see anything after arriving in Edinburgh at 2ish. However, I've decided that I do have enough pictures for a smaller post. So here it goes:

We walked out of the station and were greeted by this guy...

Yup, we were in Scotland.

Though we didn't know it, this is the Sir Walter Scott Memorial. More on that later.

Edinburgh Castle - imagine trying to attack this side.

This shot was taken from the Sir Walter Scott Memorial. In total, the memorial is 287 steps up to the top, coming out at about 61.1 meters. There are three landings, which give a 360 view of the city. Quite a climb, as there was hardly room sometimes for one person at a time!

This is the view from one of the landings (I think number one), with me leaning out as far as I possibly can...whilst remaining a safe 3 feet from the edge. :) It didn't help that there was a breeze.

Here's what we climbed. The left tower held the first flight of steps. After that, you "transferred" to the right side, and continued upward. On the last flight, as you near the very top, the walls of the staircase actually start angling inward. That was initially scary, as you weren't quite sure if what was happening. Needless to say, we both made it down alive. 

Tomorrow...er, Saturday, we hope to go alone the Royal Mile, stopping off at first by the Castle. Stay tuned!