Another couple of days in Edinburgh

"inside" the ruins of Holyrood Abbey

I've had two full days now, and am loving this city. The people are great, I love the accent (reminds me of my grandpa George who was born in Stow), and the city is teaming with history.
I bought a week's transport pass near the train station on a whim, and am so glad I did. The system is extensive and nice. There seems to be a bus or tram that goes within a few blocks of everywhere in the city (or least the places I want to go). The mobile app is fantastic, too, giving walking distances and 

Outside of the ruins of Holyrood Abbey

Fountain in the forecourt of Holyrood Palace.
You can see part of the palace in the background.

My first stop yesterday was Holyrood Palace, which is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth in Scotland. Because it is a royal residence, I couldn't take any photos inside.

A cemetery with a view of the palace and Arthur's seat.

Next I headed back to the center of the city to visit the Scottish National Gallery. I was pleasantly surprised to see Rembrants, Van Dycks, Degas and mainly others.

This boy's face is so alive and expressive...

A scene of a baliff listing a family's belongings.

The portrait of a beloved dog.

The story behind the portrait on the left.

A woman sewing.

Later I headed Southwest to a yarn shop for some needles and some hand-dyed sock yarn (which I didn't need, but will definitely use).

A church not far from the yarn shop

Row houses near the yarn shop.

Today I got a later start, and headed to the Royal Mile to visit some of the top sites on my list. I stopped in St. Giles Cathedral, then headed up towards the castle.
Gladstone's Land was booked for the day, so I booked for tomorrow morning. I was able to get in to the Real Mary King's Close right after lunch.

I didn't realize before planning this trip that Edinburgh was the hometown of Robert Louis Stevenson. Like so many other childrens, his "A Child's Garden of Verses" was my introduction to poetry. I memorized "Bed in Summer" in second grade.

St. Giles Cathedral "The Heart of Lothian"

Inside St. Giles

I love the plaque in the middle...

Beautiful encaustic floor tiles in a side chapel

The ceiling of the Thistle Chapel

Thistle Chapel

From there, I went to the Museum of Childhood, then to John Knox house. I tried to go the Writers' Museum, but they were closed today.

A toy sewing kit

Toy Sewing machines

A quilt inspired by a poem by
Robert Louis Stevenson.

Outside the Writers' Museum

View of Royal Mile from John Knox house

One of the fireplaces in John Knox house.