Edinburgh, 25 March – Edimburgo 25 marzo

Friday, March 25 was a beautiful sunny day. As this is unusual in Scotland, or so they tell me, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather to head over to Holyrood Park to hike the Crags and Arthur’s Seat.

El viernes 25 de marzo fue un día de sol bello. Como eso es un fenómeno en Escocia, o es lo que me dicen, decidimos aprovechar el tiempo espectacular para ir al parque de Holyrood para subir los riscos y la Silla de Arturo.

Holyrood Park, EdinburghHolyrood Park, EdinburghHolyrood Park, Edinburgh

We met Taylor in front of the Scottish Parliament building. There was a group of people camped in front demanding separation from the United Kingdom of Great Britain. It was interesting that they were out there since the vote occurred on 18 September, 2014. There were also some Basque and Quebecois people there.

Nos reunimos enfrente del edificio del parlamento de Escocia. Allí había un grupo de gente encampado enfrente demandando separación del Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña. Era interesante que estaban allí porque el voto ocurrió el 18 de septiembre del 2014. Había unos vascos y quebequenses allí también.

Protesters in front of the Scottish Parliament Building

We were not the only people that decided to go for a hike to celebrate the good weather. The paths were packed with people. It was nice to see so many people taking advantage of the nature preserve in town. Access to Holyrood Park used to be limited to the royals who used the park for hunting parties. You can see how close it is to Holyrood Palace.

No éramos los únicos que decidimos salir a disfrutar el buen tiempo. Los caminos estaban llenos de personas. Me gustó ver a tanta gente aprovechando la preserva de la naturaleza en la ciudad. Acceso al parque en el pasado se limitaba a la familia real que usaba el parque para la caza de animales, especialmente los zorros. Se puede ver qué tan cerca está el parque al palacio de Holyrood.

Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh

The views of the city from the top of the crags is stunning. You can see the Firth of Forth, the city and the Pentland Hills in the distance.

Las vistas de la cima de los riscos son impresionantes. Se pueden ver el Firth de Forth (el estuario), la ciudad y las colinas Pentland en la distancia.

View of Edinburgh from the CragsView of Edinburgh from the CragsView of Edinburgh from the CragsView of Edinburgh from the Crags

I particularly enjoyed the views of the castle.

En particular, me gustaban las vistas del castillo.

View of Edinburgh Castle from the CragsView of Edinburgh Castle from the Crags

These yellow bushes were everywhere. They were the same ones that we had seen all over Ireland when we were there for our honeymoon in 2012. I still had no idea what they were. I did finally learn later on this trip.

Estos arbustos amarillos se veían por todas partes. Eran los mismos que vimos por doquier en Irlanda cuando estábamos allí en el 2012 por nuestra luna de miel. Todavía no tenía ni idea qué eran. Por fin supe más tarde en este viaje.

Gorse bushes, EdinburghGorse bushes, Edinburgh

The wind was brutal on the top of the Crags. There were times that I thought I was in danger of being blown right off the cliff. It felt a lot colder at the top than it had in the city at the bottom. Luckily, the hiking kept us warm.

Hacía muchísimo viento arriba en los riscos. Había veces que pensaba que estaba en peligro de que el viento me soplara del acantilado y llegara muerta abajo. Hacía más frío allí arriba que en la ciudad abajo. Afortunadamente, caminar nos daba calor.

Hiking the crags, EdinburghHiking the crags, Edinburgh

The cliffs are really steep. It was hard to get a picture that demonstrated that well, but you can see here just how steep they are. I was tempted by the climbers until I realized that they were free-styling. I would need a rope if I were to climb.

Los riscos son muy escarpados. Fue difícil tomar una foto que demostrara eso bien, pero se puede ver aquí que tan inclinados son. Los escaladores me tentaban a reunirme con ellos hasta que me di cuenta de que estaban escalando al estilo libre. Yo necesitaría una cuerda si escalara con ellos.

The Crags, EdinburghThe Crags, EdinburghThe Crags, Edinburgh

By the time we reached the foot of Arthur’s Seat I was exhausted, and my own feet were killing me. The jet lag was really getting to me, but I soldiered on. The stairs were steep, narrow and crowded.

Cuando por fin llegamos al pie de la Silla de Arturo yo estaba cansada y me dolían los pies. La descompensación horaria me estaba matando, pero yo continuaba sin parar. Las escaleras eran pendientes, angostas y llenas de gente.

Hiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh

Before reaching the peak there was a small plateau.

Antes de llegar al pico había una meseta pequeña.

Hiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh

People had used small rocks to spell out words and form symbols that can best be seen from the summit.

La gente había usado las rocas para formar palabras y símbolos en la tierra que se podían ver mejor de arriba.

Hiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh

We also saw a lot of rabbit warrens, but we didn’t see any rabbits.

También había muchas conejeras, pero no vimos ningún conejo.

Hiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh

The last part of the hike was the steepest.

La última parte de la caminata fue la más inclinada.

Hiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh

Finally we reached the top – we and two hundred others. It was a veritable party at the top.

Por fin llegamos a la cima – nosotros y doscientos más. Había una verdadera fiesta allí arriba.

Hiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh

The hike back down was easier in some ways and harder in others. Here are a few picture from the bottom looking up.

La caminata hacía abajo fue más fácil en algunas maneras y más difícil en otras. Aquí están unas fotos de abajo hacia arriba.

Hiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHiking up Arthur's Seat, EdinburghHolyrood Park, Edinburgh

Before we left the park, I spotted this pheasant. I bet he is glad that the royals no longer hunt in the park.

Antes de salir del parque vi este faisán. Estoy segura de que él está feliz que los reales ya no cazan en el parque.

Pheasant in Hiking up Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh

From there we walked towards Edinburgh University to eat lunch at Söderberg Bakery Shop. I took a couple of pictures along the way. I did not take any pictures at lunch. I will occasionally photograph my food if there is something that I really want to remember, but I am not one of those tourists incapable of taking a bite without documenting it. I did take some pictures of an old police box in front of George Square that was turned into a café. There are many of them around Edinburgh. This one even had a pizza oven in the back.

Del parque caminamos a la Universidad de Edimburgo para almorzar en Söderberg. Saqué unas fotos en el camino. No saqué ninguna foto del almuerzo. De vez en cuando saco una foto de mi comida si hay algo que quiero recordar, pero no soy una de esas turistas que no puede comer sin documentarlo. Sí saqué una foto de esta caja de policía enfrente de la plaza de Jorge que se convirtió en cafetería. Hay muchos en Edimburgo. Este tenía un horno de pizza detrás.

George Square, EdinburghGeorge Square, EdinburghGeorge Square, Edinburgh

After lunch we walked through the Meadows. This is another large park in the city.

Después del almuerzo caminamos por los Prados (the Meadows), un parque muy grande en la ciudad.

The Meadows, EdinburghThe Meadows, EdinburghThe Meadows, Edinburgh

Here is a view of Arthur’s Seat from the Meadows.

Aquí hay una foto de la Silla de Arturo de los Prados.

The Meadows, Edinburgh

This is the Barclay Viewforth Church of Scotland. We did not go in, but I really liked the architecture.

Esta es la Iglesia de Escocia Barclay Viewforth. No entramos, pero me gusta la arquitectura.

Barclay Viewforth Church of Scotland, EdinburghBarclay Viewforth Church of Scotland, EdinburghBarclay Viewforth Church of Scotland, Edinburgh

Our destination was Morningside Road. Morningside is a wealthy neighborhood in the south of town, and I wanted to check out the charity shops there. Scotland has a wonderful tradition of raising money for charities through second hand shops. Every non for profit organization that you can imagine has shops all around town. I tried to visit all of them! I bought several things but did not take pictures of my purchases. In fact, I took very few pictures in all of the boutiques, curiosity shops, book stores and charity shops that we visited. Here are a few things that caught my eye.

Nuestro destino fue la calle Morningside. Morningside es un vecindario rico en el sur de la ciudad, y yo quería revisar las tiendas de caridad allí. Escocia tiene una tradición bonita de recaudar dinero para las caridades con las tiendas de segunda mano. ¡Intenté visitar todas! Compré algunas cosas, pero no saqué fotos de mis compras. De hecho, saqué muy pocas fotos de todas las tiendas, boutiques, librerías y tiendas de caridad que visitamos. Aquí hay algunas cosas que me llamaron la atención.

Marchmont Road, EdinburghMarchmont Road, EdinburghMarchmont Road, EdinburghMarchmont Road, EdinburghMarchmont Road, Edinburgh

I particularly loved this purple velvet jacket. I wanted it desperately for either myself or for Douglas. Unfortunately, we both could have fit in it together and still had some room to spare. At least I have the picture to remember it by.

En particular me encantaba este saco de terciopelo. Lo quería desesperadamente o por mí o por Douglas, pero era tan grande que los dos podíamos haberlo llevado con espacio para otra persona. Al menos tengo una foto de la chaqueta para recordarla.

Marchmont Road, Edinburgh

Our visit to Morningside ended at the Canny Man’s, a pub on Morningside Road. I loved the decor, but cameras were prohibited. Douglas did sneak one pic of Taylor and me. Luckily, there are many images online that you can check out.

La visita a Morningside terminó en Canny Man’s, una taberna en la calle de Morningside. Me encantaban los adornos, pero se prohibían las cameras. Douglas sacó una foto furtivamente de Taylor y de mí. Por suerte, hay muchas imágenes en internet que se pueden ver.

Canny Man's, Marchmont Road, EdinburghCanny Man's, Marchmont Road, Edinburgh

We took a bus back to the center of town enjoying the gorgeous houses in this upscale area along the way. We had dinner at  Spoon before heading over to Circus Café for an evening of Scottish storytelling. I wanted to get up and tell a story myself, but I did not receive inspiration. I blame the jet lag.

Tomamos un autobús de vuelta al centro de la ciudad gozando de las casas increíbles en esta área lujosa en camino. Cenamos en Spoon (la Cuchara) antes de ir a Circus Café (el Café del Circo) para una noche de narración escocesa. Quería levantarme y contar algo yo también, pero no me inspiré. Culpo a la descompensación horaria.

When we got back to the hotel at eleven o’clock, I collapsed immediately. Douglas met up with our friends Carole and Adam for some drinks back at the hotel bar. I was disappointed not to get to see them that night, but I could not keep my eyes open.

Cuando llegamos al hotel a las once de la noche, me caí rendida inmediatamente. Douglas se reunió con nuestros amigos Carole y Adam para tomar unas copas en el bar del hotel. Me sentía decepcionada no poder verlos esa noche, pero no podía mantenerme despierta ni un minuto más.

Thus ended day three of our Great Britain adventure of 2016. You can check out the first two posts here and here.

Así terminó el tercer día de nuestra aventura del 2016 en Gran Bretaña. Se puede revisar los primeros dos artículos aquí y aquí.

Happy Travels!

¡Buen viaje!

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About

I am a teacher, traveler, artist, writer, homemaker and a whole lot more. In January 2009, I bought the Cape of Dreams. It was the second house that I had ever owned, but it was the first that I bought by myself. I now live in the house with my husband Douglas, our dog Kahlua, and Crème de Menthe, the cat. Because, what life is complete without a little Kahlua and Cream? I love arts and crafts of all kinds, and I refinish furniture as well. We are slowly redoing our entire house. You can read about my projects on my blog www.CapeofDreams.com

9 Comments on “Edinburgh, 25 March – Edimburgo 25 marzo

    • Taylor definitely has some brogue. I started pronouncing things a little funny. I did not have prolonged conversations with anyone from Scotland, though, so I did not pick it up as much as I could have.

  1. Are the yellow blooming bushes Scotch broom? It used to be used extensively to landscape freeway ramps in Washington state, and has spread to other undeveloped areas. Some people hate it; I love it!
    You guys sure pack a lot into one day! 🙂

    • I had to look up Scotch broom to make sure that was not another common name, but it seems that this is not Scotch broom. I will reveal its identity in a later post. However, after looking up Scotch broom, I can understand why some people in your area hate it. It seems that it is an invasive species in North America that has wrecked havoc on the forestry industry.

  2. I really enjoyed visiting Edinburgh with you. Those yellow bushes, that are called “ajonc” in French, are also typical of Brittany and they are just beginning to fade away. There’s a huge bush of it near Cottage… and everywhere around, really!

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