Tasha was only in the UK for 6 full days, so we had our work cut out for us when determining how to spend our time. 3 days in London and 3 days in Scotland, split between Edinburgh and Glasgow, seemed to be a good, though ambitious, plan.

The train ride to Edinburgh lasted about 5 1/2 hours. We arrived in the late morning, so we were able to explore a bit of the city for the rest of the day. In both Edinburgh and Glasgow we made use of the sightseeing buses--they are great ways to get oriented in cities and to see all the major sights in a short amount of time.

Edinburgh is divided into several neighborhoods--Old Town and
New Town are where most of the action is.
These are some pictures of Old Town.

Bagpipes are so weird!

A view of the castle from below. It sits on a huge rocky hill.

Getting ready to enter the castle.

The oldest structure in Edinburgh--a 900 year-old chapel within the castle walls.

One of the many old canons on display.

A view of New Town from the castle.

These pictures show how high the castle sits above the city.

High Kirk of St. Giles, where John Knox preached during the Reformation in Scotland.

Salisbury Crags and 'Arthur's Seat'-the highest point in Edinburgh.

Glasgow was so different from Edinburgh. I am glad we decided to go to both cities even with a tight schedule, because it was interesting to compare the two. Edinburgh is much more picturesque and seems to capitalize on its 'Scottish-ness' more than Glasgow. Glasgow is much more modern and actually felt like it could be a city in the the US. It is known for its artsy culture as there are several art schools located there. Shopping (malls, markets, boutiques) is great in the city center, but the main sights are dispersed over a larger area than Edinburgh. I only have a few pictures of Glasgow taken from the sightseeing bus.

I also took several short videos of Scotland and have combined them into one.

Tasha has some pictures of her visit too so I hope to get some from her later and post them another time.