Edinburgh Castle

Yay! The internet is being kind to me today, so here are a few pics from Edinburgh Castle. The biggest Scottish downpour descended on us while we were in the queue... we huddled under our £1 umbrella wisely bought in Scarborough.



This brave bagpiper looked used to the rain... I do have a video with full sound effects if anyone is interested?





One o'clock gun.



Great view.







After the rain...

Internet Issues

We've just moved into a new flat, located above one of the vet surgeries Dave works for. Apologies for the infrequent updates, the mobile internet we've signed up for is a bit temperamental and won't allow me to post pics at the moment! I'll try to resume posting on our visits to Dave's family home. Thanks for all the messages about my family in Christchurch post earthquake, Mum says everyone is fine but that there's been a bit of a cleanup needed at home... it's so odd to see my hometown on the news due to a natural disaster. Still job searching but I'm now more mobile, we have a second set of wheels as of yesterday.

xxx

Say 'Fromage'

Amelie is one of my favourite movies so finding out about La Photocabine yesterday made me smile. Found via oh, hello friend. My Zorro mask is packed away somewhere in a box, so Pinkie is posing for you instead. Have fun!

Scenes from Scotland

We escaped the downpour by escaping into a nearby mall on first arrival into Edinburgh. When we eventually braved it outside, Fringe Festival programme in hand, the city looked stunning. It's a very distinctive looking city set on a hill; it looks like an extension of Edinburgh Castle itself from some vantage points.










The view from the station - a dramatic bridge into the heart of town.



Edinburgh Castle.

Late Summer Garden

I think it's going to be a wonderful place for our wedding next year... it's been blissful with blue skies and sunshine the past few days.

Fringe Festival

I think this HDR image of Dave's is a bit spooky, but it captures the crowds on the Royal Mile waiting for Fringe Festival and Military Tattoo events well. Edinburgh was full to bursting with out of town visitors all keen to see shows and spectacles. We booked on the night on impulse for three shows, a cabaret act, American comedienne Charlyne Yi (yes, just because she has the same name as me!), and Javier Jarquin, a fellow New Zealander who is a favourite of my Mum's. He is otherwise known as the Card Ninja.



The festival really made it interesting to walk through the city - colourful characters give you leaflets, engage you in witty banter, bribe you with jellybeans and otherwise try to persuade you to go to their shows by any means!

Geordie

We finally made it up to Newcastle to visit our friend Jamie, who's back in his hometown doing his Masters. He kindly showed us around the city including the 'new castle' and along the Tyne river, walking across the Millenium Bridge and visiting the Baltic art gallery.

Dave and I struck gold with a last minute booking through Hotels.com, finding a B&B Georgian manor house offering their best room for a budget rate. It had a 4 poster bed, a separate 'dressing room' and a huge bathroom with matching huge bath tub and breakfast included. It was a welcome change from the Travelodges where we usually stay!