The two blue of the sky and the sea gave us a warm welcome. Before we reached the floodgate of Leith we had a perfect view to the famous Bridge of Forth, a landmark of Edinburgh.
Approaching the berth at the Ocean Terminal we could listen to a Lady piper. Close to Fram the Royal Britannia is placed, former yacht of the Royal family.
The first excursion started in the morning. We visited the castle of Stirling right in the middle of the country and important since the middle age and the residence of the Stewarts for 300 years. The castle is beautiful located and all of us enjoyed the view over the hilly landscape.
After having lunch in a nice local restaurant we headed to Scone Palace, where all Scottish kings were crowned. Although the six rooms which are open for the public are impressive, for example Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert spent a night in the castle, the loveliest and amazing part of the castle is the park with its old trees and some peacocks. On our way back we stopped in Queenferry for taking photos of the two famous Forth Bridges.
Most of use drove to Edinburgh either on their own or on the other excursion. This was a panoramic sightseeing through Edinburgh, passing Arthur’s seat, the beautiful shaped mountain in the town, from where you have an excellent view over the city. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland since 1437, today live around 525 000 people in the town. The so-called New Town, designed and built in the 18th century is perfect example of town-planning. We stopped at the Palace of Holyrood, which is the Queen's official residence in Scotland. The Royal Mile is the famous road from Holyrood to the Castle with a lot of small shops.
Edinburgh Castle was the home of Scottish kings and queens for centuries. Today, the Old Royal Palace from the 15th century houses the crown jewels of Scotland. From the castle there is a great view and you can walk right into the Old Town with its lovely narrow streets. Here are shops and most important: the pubs.
Our first day in Scotland was really an excellent start.
