Monday in Edinburgh

Today is a bank holiday and many offices are closed.  We enjoy a nice buffet breakfast and continue on our tour.  We are taken on a city tour which ends up covering areas that we have missed on our weekend trips on our own.  The weather has played put the script of what many of us think is typical weather in Scotland-- blustery, cold, and a little pissy rain for good measure.  Just totally nasty. We were so spoiled our first three days.  After our tour, we went to see the Royal Yacht Britannia which Queen Elizabeth decommissioned a number of years go.  Good idea as the yacht much have cost a bloody fortune to operate--an Admiral, 19 officers, and 200 yachtsmen.  That doesn't count the Queen's special attendants.  

We then were free to explore downtown Edinburgh and some visited the castle or the palace.  We shopped a bit, but the exchange rate is horrible and we literally have no room for stuff.

We return to our hotel, grab the free wifi and eat on our own.  

This is one of the salons in the royal yacht.

The grand staircase in the yacht.

The entire harbor area has grown around the exhibit of the royal yacht.  Cities were invited to submit a proposal to house the ship on exhibit and Edinburgh won.  

This was a bridge we used to pass over one of the downtown roads.

After we returned to the hotel, Bob and Jerry made a trip out to photo the local sheep.  Our guide said we would see more sheep on the trip than we ever wanted to see.