Just before I went to St Andrews for the graduation, the snow in Edinburgh became much heavier. The first day in Edinburgh I thought I saw a lot of snow. I took tons of photos of statues because I didn't think I would see so much snow covering these statues again. For the next couple of days I saw more and more snow covering absolutely everything so that my first photos looked silly; there appeared to be very little snow compared to what I was now seeing. Soon, Edinburgh began to shut down. Friends and friends' parents were having trouble getting into the city because the airport had closed. A casual glance out the window was enough to tell us that we couldn't drive to St Andrews, so we canceled the rental car and bought train tickets since the rails were still operating. We might get stuck in St Andrews, but at least we'd be able to get there for graduation, unlike so many others.
Here are some photos from these snowy days in Edinburgh:
The cafe next to our hotel had maple waffles, and they somehow
cooked the maple syrup onto the waffle so that it crystalized.
Then they poured more syrup on top of it and the salad.
Yours truly with a cup of coffee in the Elephant House,
where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter.
Holyrood Palace, where the Scottish and then British
kings and queens lived whenever in Scotland. Earlier this summer
Queen Elizabeth II stayed here with the Pope, who presented
her with an incredibly old handwritten Bible (maybe circa 1000?)
that was on display. I couldn't take photos inside the palace.
These towers are part of the oldest section of the palace.
Mary Queen of Scots lived here for a while, and visitors
can go into the bedchamber and dining room she would
have used. One evening Mary was having diner with
her secretary, David Rizzio, when her husband, Lord Darnley,
came into the dining room with accomplices and dragged
him out where they stabbed him 56 times. This murder had
dramatic consequences for Darnley and Mary's downfall.
Visitors can walk through the rooms in which these
events happened, and there are several paintings
depicting all of this murder.
Holyrood Abbey.
King David I ordered the construction of the abbey
in 1127, so it predates the palace next to it.
The building originally served Augustine canons.
The first building was heavily renovated around 1200,
and the roof collapsed in 1768.
I don't think we were allowed into the abbey on this
day because of the weather, but the door was open
so that we could still get in. Later some guards
came through and closed the door and showed
us our way out through another courtyard.
They were nice enough to let me take a few
more photos, though.
The next day the snow was much heavier.
Stairs beside the hotel leading to the train station.
Same stairs as the ones above.
St Giles Church on the Royal Mile.
I've never seen a Scottish girl dressed like this.
The snow had gotten so bad that the castle was closed.
Church door.
Waverley Station.
German Christmas Market by the National Galleries.
Edinburgh Castle from Princess Gardens.
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