mmm Body Snatchers

We decided to learn about the city by joining a free walking tour.  The tour is definitely free but the guides reveal that it is customary to tip, and even let you know the usual amount given, which can be viewed as rude or helpful, depending on how much you originally planned to tip.  Anyway, the tour was great.  We found out about the tour from a pamphlet in the hostel, and we met on the Royal Mile by the Starbucks.  Which wasnt opened yet, to Kat's dismay.

The guide revealed interesting statues, like the one in front of the Parliament Building.  It was a statue of an English King on horseback.  Since the Scottish were not happy with the English at the time, the sculptorer left off the stirrups, and so the rider looks ridiculous without them.

  Nearby, someone was buried below the parking lot of the Parliament building, which would have definitely gone unnoticed without the tour.  We also learned about the story behind the policeman and his beloved dog.  The dog was buried with him, eventhough there are no dogs allowed in the park/graveyard.  We took a tour through a very old cemetery, which had a very interesting past.  The guide pointed out a cannon ball buried in the side of an old building.  The background of the story of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde occurred in Edinburgh and the guide had an excellent narrative of this story.  Finally, the guide told us of the body snatchers that preyed upon the dead here.  We were very happy with the tour, and Kat and I tipped her 5 quid each.

We had lunch at a nearby place called Bella Italia.  I had a salad and Penne Alpina.  The meal cost 16 pound and was great.  Dinner was at Bilbos, we had the fajitas and they were average.