Today on our first day of sightseeing as a class we went to Mary King’s Close, lunch at Amber Restaurant at the Scottish Whiskey experience, and to Edinburgh Castle. Mary King’s Close is an underground world where people used to reside in Edinburgh. Here we learned about life if you lived on the close. This section of the city was often infested with the plague and was composed of many places to live that no person should have to be exposed to. Multiple families lived in the lowest areas and were crammed in to tiny living quarters. They were exposed to so much human waste on the close and most were born, worked, and died there, never leaving the close. Today the area is buried beneath the city of Edinburgh because the Scottish Paraliament decided to take down some of the buildings (the tops) and use the rest for the foundation to a new city building.
Our next stop was Amber Restaurant at the Scottish Whisky Experience. We had a large table reserved and we enjoyed a two course meal. I enjoyed the beef casserole because I wasn’t brave enough to try the haggis, but other were. I also got a glass of whiskey, but I couldn’t finish it because I’m too much of a whimp when it comes to alcohol.
My glass of whiskey
Our final destination was Edinburgh Castle. This castle sits on top of a road called the Royal Mile. Here you can find many things including an old royal residence, jails, and the Crown Jewels. The castle was amazing and it had breathtaking views of the city. The most amazing thing for me to discover was how well the prisoners were treated. Since the prisoners were either prisoners of war or military prisoners they were treated fairly well. They were fed well, and we’re allowed to do normal things. They even had a collection of jewelry boxes that were crafted by prisoners. I really enjoyed being able to see all the things I did inside Edinburgh Castle.
The castle from the outside
The view of Edinburgh from the castle
I ended my day by doing some shopping and getting some ice cream. It was a very good day.
IUSB London Edinburgh 