Edinburgh, Scotland

Tom and I spent a wonderful, long weekend in Edinburgh.  At night, the lights make the city magical.

There was a Scottish and a German holiday market.  My new favorite drink of the week is the hot spiced Scottish honey wine.

And it comes in the cutest mug!

Tom, in front of the Edinburgh Castle, which was started in the 11th century.  We were here on St. Andrews weekend so the admission to the castle was free!!

Of course, a visit to Scotland would not be complete without a visit to the Scottish Whiskey Heritage Centre.  We got to smell whiskey from the different regions of Scottish and then we were able to taste the whiskey from our favorite region.

 

This center has the largest number of Scottish whiskies in the world !!

The view from the top floor of the whiskey museum - the large building with the black clock in the center and Edinburgh castle were JK Rowlings inspiration for Hogwarts (in the Harry Potter stories).

I had the most amazing salmon in whiskey sauce at this restaurant!

We ate at Deacon Brodie's Tavern.  This tavern, established in 1806, has an unusual story.  The namesake inspired R.L. Stevenson to write The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  Deacon Brodie was a respectable city councilor by day and a murderer by night.  In 1788, he was convicted of his crimes and hanged on a gibbet that he himself helped perfect.

Tom's clan, the Douglas' are listed on the board inside of the tavern.

Before leaving for Scotland, I met a couple living in Paris who were from Edinburgh.  They recommended the night walking tours lead by a "dead" guide.  These tours explore the darker history of Edinburgh including the witch trials, hangings and plagues.  It was a very entertaining tour.

Leaving Scotland...