Edinburgh's Royal Botanical Garden's and Conservatory

Waking to a brilliant day we decided to visit Edinburgh's Royal Botanical Gardens and Conservatory. The 70 acre gardens lie one mile north of the city center and feature thousands of different types of trees and shrubs along with the enormous "Temperate Victorian Palm House", the tallest of it's kind in the UK, which acts as the entrance to the Garden's magnificent glass house "The Window to the World" which is filled with all sorts of exotic plants from around the world.

We walked along Stable's Road towards our designated bus stop for this journey,  making our way along the base of Castle Rock. It was our first time using this route and as we made our way the views up towards the castle were fantastic!

As you look almost straight up towards the castle's battlements it was hard to fathom any army contemplating attacking such a formidable defensive position. The amount of time, effort and ingenuity that went into these stone structures is really mind boggling.

 As we made our way along the base of the rock we encountered numerous defensive watch towers and fighting platforms, all a mere two to three hundred feet above our heads.

The sun was shining and we were feeling pretty darn happy that we were in Scotland and it was about fifteen degrees warmer than back home in Washington. We may be the first people EVER to travel to Britain, Wales and Scotland to chase the sun.

We rounded a corner and came upon an old Church with a beautiful graveyard (naturally), and the setting with the castle in the background accented with the early morning sunlight was pretty darn special!

We wandered the cemetery grounds, and the light on the grass made everything seem surreal, like looking at everything through green tinted glasses.

We walked up an ancient cobbled path past the church where the stones had all been laid on their sides. When you think about just how long a path constructed in this fashion would last and how many stones would be needed to complete it just belies belief.

It was incredibly non-skid. It would be impossible to slip on this surface!

We made our way to the gardens and entered through the Western Gate and along with the other families and couples headed along a small tree-lined avenue towards the Glasshouse.

It was a stunning day and the birds seemed to sense that fact as well and were making a ruckus from the trees and bushes as we passed. We passed by ponds and ornate Victorian style benches and the scene was really something out of a Hallmark movie.

The trees were just starting to bud out and several of the early varieties of azaleas and rhododendrons were in bloom. It was a quintessential Spring day and we were enjoying that fact as we made our way through the gardens. 

We emerged from the trees to an open area with the enormous Glasshouse taking up the whole of the background. We had purchased tickets to the Conservatory at the gate to the gardens so we walked around the gigantic glass structure until we located the main entrance to the Palm House.

Upon entering the Palm House you are immediately struck with the heat and humidity that keeps all of the exotic plants in good health. It's steamy and hot and quite different from a usual Scottish day.

From the Victorian Palm House you enter the maze of glass structures that make up the grand Glasshouse and pass through a series of different buildings housing plants from tropical to desert environments. 

We always try to find Botanical Gardens that feature a Conservatory when we visit cities. It's a very zen activity and it's nice to shuffle along taking in all of the plants and specimens from different parts of the globe.

This was the coolest!

The sheer number of flowering plants was amazing and the smells and humidity just added to the sense that you were walking through a far off jungle.

We strolled along happily snapping close up photos and taking in what each different house had to offer.

Most of the people visiting the gardens and the Glasshouse are there for the same reason we were, to spend some quiet time slowing down and communing with nature.

It's kind of like visiting a museum or a library. People usually keep their voices down and they are observant of the feel of the place. BUT NOT EVERYONE...No, some people talk loudly and yell at their children and push past you when you're taking a photo of a delicate flower. These people should be taken out to a lonely field and horse whipped! Well maybe that's a bit severe, but really, a greenhouse is not where you head to go on and on about how much you drank last night or to bring screaming children who rip at the foliage. I think I would very much like a job as a Greenhouse greeter with the authority to screen visitors. I must say I would rule with an iron fist and the overall ambiance of the place would in turn be delightful!

After reaching the end of the Glasshouse we made our way back to the exit and back out into the beautiful spring sunshine.

After exiting the Palm House we made our way over to the Scottish Highland rock garden which featured different plants from the Highlands and then we continued strolling through the lovely grounds.

We were starting to get hungry and although there was a cafe in the middle of the gardens we wanted to save our lunch for something a little more special than cafe fare. We headed back out to the West Gate to catch a bus back to the New City and a highly regarded seafood restaurant.

We rode the bus back into town and then walked to the "Mussel Inn" which is known for serving quality seafood.

We didn't have reservations and although this restaurant is ALWAYS packed we luckily got a table and sat down with the anticipation of a splendid meal. We were NOT disappointed.

Everything was super fresh and served perfectly prepared. 

After lunch we decided to go to the Scottish National Gallery which was near by. It was a perfect day and people were taking advantage of the weather. Couples sat on the expansive lawns below the Sir Walter Scott monument and filled the commons area in front of the museum.

The Sir Walter Scott Monument and the skyline of Edinburgh's "New Town" in the background.

Although it was gorgeous out we knew it would be a great day to take in a museum and capitalize on the small crowds.

The collection seemed a little small after visiting the museums of London and we didn't stay for a great amount of time since we were both a little tired. The paintings and sculptures we did see were interesting though, and there were some really nice pieces of art featuring Scotland or by Scottish artists.

 This bust was just amazing. It baffles the mind how anyone could create such detail out of stone. I swear you could see blood coursing through the veins in her hands. Wow!

After leaving the museum we hiked back up one of the many torturous staircases that link the New Town to the Royal Mile. 

On the way home we walked past a number of really cool buildings and when we made it back to the Grassmarket it was teeming with people out enjoying themselves on such a lovely day.

A large crowd of people had gathered in the Grassmarket Square to watch as contestants tried to hang from a bar for two minutes to win 100 pounds. No one lasted longer than 90 seconds. We're pretty sure it was rigged.

Gotta love the Scottish, they know how to have a good time!