Snowy Edinburgh (Edinburgh, UK)

 As you can see from the photograph, I woke up to a blanket of snow on the ground.  It made Edinburgh even more charming.  Milder temperatures came with the snow, so walking around the city today was not as bone chilling as yesterday.

Children's Playground in the Princes Street Gardens.

I began the day walking through the Princes Street Gardens.  The gardens are just below the castle cliffs.  
As I walked further on, I came upon a group of protesters on Princes Street.  They were well behaved, but vocal.

As I proceeded down Princes Street, I decided to climb the 287 steps to the top of the Sir Walter Scott Monument.  As it turned out, I only made it half-way up the narrow winding stairway to the first level of the monument.  I took some photos from that vista, one of which is attached.

Statue of Sir Walter Scott (at the base of thew monument)

My next objective was to take photographs inside St. Giles Cathedral, which requires a photo fee of 2 pounds.  It was well worth it, as I hope the attached photos will show.

John Knox

Tomb of Lord Montrose

While I was taking photos, there was a piano concert being performed in the middle of the central area of the cathedral.  It was mostly Chopin, and a delightful bonus to being in the cathedral.

Concert in the cathedral

In St. Giles Cathedral is the Thistle Chapel where the reigning sovereign bestows on distinguished Scottish citizens the Order of the Thistle.  It is an exquisitely beautiful chapel, and the attached photos really do not do it justice.

At a side altar of the cathedral in memory of those Scottish soldiers who died in World War II.

I left the cathedral and continued my tour of Old Town by visiting the University of Edinburgh.  Following that brief visit, I again proceeded down the Royal Mile and had a late lunch at the Missoni Hotel, near the entrance to Edinburgh Castle.

Statue of Adam Smith

This evening I am having dinner with Mairead's sister, Anne, and her daughter, Maeve.