We picked up our son and his fiancé at the airport at 8:15 am.  It is an 8 hour overnight flight from Dubai to Edinburgh, so once we collected their luggage we took them to their hotel so they could go to bed and get some sleep.

We, once again, wandered the streets of the city; people watching and exploring.  The Royal Mile stretches from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace and many historic houses and shops line both sides of the famous street. Since we attend the Presbyterian Church back home we had to tour John Knox’s house.  John Knox was a Scottish minister and theologian and the leader of the country’s reformation.  He founded the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

He was licensed in the Church of England and rose through the ecclesiastical ranks to become royal chaplain to King Edward VI of England.  After Mary Tudor ascended the throne and re-established Roman Catholicism he was forced to resign and leave the country.  In Geneva he met John Calvin, another reformist from whom he learned much about Reformed Theology and Presbyterian polity.  Upon his return to Scotland he led the Protestant Reformation.  Knox helped write the new confession of faith and the ecclesiastical order for the newly created reformed church, the Kirk. He continued to serve as the religious leader of the Protestants throughout Mary’s reign and continued to preach until his death in 1572.  He was 58 or 59 years old.

It never  ceases  to  amaze  me  how  old  so  many  buildings  here  are  still  in use, and structurally sound. I really liked all the designs on the ceiling.

                                                                           John was able to dress up.

We continued wandering the Royal Mile to the bottom at Holyrood House and then made our way back to our lodging.  The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the Queen when in Scotland.  It was originally built as a monastery by David I, King of the Scots in 1128. This fellow was a street statue.  He would move every once in awhile and if you gave him some coins he would pose for a photo.  We have seen these folks before. They are really good at being still for long periods of time.

There  are  modern  buildings  in  Scotland  too…The next morning we had to go out to the airport again; this time to pick up our daughter and her husband who were flying from home in British Columbia to attend the wedding.