The day did not start off quite as planned. I slept in and slept hard while energetic Farley got up, showered, left for breakfast and came back. Snooozzzzzze. Guess I needed that. Not sure where his energy reserves are coming from but as his friends well know, he is the Energizer Bunny.
He ambled off about 8:30 for a full day of conferencing. I skipped the morning workout but 
managed to make the buffet breakfast. A quick stroll thru a nearby Farmer’s Market and then it was off to the castle. The castle is built on a rugged black volcanic rock. It’s quite an impressive location. Not exactly impenetrable – I heard of one instance of invaders scaling the rocks to gain access and another siege where the wells ran dry & food was cut off so surrender was forced. It was a grand audio tour; I 
spent over two hours there.
managed to make the buffet breakfast. A quick stroll thru a nearby Farmer’s Market and then it was off to the castle. The castle is built on a rugged black volcanic rock. It’s quite an impressive location. Not exactly impenetrable – I heard of one instance of invaders scaling the rocks to gain access and another siege where the wells ran dry & food was cut off so surrender was forced. It was a grand audio tour; I 
spent over two hours there.A lovely lunch break at a terrace restaurant overlooking Victoria St. (did I mention it was sunny and about 70 degrees – apparently pretty unusual for this time of year), where I enjoyed Courgette and Orange soup (cream of zucchini with a touch of orange) and a nice basket of crusty bread. I toured the Gladstone Landing home and St. Giles Cathedral and popped in and out of numerous shops along the upper half of the Royal Mile.
Back to the hotel for a quick 2k erg workout and then Farley and I prepped for the country home reception.
Hopetoun House is a lovely property on the Firth of Forth with a stable wing, a ballroom wing, and a multi-story stone mansion in the middle. As we got off the bus we were greeted by a falconer and his assistant, who in addition to falcons had a barn owl (borrowed from Harry Potter?) and a very large great eagle owl with bright gold eyes. Quite impressive birds.
The current Lord lives in one wing with his wife and 4 children while the rest of the house is open for tours and private party rentals and run by Hopetoun Trust. But don’t feel too badly for the Lord, I would guess his wing is approximately 10,000 square feet and the nanny has her own separate accommodations.
Music filled the estate, with fiddlers in one banquet room, while a Scottish band and dancers performed in the ballroom. A pianist graced the Countess’s bed chamber, while the flautist and
harpist serenaded in the dining room. The grand finale was a coed Scottish marching drum and bagpipe band that performed splendidly in front of Hopetoun under clear blue skies (quite lucky for us).
Music filled the estate, with fiddlers in one banquet room, while a Scottish band and dancers performed in the ballroom. A pianist graced the Countess’s bed chamber, while the flautist and
harpist serenaded in the dining room. The grand finale was a coed Scottish marching drum and bagpipe band that performed splendidly in front of Hopetoun under clear blue skies (quite lucky for us).Sunday’s an open day, so we plan to tour Holyroodhouse and more of the Royal Mile, in spite of the heavy rain predicted. More when we dry out …
Loving your comments. Am reading some British history now, so this seems so appropriate! Think Hoolyroodhouse is where Mary Queen of Scots lived, but wondering (memory fails) if she also lived in Edinburg castle? This all makes me think we should DEFINITELY do a tour of the UK together- architecture, history- and of course, eating/drinking....:) Have a great time. Hope Farley can enjoy some of this among his work!
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