3-day Isle of Skye tour review. Day one.

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer -
A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe;
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

 At 8:30 am my husband and I were standing next to the travel agency on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, where we became acquainted with our fellow travelers. We will spend the next three days in the journey with the travelers from China, Ireland, Spain, US and all of them are really nice people!
And of course, I'd like to share my impressions with you )

Teddy Bears in Edinburgh

I fell in love with Teddy bears many years ago. I buy my new friends in each trip, so you understand why "Canongate Crafts" is my one and only hidden treasure in Edinburgh.  They sell absolutely adorable hand made teddy bears.
On this photo you may see my traveling teddy bear Puzyrek ('Phial', hi is second from the left) with his new friend Angus (second from the right) and Angus's friends.

Where to eat and drink in Edinburgh

Edinburgh has many very good restaurants and other eating places. We were pleasantly surprised by the food because we had no problem finding what we wanted to eat. From fish & chips to haggis, even the fried foods were good and didn't give us any problems, even though we don't eat much fried food at home. 

The list of my favorite places to eat and drink in Edinburgh is below

3 days in Edinburgh. Day 3. Arthur's Seat

On third day we decided to walk up Arthur's Seat following this route.
Arthur's Seat is one of the must-do's in the Edinburgh. There are numerous different options for hikes and walks and several different ways to reach the peak, all of varying degrees of difficulty.
There are two parts to Arthurs Seat, The Crags and Arthurs Seat. The easiest and simplest ascent is from the East, where a grassy slope rises above Dunsapie Loch, a small artificial loch located between Dunsapie Hill and Arthur's Seat.

3 days in Edinburgh. Day 2. Calton Hill and Britannia

Today we go for a walk on the Calton Hill, after that we will take a bus tour to Leith for the Royal Yacht Britannia.

3 days in Edinburgh. Day 1. Royal Mile

At first a few details about Edinburgh. The central area of the city isn't very big, and if you walk fast, you can get from one end to the other in a couple hours. The city is split into 2 parallel areas, the Old Town, which was the central part of the city for centuries, and the New Town which was started in the 1700's to alleviate overcrowding in the Old Town. The center of the Old Town is called the Royal Mile, and stretches from Edinburgh castle to Holyrood Palace, home to the British Monarch on her visits to Edinburgh. The Royal Mile is full of interesting places, stores, museums, restaurants, etc. The New Town and the Old Town are separated by the The Mound (once upon a time it was the city's garbage heap) and connected by the Waverly Station, the main train station. Also in between the two parts are the beautiful Princes Gardens, and the National Gallery, the main city museum.

Useful links for visiting Scotland

Undiscovered Scotland - my favorite site for planning trip to Scotland.

The Internet Guide to Scotland - another excellent site for planning

Highlights of Scotland  - thematic self-guided tours to Scotland

Highland experience tours - guided tours in Scotland

Taste of Scotland - cuisine and restaurants in Scotland

Walk Highlands - guide to walks and hiking in Scotland

Walking Scotland - another site with walking routes in Scotland

Edinburgh - things to see and do in Edinburg

Scottish tourist maps - amazing illustrated maps of various areas around the west of Scotland and Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Every map is masterpiece!

You can read more about trip to Edinburgh here:
Men's day trip to Edinburgh (Only photos)
First time to Scotland. Trip details
3 days in Edinburgh. Day 1. Royal Mile
3 days in Edinburgh. Day 2. Calton Hill and Britannia
3 days in Edinburgh. Day 3. Arthur's Seat

Stay tuned!

First time to Scotland. Trip details.

We had this trip to Scotland  in June 2010. 

I think it will be very useful to share technical details of this trip for first-timers .

Men's day trip to Edinburgh (23 February)

Once upon a time in Scotland

These photos were made on island of Skye, Scotland.
The nature on Skye is very beautiful, but inclement. There are many grasses, mosses, shrubs and stones, but no forests almost.
And there is no animals, no people around; there are only the one single weather-beaten house, and the fence which covered multicolored moss, amid endless fields

Шотландский остров Скай очень красив, но строг, суров и полон чувства собственного достоинства.
На нем почти нет лесов, зато полно трав, мхов, кустарников и камней. И кругом так пустынно, что не видно ни животных, ни людей - посреди бесконечных полей стоят только закаленные ветрами и дождями одинокие дома и поросшие разноцветным мхом изгороди.