Wednesday in Edinburgh - Part 2

Following a wonderful lunch on the Royal Yacht Britannia, we made our way back to the center of Edinburgh. We walked down to the John Knox house an took about an hour touring the home of the 16th Centuray Scottish reformer. It was an interesting museum with many quotations on the walls. There were a number of letters and writings in Knox's own hand. The rooms were larger than I expected, but the ceilings were low. Visitors get a good sense of the prominence that was Knox's position in Edinburgh. After the tour, I spent a little time looking through the bookstore.

There were a couple of books on Knox's life that looked good, so I purchased them. I look forward to reading them to get a fuller understanding of the Scottish father of the Presbyterian Church. All in all, I was a little underwhelmed by Knox's home. For me, it is the St. Giles Cathedral that gave me a feel for Knox's importance in the Scottish reformation.

So, I returned to the Cathedral and spent some more time looking around, taking pictures, and sitting reflectively.

We also had the opportunity to take a tour of the "vaults" of Edinburgh. The vaults were constructed in the 1700's under the South Bridge. They were used for economic endeavor until they were abandonned because of the damp and dark conditions. Once the merchants stopped using them, other "less respectable" people moved in. You can read more about them here: Edinburg Vaults.

Here are some pictures:

The girls especially liked the "creepiness" factor of the the vaults; Afterwards we had an excellent meal and retired for the evening!