A day trip to Edinburgh turned out a bit better than my mix up on airports. The reason this time was easier was simply because going to Edinburgh from Stirling only requires a train ride. The train station in Stirling is not very crowded and there are plenty of seats on the train. I had read that Edinburgh is a big tourist attraction, so my wife and I got started early in the morning. 

Just out of the train station, there is a big monument and a very nice park area. From this vantage point, it is easy to see Edinburgh Castle. It looks close, but it is a bit of a walk.

There are many historic buildings along the walk to the castle. We even took a very cool and scary tour of the underground living spaces that show all about the plague years.

The Royal Mile is the road that leads up to the Edinburgh Castle on one end and the Queen's residence on the other end. Along the road we stepped into this cathedral, which was quite impressive, especially since I had just finished reading The Pillers of the Earth, by Ken Follett.

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and where the new parliament building is.The parliament design is quite impressive, and most interesting is the Whiskey on sale in the gift shop!