Edinburgh Part 2

So back to the tour. For all my friends and family who are Harry Potter lovers. I was able to see where J.K. Rowling wrote a lot of the books and where her children went to school. 
 In the windows right above where it says "furniture" is where J.K. sat and wrote her book.This is the front of that building, the "Birthplace of Harry Potter."

Edinburgh is also known for its haunted sites. For example, we visited the Greyfriars Graveyard. This graveyard is notorious for the MacKenzie Poltergeist, which is one of the most documented site for paranormal activity. 

Here is a photo of MacKenzie's Tomb:

Sir George MacKenzie was given the nickname "Bloddy MacKenzie" for being responsible for the death of nearly 18,000 Covenanters. In the 17th century, the Covenanters were known for their religious and political movement. During 1679 Greyfriars Kirkyard was used as a prison for the Covenanters. For over four months the men were kept here, without shelter and only 4 ounces of bread a day. Some prisoners died here, some were executed for treason, some escaped, and some were freed after signing a bond of loyalty to the crown. In 1679, 257 men remained in the prison, they were sentenced to be taken by ship to American colonies, however on the way nearly all drowned when the ship wrecked in Orkney Islands. Sad, horrible story.

Also in this graveyard are many tombs in which is believed to be where J.K. Rowling got many of her characters names. For example:

Another very cool tomb, story, is that of a dog named Bobby. Bobby belonged to a man named John Gray, whom worked for the police as a night watchman. Gray wanted a companion and a watchdog for the long nights, so he got Bobby... a Skye Terrier. Gray died two years later. However, 

Bobby remained a loyal dog, and for the next 14 years did not leave his master's grave (except for food). Scotland decided to make the dog a tomb and a monument to remember the the most famous and faithful dog. 

 

After the three hour long walking tour, Erica and I got a snack, and then went on yet another tour! But this one was quite different. We went on a haunted tour, Paranormal Underground. It was really interesting, however, I did not find it scary. We went underground into 18th Century underground vaults. During the 18th century 

these vaults were used by merchants and craftsmen. Additionally, some families live in these vaults. However, the architecture for these buildings were poor and water soon crept in and the vaults became uninhabitable and abandoned by the merchants. Soon the vaults were filled with brothels, pubs, and crime. Many investigations have taken place in these vaults resulting in many reports of paranormal activity and ghost sightings. 

After our long day, I was exhausted. Erica and I wanted to go out, so I was like Erica, I will go out, but not too late because we have a big day tomorrow! So we started at the pub crawl. Not planning on making it through the whole thing... but of course I did. No wonder I was not feeling the best Sunday night. However, it was so much fun. We met some guys from Canada who are studying in Newcastle, and two guys from Australia just traveling Europe! Here are some photos from the night: Erica with Scotish money, we didnt want to use it, but hey money is money, so we took a photo instead! A picture of the group (horrible lighting) and a picture of Jagerbombs (I did not take one! ew).

 

   

 

Lastly, before we left for Manchester, we felt it necessary to visit another site that Scotland is very famous for, it's Scotch Whiskey. On the scotch whiskey tour we were able to experience a barrel ride to learn how scotch whiskey is made. We received a tasting of the scotch whiskey. We learned the history and saw the largest collection of  scotch whiskey. It was definitely interesting, however Erica nor I are the hugest fans of whiskey.