Slept like we were drugged until the alarm went off at 7:00 am. We have plans today to take a "Castle and Distillery" tour. So up early, we dressed and enjoyed another delicious breakfast in the beautifully-appointed dining room at the 14 Hart Street B&B.

Then out into blustery, cool, gray Edinburgh to catch the Castle and Distillery Tour Bus. At 10 am we boarded the small bus and our entertaining driver/guide, Andy, enlightened us with interesting tidbits as we wound our way through the Lothian countryside. Stopped at two ancient castles where we spent time wandering among the cold, gray stones, snapping photos and envisioning battles fought long ago.

Then into North Berwich for lunch and rest. Enjoyed a quick lunch of macaroni and salad at the Sea Bird Center on the North Sea. The day is gray and chilly – just as we imagined Scotland would be.

Back on the tour bus after lunch, Andy drove us by two more 14 th century castles, and then we arrived at the Glenkinchie Distillery. A very knowledgeable bi-lingual young woman took us on a most interesting hour-long tour where we learned about the process of distilling scotch whiskey. At the end of the tour we entered the tasting room where we sampled Glenkinchie single-malt scotch, as well as other brands. My favorite was the very smoky Talisker from the highlands. Even Carol enjoyed the various flavors, and she is by no stretch of the imagination a scotch aficionado.

Once more onto Andy’s bus for the forty-minute ride back to Edinburgh, we passed two more ancient castles, then Andy dropped us off on the Royal Mile. We thanked Andy and said “cheers!” Then hopped off and did some shopping before slowly drifting north towards the B&B. Stopped at Urban Angel for a delicious dinner of butternut squash soup, risotto with mushrooms and tapas. A “chocolate pot” with “vanilla foam” topped off the delicious dinner.

Sated and exhausted, we slowly walked ½ block north to the B&B. Carol took a bath, I caught up on email (wireless is everywhere) and at 9:00 pm we were fast asleep after a full day of exploring Scottish castles and sipping savory Scottish whiskies..

Next Day