Day 18 - Edinburgh Castle

Today is Friday and we are on a tour of Edinburgh Castle. Both Tony and I have visited this place before but there is so much more to see and it is a remarkable highlight of this great city. We are aware of huge numbers of tourists that come to the castle each day. We have been advised to be there early in order to get ahead of the pack, and are grateful that this happens. Wonderful views of the city.
I love the little chapel built in 1130 by King David for his mother who was quite spiritually inclined.
I also love the idea of the special graveyard for the dogs. This spot has been used since Queen Victoria's reign (1837-1901). It's been a burial place for regimental mascots and officers' dogs. Great to see they are remembered fondly and given dignity with an assigned place in this beautiful garden.
When we go to buy a drink from an outside vendor, there's a sign that says, "Mackie's Crisps" and I buy a gourmet packet of potato chips. I wonder if these Mackies are also members of our family. They may

have been cousins of the dairy Mackies and branched out into selling potato chips.
Later we drive out of Edinburgh to the tiny village of Rosslyn where we hear the inside story on the famous Rosslyn Chapel, which was associated with "The Da Vinci Code". Tony is very keen to see this chapel which was built in the 17th century.
Then we visit a real Highland sheep farm and meet Neil the shepherd and his border collies. He uses different whistles to command each dog to carry out specific tasks. The dogs are also trained in voice commands. Neil has about 8 or 9 collies bringing in a herd of sheep and they are all moving in particular locations. Tony is one of the volunteers to try his hand at sheep shearing with the olden day clippers. Then we all have the opportunity to feed the lambs and hold the pups. The rain sprinkles down on us but it is not wet enough to have to leave.