Today was a great day for me, wandering about downtown Edinburgh and then up to Edinburgh Castle.

The day started nicely. I stumbled upon an Australian pub showing State of Origin live - Queenslander!! There were a lot of cockroaches there, which I realized when the Blues scored their first try. Bad luck boys and girls!

There are a lot of spectacular historic buildings but they look like they need a good clean. Lots of people of all countries and languages abound. One thing I noticed is that there a many eastern Europeans in the workforce, such as in pubs and car hire companies.

The Castle was great to visit. It began in medieval times but has weathered conflicts over many centuries and has been continually added to. I didn't realize that it remains a military facility, although it has many memorials, museums, cafes and some partly ruined areas. It has the Scottish Crown Jewels too.

I missed the one o'clock cannon shot - I was watching the Maroons and eating a burger.

Tomorrow I head south again.