Edinburgh - days 4 & 5

The following day started with another arrival: Joana, another colleague from our Biology course, who we hadn't seen for a few years, and who is now working in environmental education in Dublin.

We went back home to drop off her luggage, had a wonder round Edinburgh, lunch at the mosque,

and then João went off to Uni to do some work, while the three of us explored...

... the park, including the statue the French gave Edinburgh, and which according to the guide was placed in this spot because it would be covered by the trees most of the year...

... the grave of Bobby, the dog who stayed by his owner's tomb for years (I love the fact people leave him sticks!)...

the café that now stands in Haymarket commemorating Half-Hangit Maggie, the girl who was hanged for having had a baby out of wedlock (and trying to get rid of it), but survived... and went on to live a long life, as the law forbade hanging people twice!

...and the castle, which also had a canine attraction.

Of course, being who we are, we couldn't leave Edinburgh without visiting the local Zoo, so our last day was, inevitably, spent there...
If I remember my facts correctly, it has the largest penguin colony in Europe, including the wonderful Gentoo penguins:

We got slightly carried away at the Zoo, and had to rush back to get our stuff and get to the airport in time, but we made it... and loved the fact that Edinburgh airport is so small that you can stand in the duty-free shops and be literally no more than 2 metres from your boarding gate!