Entries about king-of-scotland

Edinburgh is a compact city and it's surrounded by lovely green hills. Once you exit the city, in under half an hour, there are various sites to visit including the Tweed Valley where you can see a statue of William Wallace who became widely known outside of Scotland thanks to the film Braveheart. Weirdly enough, Wallace wasn't actually Braveheart. It turns out that Robert the Bruce was and his heart is on display in Melrose Abbey in the small town of Melrose. The Abbey is a semi-ruin, but you can still go inside if you want to see the heart. Robert the Bruce lived in the late 1200s and fought with Wallace against the English. Robert later became King of Scotland and was known as Robert I. Along the way, he was excommunicated by the Pope for murdering someone in a church. Eventually all was forgiven.

The Abbey sits on a beautiful piece of land on the edge of Melrose, a small town with quite a few shops and restaurants. I ate at the Greenhouse Cafe where your dog is welcomed with a large bowl of water. The food is made on the premises and is fresh and delicious. I had a chicken salad with a freshly made chutney. If they put the chutney in a jar, I would buy it.

On the way back to Edinburgh, a brief stop at Smailholm Tower is worth a look. The four story tower was a favorite spot of Sir Walter Scott who visited there often and was inspired to write some of his poems and ballads there.