A trip through the Royal Botanical Gardens

Ah, Edinburgh! There are so many wonderful ways to spend an afternoon here. Most of our days have been used up by rushing here and there to view available apartments, often times to no avail. But, we have found ourselves a home! Yep, we decided on a place and I will certainly be sharing some of those details soon (along with our personal list of do's and don't  for flat hunters in Edinburgh, in case anyone out there might be looking to this blog for help).

And while our "settling-in-to-do" list is still quite long, we can't help but take advantage of this wonderful weather while we still can! So, when we found ourselves on the north side of the city, we decided to pop into the Royal Botanical Gardens. A wonderful, magical place with all kinds of budding beauty!

The visiting center looked cool, with loads of exhibits and information...

But we were eager to get outside and see the gardens, so we had a quick glance and headed outside (but will return to the center one day soon, maybe on a gloomy day...!)

One of the first things we spied was a huge hedge! It is 165 meters long (still not too sure how long that is, but it is very large) and consists of over 150 individual beech trees. It's over 100 years old, and it feels it.

Walking through it was kind of a trip- we understood we were entering some place special. I wish my photos could portray just how long and tall and luxurious it was, but you'll have to take my word for it!

One thing on the other side of the hedge was the fruit and vegetable garden. So many goodies were in bloom, and it seemed to appeal to all of us couples, young and old...

I got mesmerized by the colors, and I admit, it was pretty hard not to start picking purple peas and digging up radishes to munch on.

I wanted to eat it all! How come this guy is allowed but not us?!

(Actually, we are allowed and have every intention of returning to the gardens for the Edible Gardens Harvest Festival at the end of the month!)

We saw some of the folks who tend to the garden...

...and a few familiar faces that reminded us of home.

And then remembered that we are not home, but in a land far away with all kinds of magical secrets...

...that you might be able to discover if you look hard enough.

Of course, even in magical forests, you've got to make time for a snack break! This little guy dropped crumbs on my head-

We walked through the Alpine,

And most of the time we had no clue as to what type of plant we passed, but stopped to admire them jus the same.

I did my duty and shared the load, feeling a bit like a bag lady!

While Matt, finally unburdened, frolicked over hill and dale!

Discovering strange buds and beautiful vistas.

xoxoxoxox