May 3rd, our anniversary!
Rising at 5:30 am, we explored the sleepy city, drinking in the quiet.
One of our tour guides later compared Edinburgh to his hometown of Glasgow,
declaring a funeral in Glasgow to be more of a party than a wedding in Edinburgh.
While our city believed in bedtimes, we loved how safe it felt.
Sure, it's a city of business, but it preserves its heritage in the stonework and stories shared.
One of the wee shoppes on the left was one of dozens of places that sold clan trinkets.
Like kimono, kilts are incredibly expensive, so we settled for fridge magnets, hee.
I could write ballads about this castle, sigh.
Hey look, a telephone booth--!--oof, sealed shut.
We never saw anyone use these booths, their purpose most likely being to preserve charm.
Hiking up the street, we rounded into the kirkyard
that's become a pilgrimage for Harry Potter fans like me,
where J.K. Rowling allegedly found names for characters in her books.
Being Sunday, it was closed for service -- rats!
Farther along our path we found Greyfriars Bobby,
a famous terrier who loyally stood sentinel at his master's grave in the kirkyard nearby
for fourteen years until his own death.
Tourists rub his nose for luck, much to the annoyance of the city council.
And then suddenly, we were there.
The Elephant House, the cafe made famous by J.K. Rowling using it to write her first books.
Look, look, a golden plaque!
"Made famous as the place of inspiration
to writers such as J.K. Rowling who sat
writing much of her early novels in the
back room overlooking Edinburgh Castle."
I was so excited, I nearly didn't go inside.
I didn't want anything to shatter this happy bubble.
This is the second country I've visited that holds tea as a sacred, basic human right (hee).
Being American, used to teabags,
I was completely enamored with pouring my own loose leaf herbal tea.
Vanilla Tea!
I ordered the Scottish breakfast and... did not quite know what to do.
Sure, traditional American breakfasts have eggs, meats, and toast too, but...
HAGGIS?
This was both Ken-kun's and my first taste of the infamous Scottish staple, haggis.
Creeeeeeping closer...
*om*
It was unlike anything I had tasted before.
I kept trying to equate it to thicker ground beef, but it really had a taste of its own.
The Elephant House is decorated with warm colors and -- you guessed it -- elephants!
A very cozy place to breakfast.
I received a bit of a shock when entering the ladies' room.
I had never seen so much graffiti in one place before!
But I quickly understood why the cafe allowed it...
most of the words are tributes to Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling.
Always. ❤
Upon returning to our table, I surreptitiously slipped Ken-kun my camera
and asked him to scout out the gentlemen's closet.
While not as densely tattooed, Harry Potter still moved pilgrims to mark their hearts on the walls.
A cozy wee fireplace, perfect for tea sipping and page turning.
You truly could see Edinburgh Castle from the cafe,
a true inspiration for Hogwarts.
And you could see the kirkyard as well!
No wonder fans believe it to be a source of Harry Potter character names.
Thank you, Jo.
Bellies full of meats and teas, we sauntered back down towards the castle
only to find a random Lotus convention on the street we had just walked!
WOW.
I'm not really into cars, but I do appreciate a pretty Lotus. Or twenty.
So many pubs had clever names and histories
(1516? The United States wasn't even a thought!)
but this one made us giggle.
A husband day care centre,
how thoughtful.
But what if I wanted to eat there too, hmm? ;)
And then, we were back at the castle.
Only this time, we were going inside.
The sign off to the left of the red jacketed man heralded a parade of special events that day
all in memorial of the Battle of Waterloo.
We rushed inside to catch up with a tour group that had just begun,
our eyes widening as we learned about the incredible history of this place.
I recorded every commemorative event we attended,
but for the sake of time, here's just a taste, complete with Scottish cheek and wit. :)
Scotland has an ancient and proud military history,
something both Ken-kun and I were surprised and pleased to learn.
Inside this building rests memorials of people who gave their lives for Scotland since 1914.
Unicorns and lions frequently pair together in regal Scottish arms,
unicorns poised for Scotland, lions for England,
but this unicorn seems to have lost his horn, though he still proudly wields Scotland's flag.
The Lion bearing England's flag.
The fable of the Lion and the Unicorn fighting over the crown makes so much more sense now.
Hee hee, I look a wee bit out of place in my poofy coat and silly shoes.
But I'll tell you what, my feet never hurt during this trip.
My knees on the other hand... Och, stairs.
Ken-kun really drank in the atmosphere; military history is his realm.
Out of respect for the remembered, we spoke softly inside and did not take photographs.
In this building, resides the Honours of Scotland,
the Scottish Crown Jewels.
This hall was badly brutalized by enemy forces, reforged into a military barracks.
However, the upside-down boat hull ceiling was erected to
herald back to the more original woodwork and structure.
I so badly wanted to sit and stare out those windows,
but of course this is a protected place.
Staring at this picture now though, I feel a whimsy start to overtake me, mmm.
I told Ken-kun the armors on display looked like low-level RPG armor,
but that probably was not the most respectful thing to say, oops.
Being able to see the craftsmanship so up close though was really intriguing.
Legends of heroes wielding these giant swords one-handed suddenly became more impressive.
Our own fireplace mantel is quite plain compared to this...
Ken-kun, let's renovate! Oh, right, we're renting.
We found the regimental colours on display,
scheduled to be retired from public eye forever, come this August.
I know this photo is HDR-ed up the wazoo, but my camera was only barely able to capture
the color of the flag, it being so old and battered.
If only you were there, seeing these relics as we saw them!
The arms on display were truly impressive,
just look at those pinwheeling pistols!
This is the ceremonial key to Edinburgh Castle,
the names of its wielders stamped on gold seals surrounding it.
A happy place to share our own celebratory day!
As we wandered about the hall, two kilted soldiers marched inside bearing arms,
arriving to tell us about their history of battles in the name of King George III.
They were quite friendly for rifle-brandishing generals!
Just look at that snarl, hee hee.
After the soldiers regaled us with military history,
we queued up to see the sparkling jewels of the Scottish Crown.
You can google their pictures, but we were not allowed to photograph them for security reasons.
They truly were beautiful, though.
Busts have always unnerved me, perhaps it's the eyes?
Inside the living quarters of the old royals, we spotted the lion and unicorn again.
And again in the reception room! Gosh, just look at that craftsmanship.
We also spied my general friend again, this time instructing us on the diet of soldiers.
Yes, that's all real food, hardtack included!
This was a special type of Dunlop cheese, if memory serves me right, made only in Scotland.
Quite firm to the touch it was, but inside it offered soft, creamy delight.
Ooh hoo, the unicorns have caged the lion! No? Just an outsider's guess.
This is the room where Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI (James I of England).
A remnant of the thorn tree belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots.
Thorns and thistles are symbols of Scotland.
We crossed the courtyard to enter the Great Hall once more,
this time to learn how ladies were pampered and powdered in older times.
We were horrified to learn many of the products daily applied by ladies-in-waiting
slowly killed their ladies, being incredibly toxic to human flesh -- the eye drops caused blindness!
Rain drops and my sleeve kept waging war throughout our tour of the castle,
but no matter how much I wiped, my lens was forever misty.
I fell in love with the chocolates, the crisps, and the flavored waters of Scotland.
They know how to make a mean French fry too! Er, chip.
Soon, it was time for the crowning event of the day: a display of firearms.
I kept trying to catch this soldier's heavy shot, but only managed to snag the audio.
Still, you can see other rifles cracking fire in the video above!
Edinburgh Castle houses an active barracks for the country's soldiers,
it was inspiring to see them march in formation.
After the special events wrapped up, we slid down the hill to the war history museum,
Ken-kun's most favorite part of our day.
We learned how the bagpipes are historically a war instrument,
how hearing them through the mists on the battlefield shook enemies in their boots.
We learned much more than that, but you'll have to ask Ken-kun for those details. :)
The top of the castle offered breathtaking views of the city.
Sleepy from lunch and the warm interior of the war history museum,
we trailed after the stragglers exiting the castle, just before the doors shut for the day.
Being so far north, Edinburgh stays remarkably light well into the evening.
So, despite the rain, we trundled down to the streets and hailed a cab for another adventure.
This would be our first glimpse of Holyrood House, the Scottish residence of the Queen.
But we would not go inside for several days to come.
Instead, we stayed in Holyrood Park, turning our sights up the trail of Arthur's Seat.
When we told our cabbie where we wanted him to take us,
he stuttered, "but that's in the middle of... there's nothing there!"
Au contraire, mon amie.
There was so much beauty there,
as well as an adventure we did not know awaited us.
This hill may not look like much,
but we had to scramble to keep our footing, using our hands to claw
as we made our way down its rocky face.
I was so sure were going the right way,
but we soon discovered that Holyrood Park is home to much more than Arthur's Seat.
There were trails everywhere.
Still, determined I knew the way, we forged onward.
Thankfully, my husband is a very patient kindred spirit.
Tired from a day of filming, my point-and-shoot's battery flickered out,
so I switched to my iPhone's camera.
It was an odd contrast, soaking up the incredible beauty of the trail
while exasperatedly cursing reviewers who told us this hike was easy.
Are you people Olympians or something?
This trail felt like the last stretch of Mount Timpanogos in Utah.
Possibly because we had been hiking around a castle all day.
We spotted a droopy-whiskered hare
who slowly blinked at us before crawling back in the brush.
By this point, I began to doubt my choice of paths.
Ah, ah, I see it!
Just... a wee bit... farther...
Cresting the mount, I looked around.
Expecting some sort of throne,
I asked a fellow hiker (who happened to be a Scot) where Arthur's Seat was.
He stared for a moment, unsure if I was being a smart aleck or not,
then exclaimed, "this is Arthur's Seat! You're here!"
Jelly-legged from unanticipated bouldering,
we collapsed at the summit and drank from our water bottle as well as the scenery.
Apologies, Ken-kun, I lead you up a harder path.
But we made it!
Arthur's Seat is simply the main peak of a group of hills,
covered in grasses and gorse flowers, remnants of an ancient volcano.
Tiny fairy pools.
Rolling mists encircling the upper summit.
Gosh, was it beautiful.
It had rained all day, so were not expecting much of a view at all.
And while fog did prowl around the top of Arthur's Seat, it did so quickly,
giving us windows of clarity to see the city below.
And then, in the blink of an eye, the clouds would return.
Despite the long daylight, Edinburgh does eventually enjoy nighttime.
It wasn't until we followed a Dutch couple back down that we found the standard hiking trail.
Then we understood why people called it an easy walk -- if you take the main trail, it sure is!
But we forged our own trail, marbleizing our calves.
Edinburgh is a sleepy city, it's true.
Which is why Tesco is a blessing to foreigners like us
who don't remember food until it's too late.
Hello, carbs, get in my body.
We gorged on crisps and sweets, trying to feed our bodies the energy they lost that day
before raising a white flag and falling into bed, not to wake until the next morning.
To be continued... in the next post!
No comments:
Post a Comment