The weather holds.
I am consistently reminded of the pride of the Scots in their heritage. The Scots are proud of their centuries of strife and troubling history with England. Scotland is tied to England by the Stewart Kings. If not for that historical joining, the Scots would be less tolerate of the British.
Gaelic is spoken on the streets. You hear it when, as a passerby, the conversation is private. The museums stress the uniqueness of the Scottish history. At the same time. Scotland is a global nation. It relies on migration for its work force.
I have resumed my travel routine. I now start my day around 6:30AM. I walk to Tesco Express for a sweet roll and then another three blocks to Starbucks. I seat on the upper level and use WIFI to update my world.
An objective on this trip is to become comfortable with exchange rates and handling monies. I did not start well. But, I am now improving. The hard issue is the coins. The Euro and the Pound Sterling use coins for one and two Euro and Pound.
While your pockets fill with coins, you are never sure that you have given the correct amount or are getting the correct change. The frequent response is to hand over a twenty pound/Euro note and wait for change. Or, to open our hand filled with loose coins and let the clerk pick out the amount needed.
All these are acceptable. But, you are too soon identified as an inexperienced tourist. I want to move up from inexperienced to unskilled tourist.
Of course, I bring back a breakfast roll.
This is our last full day in Edinburgh. Our focus is Edinburgh Castle.
Betty's foot is still bothering her. She has been remarkable. The day will require a lot of climbing and walking. Her pace will be slower. She very kindly volunteers to split up for the day.
Edinburgh Castle dominates the cityscape. On an extinct volcano, the castle rests on the high ground of the city. Edinburgh is surrounded by hills with the Water of Leith (Leith River) flowing through the city to the Firth of Forth and then to the North Sea. Edinburgh is a port.
There have been 26 sieges over its 1,100 year history. It is the "if you build it, they will siege it".
Edinburgh Castle was involved in various conflicts including the Wars of Scottish Independence and the Jacobite rising of 1745. Notice the reoccurring theme - religion and the English - and often they are the same.
The Castle has earned the title "the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world". In 1916, Edinburgh was bombed (23 bombs) by two German Zeppelin with the the Castle's "One O'clock Gun" was fired in defense. It did not hit anything.
You enter the Castle through the main gate by crossing the parade grounds. The grounds are the stage for the Royal Edinburgh Military Ground. A major attraction in August, the Tattoo has developed into a complexity of performances by invited variety of performers and marching bands from around the world. I have viewed on YouTube and it is impressive. With a focus on formation marching, the highlight is the massed pipes and drums of the Scottish regiments.
You climb. There are various levels to the Castle. As with Stirling Castle, the Castle buildings are a mixture of museums, restored rooms that exhibit various periods and occupation and a small military barrack.
I tour the several regimental museums, the Scottish National War Memorial and the National War Museum of Scotland. It is easy to note that Scotland has given a great deal in the creation of the British Empire. It is a constant reminder how devastating World War I was to Britain and Scotland.
From the parapets, the view is impressive. During the day, I will climb a number of hills and high points with outstanding vistas. the operative word in Edinburgh is climbing.
The restaurants within the Castle are full. So, I head to the Deacon Brodie Pub which is a short walk from Castle. Deacon Brodie is a well known , colorful figure in Edinburgh lore. The Deacon was a respected cabinetmaker (locksmith) with access to keys of the homes of the Edinburgh wealthy. For almost 20 years, he paid his gambling debts with thefts. An estimated 40,000 people watched his hanging.
The pub is full. I find a place at the bar, order a pint of a local brew and plan my afternoon and lunch.
I cross the Royal Mile. St Giles Church is the
principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterianism)
in Edinburgh and focal point of worship for almost 900 years. The
present church dates from the late 14th century and is an active church.
The Protestant leader and theologian, John Knox, is buried in the
kirkyard of the church (now a paved parking lot in front of church - the
site is noted by a plaque in the tarmac).
The stained glass windows are impressive. The vast majority of the glass was installed during the middle of the 20th century.
Lunch. I decide that when in Scotland you should try local cuisine. There is a
burrito shop on North Bridge Street about a five block walk.
Come on, down deep in your heart, you would want to try a burrito. Actually, Mexican food is popular. There are a number of Mexican restaurants.
This is more of a "catch all" place. You order at the bar and pay. The burrito is a an interesting interpretation. It is beef, rice and cheese rolled in a flour like tortilla and then grilled like a panino. It is not a burrito. It does energize me.
We have focused on Old Town. I now adventure out. I turn right to The Royal Mile. We had covered this side on Sunday. I have not destination in mind. I am a wanderer.
After a few blocks the crowd thins. I pass the very modern Scottish Parliament Building at the end of the Mile. I turn at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Queen's Gallery.
I start to realize the height of the old buildings in Old Town and New Town Edinburgh. They are built from local stone. Because of the hills and elevated streets you are not aware that the buildings are often four stories high. I thought that to build to that height the base width had to be substantially wider to support the weight of the higher floors with the higher floors walls thinner. Or, some type of buttressing of the walls.
Obviously, I am wrong. These stone buildings appear straight and self supporting (with no obvious superstructure). They are easy to admire and comfortable to look at. More than the castles, my memories will be of this walk.
I turn and retrace my steps for a few blocks. I turn left and walk a few blocks to Carlton Street. There is a small park to my left. Why not. There is a hill to climb and I need to walk off lunch.
Eureka. This is the joy of no schedule. No tour. This is Carlton Hill.
It is blustery at the top of the top of the hill. It is the 360 degree vista of Edinburgh. The Hill is a hodgepodge of monuments that only adds to the private feeling to the hill.
There are more visitors at the top of the hill than expected. There are tourists and school groups. There is a monument to Nelson (mandatory in UK). An unfinished national monument formed by Roman columns. Robert Burns, The Political Martyrs Monument, the Dugald Stewart Monument and the City Observatory.
Now, I have to start working my way back to the hotel. I turn right towards North Bridge Street.
My goal is the Waverly Train Station. We are leaving by train to Glasgow tomorrow. I want to stop at the station's kiosk to print our tickets. I ordered on line and as usual, I am apprehensive.
I checked the Internet and there appears to be only one major station in Edinburgh. I want to make sure that we arrive in plenty of time tomorrow. So, I will print the tickets today.
What I find out later is that UK tickets purchased on line are "all day" - miss the train, take the next train. Ticket will work. Scots Rail is great.
This is the first lag of our journey through Scotland - Edinburgh to Glasgow to Oban and back to Glasgow for a flight to London. The Glasgow to Oban is by train and bus. The Internet information lacks transparency and reassurance.
Waverly Station is a five minutes from the hotel by cab. It is what you expect - large and busy. Well land out and flows. The only note is that it is a long escalator ride from the street to the gates.
The process is easy at the kiosk. Input the code - I created a problem with keeping track of the various codes on my phone - and the little colored pieces of stiff paper are printed and dispensed.
I am relieved when the first three drop. I pick up my tickets and walk away. The only problem is that there are four little pieces of paper. I left a ticket in the machine. I took the receipt, summary and one ticket. I left a ticket. I do not realize until when I got back to the hotel.
I walk up Princes Street. Princes Street is a commercial avenue. Shopping and business offices are on the far side of the street. It is now the beginning of Rush hour - Edinburgh is going home.
On my side of the street, there is a small park that runs along the street. I know that I have to turn back towards The Royal Mile. Princes Street is lower (notably lower) than Old Town.
I find a street that runs past the National Art Gallery. I climb stairs - stairs - stairs. As I rise through the buildings on either sides - I re-enter the tourist area and exit through Writers' Guild Close.
Of course, a stop at a coffee shop. A stop at Tesco Express for dinner in the room.
Tomorrow - the adventure begins.
No comments:
Post a Comment