Edinburgh - Part I
Please forgive the fact that things are going to be a bit out of order for the next few posts. I'm trying to catch up on my Scotland travels!
After finally getting a good night’s sleep, I was excited to get a start on sightseeing in Edinburgh. There was, however, one thing that I wasn’t expecting: the weather. It was cold and rainy, barely 50 degrees, when I started out on Wednesday morning. Now, I grew up in New England, so I can generally handle less than ideal weather. But there was one problem – I had packed for a summer in the south of Spain (read: 80-90 degree days), not a rainy Scotland spring. I headed off to find breakfast while I considered my predicament and ended up at – you guessed it – Starbucks (there are two in Edinburgh – on the same street). In my defense, it was cold, I really wanted a latte, and I didn’t know where else I could get soy milk. So one latte and some oatmeal later, I was ready to finally brave the day. Luckily for me, Scotland has more cashmere in one square mile that the entire east coast combined, so after a brief stop that included two sweaters and a scarf, I was in much better shape to start the tour.
I started on the Royal Mile, at the Edinburgh Castle. The oldest castle in Scotland, it functioned as a fortress and working castle in many wars over the years. I was surprised to find out that it was more than just a building or two; an entire town could live in the grounds. There were several outbuildings for soldiers, a tower for prisoners of war, buildings for merchants and workers, and even a royal dog cemetery! It is situated at the top of a very large hill, so the views are spectacular, and most likely deterred any warring soldiers from trying to sneak up and attack in the middle of the night. But the best part – the live bagpiper!
While I was there, I also got to see the “Honours of Scotland,” which are the oldest crown jewels in the British Isles. They are the Crown, Sceptre, and Sword of State, many of which were gifts from Popes and were first used together for the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots. You aren’t allowed to take pictures of them, but it was pretty amazing to see objects that were kept hidden until 1818.
After the Castle, I took a short tour of a tartan weaving factory and made my way to an old tenement house. It turns out that behind the tenement house is the Writer’s Museum, a museum dedicated to the life and works of Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Sir Walter Scott . The museum was in another historic home, with each floor being devoted to a different author. I especially enjoyed seeing all of the pictures of Robert Louis Stevenson’s travels; mine certainly pale in comparison!
And then it was time for lunch. I was a little nervous about eating in Scotland, given the fact that I can’t eat fish and chips or haggis (okay, I probably wouldn’t eat haggis anyway). I found a pub advertising homemade food, cider on tap, and a warm atmosphere, so I gave it a try. It was well worth the trip underground. I had stovies, a Scottish dish that is pretty much like a beef stew – perfect for the weather. When I had eaten enough to brave the Royal Mile again, I continued to head down the street, but this time to Holyroode Palace. On the way, I stopped in the Edinburgh Museum, which was just hiding among the buildings on the street. It was rather unexpected; it turned out that this museum was four stories of interesting artifacts found in Edinburgh. There was glass, ceramics, linens, weapons, maps; pretty much everything. It is places like this that are the reason I like traveling without a big plan. I never would have stopped if I had some sort of itinerary, but because I had all day and no one to answer to, I got to see some really cool stuff.
After finally getting a good night’s sleep, I was excited to get a start on sightseeing in Edinburgh. There was, however, one thing that I wasn’t expecting: the weather. It was cold and rainy, barely 50 degrees, when I started out on Wednesday morning. Now, I grew up in New England, so I can generally handle less than ideal weather. But there was one problem – I had packed for a summer in the south of Spain (read: 80-90 degree days), not a rainy Scotland spring. I headed off to find breakfast while I considered my predicament and ended up at – you guessed it – Starbucks (there are two in Edinburgh – on the same street). In my defense, it was cold, I really wanted a latte, and I didn’t know where else I could get soy milk. So one latte and some oatmeal later, I was ready to finally brave the day. Luckily for me, Scotland has more cashmere in one square mile that the entire east coast combined, so after a brief stop that included two sweaters and a scarf, I was in much better shape to start the tour.
I started on the Royal Mile, at the Edinburgh Castle. The oldest castle in Scotland, it functioned as a fortress and working castle in many wars over the years. I was surprised to find out that it was more than just a building or two; an entire town could live in the grounds. There were several outbuildings for soldiers, a tower for prisoners of war, buildings for merchants and workers, and even a royal dog cemetery! It is situated at the top of a very large hill, so the views are spectacular, and most likely deterred any warring soldiers from trying to sneak up and attack in the middle of the night. But the best part – the live bagpiper!
After the Castle, I took a short tour of a tartan weaving factory and made my way to an old tenement house. It turns out that behind the tenement house is the Writer’s Museum, a museum dedicated to the life and works of Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Sir Walter Scott . The museum was in another historic home, with each floor being devoted to a different author. I especially enjoyed seeing all of the pictures of Robert Louis Stevenson’s travels; mine certainly pale in comparison!
And then it was time for lunch. I was a little nervous about eating in Scotland, given the fact that I can’t eat fish and chips or haggis (okay, I probably wouldn’t eat haggis anyway). I found a pub advertising homemade food, cider on tap, and a warm atmosphere, so I gave it a try. It was well worth the trip underground. I had stovies, a Scottish dish that is pretty much like a beef stew – perfect for the weather. When I had eaten enough to brave the Royal Mile again, I continued to head down the street, but this time to Holyroode Palace. On the way, I stopped in the Edinburgh Museum, which was just hiding among the buildings on the street. It was rather unexpected; it turned out that this museum was four stories of interesting artifacts found in Edinburgh. There was glass, ceramics, linens, weapons, maps; pretty much everything. It is places like this that are the reason I like traveling without a big plan. I never would have stopped if I had some sort of itinerary, but because I had all day and no one to answer to, I got to see some really cool stuff.
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