Edinburgh Part Two

NOTE: I tried some new things with this post, and I'm not sure they worked. So if the link on the One o'Clock Gun doesn't work, and the videos don't play, my apologies for stepping too far out of my box.

I'm writing this on the train from Glasgow to Bath in the hope I'll be able to catch up with our travels before I forget them. My brain is a fragile thing these days and I don't want to lose it ...

So here we go, on our second day in Edinburgh. This was the first foggy, windy day we'd encountered--and of course we were headed up to the Castle for a full exploration. We donned our layers and struck out on the hike up the hill again. Near the top we found a small shop with a one-man dynamo putting together a steady stream of quick breakfast orders from a tiny kitchen area. He was amazing to watch, but we had to keep moving so we could make our appointment at the Castle.

Once inside, we picked up audio guides that were chock full of information--more than we could ever have the time or persistence to completely play. After taking in some breathtaking views from the Argyle Battery ....

(Looking down on Princes Street and New Town and out to the Firth of Forth)

... we ended up at the National War Museum where we got totally embroiled in trying to follow along with all the different wars that were waged throughout this part of Europe over the centuries. It's no wonder we WASPs have such a mix of nationalities in our DNA; countries and clans were trading fighters all over the place. Wherever someone could cook up a reason to fight over borders or fiefdoms there would be men who would join the cause on either side--and they would come from near and far--and then they probably had their way with the women in those places. We spent far too long in this museum, but the good thing is that by the time we came out, it was almost time to watch the firing of the One o'Clock Gun We waited and waited but I did get my video:

A masterpiece; I'm sure I'll make a great cinematographer when I grow up. 🤣 By the way, San Francisco used to have a One o'Clock Ball Drop to keep time accurate.

After that, we went to the cafe for an excellent lunch of Scotch broth, then wandered up to St. Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building in Edinburgh.

St. Margaret was a queen before she was a saint, so she must have been a kind and good woman.

Then on to the Honours of Scotland, where of course rests the Stone of Destiny, recently returned from its trip to Westminster Abbey for the King's coronation. I didn't get a pic of that, but while we were waiting in line I did capture this excellent rendition of the coat of arms for Great Britain/Scotland--oh wait, that's mostly Scotland, with two of their unicorns and GB's lion definitely playing only a supporting role here:

In this castle, we were looking for anything that could provide a colorful break from the relentlessly dark stone of the buildings. This was a particularly striking accent of color.

We could have been at the Castle forever, but we finally broke away and headed back down the Royal Mile, heading straight to Clarinda's Tearoom but stopping along the way at a pharmacy to acquire medications for my continuing cold. The tearoom was lovely, the scones and the clotted cream were fresh and a good time was had by all.

At the bottom of the Royal Mile, at the ultramodern Scottish Parliament Building, we turned toward the Salisbury Crags and started west through Old Town, which is home to the University of Edinburgh. Like any university area, it's a mix of dorms, scruffy bars, little food joints, and intriguing paths leading to mysterious places. And cows hanging out (we were, after all, walking up Cowgate).

Stopping at a fancy bar next to the Virgin Hotel, we tried a whiskey because that's what you're supposed to do in Scotland. The bar in the Virgin Hotel, of course, is named Eve, and it was beautiful. The whiskey was as we expected. We'll stick to beer and wine, methinks.

At this point, we decided to cross over to New Town (which is pretty old by our standards) so that we could see what an early planned development looked like and how it has stood the test of time. Here are some images from this part of Edinburgh:

On the way down from the Royal Mile to Princes Street

All along the watchtower--a pretty awesome band playing outside Waverley Station

The monument to Sir Walter Scott is as impressive as it should be. Interestingly, the statue of the great man is pristine white; the monument surrounding him, not so much.

Jenner's Department Store, sadly now defunct, held up by women, on whom Mr. Jenner relied for his success. Apparently that ultimately wasn't enough.

Monument to Viscount Melville, the most powerful politician in Scotland in the late 18th century. He must have been powerful indeed to be forever standing so high above everyone else.

Rose Lane and Hanover Street looking south to the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery.

Same intersection looking north to the Firth of Forth (love saying that).

For my western Pennsylvania family and friends, here's William Pitt the Younger, who was Prime Minister under King George III during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Pittsburgh, PA was named after his father, a great statesman and Prime Minister in his own time.

Rose Lane is marked by two of these intricate cobblestone roses in the pavement. Beautiful.

And finally, before we stopped for dinner at a Mediterranean cafe, we found this astounding installation of art that emphasizes how visual art can immortalize literary art. I'll show one panel here, along with the poem that is illustrated by seven panels, one each for each day of the week as lined in the poem.

Edinburgh has loads of bronze statues--most of them depicting important men in Scotland's and UK history. The thing that struck me was that there has been a lot of respect for intellectual greatness and moral (real, not false) goodness. And public art in general abounds. It's a lovely city. We would have enjoyed staying longer. But Glasgow was calling.