Day 11

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I woke quite a bit earlier than Kristy so I had a shower and went for a walk for an hour before breakfast. I had a wander around the most amazing old Calton Cemetery. What a grand old place. There are graves dating back to the 1700s! Huge old concrete affairs, some with old english spelling. They are in remarkablly good repair. It really makes you think about mortality and the great cycle of life and death when you visit a cemetery.

After spending a while wandering around the cemetery I wandered off down the main street of Edinburgh. It's a busy place in the mornings (as you would expect in a capital city). Everyone walking briskly, presumably to work. I got to the tourist office and bought a map of the city and a few postcards. The young man who served me at the counter was very pleased when he correctly picked my accent as being New Zealand. I was terribly impressed! He obviously had a great ear for accents as New Zealanders are often mistaken for Australians despite the fact we sound completely different!

I wandered back to find Kristy up and about. We went and had breakfast which was a lavish affair in a bistro attached to the hotel. The food choices were amazing. I settled for cereal, yoghurt, fruit, toast and tea which was absolutely delicious and served by very bright and cheery young people.

After breakfast we decided to head for Edinburgh Castle. We walked the kilometre(?) or so, up a hill for the last part. I don't even know where to begin to describe the castle. Just awe inspiring. Seeing it rates as one of the better moments of my life. A thousand years of history. We joined a guided tour - the tour guide (complete with kilt) kept us laughing with his bad jokes but also had a phenomenal memory for the history of the place. After the tour we went to see the Scottish Crown Jewels which have not been used since the 1600s. Once, in the long distant past, they were locked up in a hidden location for 111 years before being rediscovered.

We visited the War Memorial at the castle. It was very moving, particularly when I found the name of my grandmother's brother in a memorial book. Roderick Matheson of the Seaforth Highlanders was killed on the 25 Sep 1915. He was the age of my elder daughter when he died. I have to admit to shedding a few tears. I think that, coping with the death of my friend a few days ago and being surrounded by all the evidence of so much needless death was a bit much. Having said that, the memorial is the most beautiful and peaceful place and I am really happy that Uncle Roderick is remembered there (although, sadly, his body lies in France)

I also felt a great deal of empathy for Mary, Queen of Scots. She made some silly mistakes (as do we all) but she paid so dearly for them losing her son and eventually her life.

I loved St Margaret's Chapel - it was built in the 12th century - the oldest building at the castle. What a gorgeous, peaceful little place. Apparently couples still use it today for marriage ceremonies. I couldn't think of anywhere better to marry.

We had a wander through the building where the prisoners were kept and saw the conditions they were kept in, the amount of 'victuals' they were entitled to, some of the incredibly creative art works they made to sell and some of the graffitti they carved in the doors. The human spirit is remarkably resilient.

We enjoyed a terrific lunch in the cafe at the Castle. I had a delicious spinach quiche and salad, a piece of cake and a cup of tea. We are eating so well. It is going to be a miracle if I am the same weight when we return home! We sat inside but didn't realise that we were right next to the "1 o'clock gun". It duly boomed out and we nearly wet ourselves until we realised what it was! This gun is fired at 1 o'clock every day and has been so for hundreds of years.

We left the castle at around 3.30pm and walked down the Royal Mile. I had read about a place called "Real Mary King's Close" and was quite excited when I spotted it. We went in and booked a tour for 4.40pm. Kristy was keen for a shower so we walked back to our hotel which wasn't far. We walked back at around 4.15 in time for our tour. The Close is an underground area which has been rediscovered. It was kind of a slum back in 1500-1600s. A new building was built over the top of it in the 1700-1800s and it became lost in time. It has only recently been rediscovered and excavated out. It was quite remarkable seeing how people lived back then. So squalid and unsanitary. No wonder they died so young. Steven, our tour guide, was excellent and gave a brilliant account of the life and times of various citizens who are now known to have lived at the Close. Research continues to be undertaken. It was very thought provoking and I would love to return in the future and see what else they have discovered. At the end of the tour they take your photo in the Close so we bought a copy of it as a reminder of our visit.

We were, once again, exhausted after our busy day so we trudged back to the hotel, stopping at a little supermarket to buy some cheese and bread for supper on the way.

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Photos

Edinburgh Castle
It is hard to descibe how beautiful it is

Royal Mile in Edinburgh
this street performer amused me