Smells like hops and sounds like bagpipes: Edinburgh Part II

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So here's how it's going to work. I'm back from my week in Scotland, having covered most of the staples of Scottish Culture (except tree-throwing), and the abridged version of my upcoming entries is: fantastic.

I'm going to do one entry about each day, except for the last two days of my Highland Tour, which will be done together. I'll publish one entry every day (at least, that's my intention), so that I'll finish just before I leave for London/Stonehenge/Cork on Sunday of next week. Obviously more entries will be forthcoming about that trip.

Have not yet decided if I'm going to take my computer to London/Ireland. Will keep you posted on that.

Anyway, boring stuff aside:



Every time I visit Edinburgh, I am surprised at the number of Americans I encounter. Just walking around, either city center or the University, I hear American accents from just about every third person I pass. London was the same way, in stark contrast to Newcastle, where the Americans are either few and far between or well-hidden.

Friday night I left clinic and immediately hopped on the train to Edinburgh to meet up with Julia and a Hamiltonian from our Boston crowd, who is visiting this wonderful continent for two weeks. After a hasty change of clothes in Julia's flat, we went into New Town for a Scottish dance party called a Ceilidh.

The band mixed traditional Scottish and contemporary music and had professional dancers who mixed Scottish Highland dancing with breakdancing. I would never have said those two genres go together. But apparently they do. Very fun to watch.

I should probably mention that the general public was not expected to break dance. Nor were the male members of the dance troop wearing kilts. That would have been an unpleasant sight. Anyway, lots of fun.



The last time I came to Edinburgh, I reserved the climbing of Arthur's seat for later in the year. So, on Saturday morning the three of us went up and it was fantastic.







The wind was fierce up there. Which I guess shouldn't be surprising.



This is a famous statue in city center called Greyfriars Bobby, in memory of a dog that supposedly guarded it's master's grave for 14 years after his death. It is supposed to be the most photographed statue in Scotland, and I have been wanting to see it since I first read about it in 2007, but haven't gotten the oppurtunity.

Except turns out the statue is not only on a major road in city center, but a major road that is used to get to Julia's flat. I have in fact walked by it several times without seeing it. Oh well.



The dog's grave is front and center in the cemetary outside Highland Kirk. I have heard that the church is beautiful, but it is closed to the public until April.

In the evening we went on a Harry Potter tour of the city. It was free (the guide asked for tips at the end, but they weren't required and I say fair enough), and met outside the pub by Greyfriars (apparently a very touristy spot; it was full by 6:30. Then again...Britain). They meet every Saturday at 6:30. It was a walking tour that pointed out places in Edinburgh that were either significant to J.K. Rowling's life or in some way connected to the books, sometimes as inspiration for a person or place...

...and sometimes by pure coincidence.

Apparently it's not completely true that JK Rowling wrote the first book in The Elephant House cafe. Part of the problem with that rumor: The Elephant House didn't open until 1995. However, it was almost certainly her favorite place to write some of the later books, before she became too famous to write in cafes anymore.

I am satisified by the notion that TEH is where 'Prisoner of Azkaban' was born. Good enough for me. The 'true' birthplace of Harry Potter (besides that famous train ride from London to Manchester) is apparently a second floor cafe, which has since been renamed, several blocks away. We didnt go right up to it, but apparently there is a plaque.

Couldn't get a good shot of JK Rowling's handprints, but they're there. You can see her name.

We were given wands to hold onto for the duration of the tour. I am not going to attempt to disguise how happy this made me. Our guide taught us a spell to turn the lights green if we got stuck at an intersection ("rossio luminous!" was the incantation). He said it works every time, "but sometimes you have to wait up to a minute."

He wasn't wrong about that. Within 45-60 seconds, it worked every time. Brilliant.

We visited a school built to look like a castle. It has four houses, each with signature colors. I think you can guess what they are.

We also walked up a street that supposedly inspired Diagon Alley (lots of shops pressed together, some magic, some books, some cafes, a joke shop) but I overheard a girl on the tour saying that a street in London claims the same thing.

St Andrew's (small coastal, University town north of Edinburgh) tomorrow, then the Highlands!

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