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The flight was fine. You do what you must on a transatlantic crossing. Movies. Gazing. Reading. Eating. I'm happy to have left in the afternoon; I was able to stay up all night until it was night in Scotland. It was much easier to acclimate this way.
My abode is a sweet wee apartment in the West End, within walking distance of the castle and Old Town and New Town. The owner left me a bowl of fresh fruit, biscuits and jam, and coffee to get me started on my first day.
Okay, I'm just going to have to say right now that, in my head, I'm hearing all of this in a Scottish accent. It can't be helped! I'm surrounded by brogue, farleh droonen' en eh'!
My first day was so wet. I brought rain pants but didn't think I would need them, since I was headed for the castle, where I'd be inside, right? I had an umbrella, rain coat and waterproof shoes. All was grand.
I could see Edinburgh Castle perched on its hill from just down my street. Along my way I was distracted by a graveyard until I discovered the steep, narrow
pathway to the main gate. High upon the craggy rocks, the sideways gusts were relentless, forcing tourists to wield their inverted umbrellas like stiff, jagged tulips against the torrent.
The ticket seller asked me if I believed that it rarely rains in Scotland. I said no, and he told me it rains 360 days a year. I believed it, and said it was no wonder they love their whisky. He was kind enough to pretend that he doesn't hear that several times a day, every day. I dragged some whisky recommendations out of the lad before turning toward the stormy keep. I admit I made him talk for a while so I could bask I his accent. Thats likely common as well.
Once every day the cannon is fired at 1:00, so the tourists all gathered round to witness the official firing of the cannon. It was loud. It was official.
Due to frequent skirmishes, quite a bit of the castle is rebuilt. It houses museum displays and recreations of scenes like corronations ano imprisonments. Highlights included the Crown Jewels - a crown, scepter, sword and the "Stone of Destiny", a bit of sandstone which, according to
legend, dates back to biblical times when Jacob used it as a pillow and dreamed of a ladder carrying angels between Heaven and Earth.
Through the ages, the stone made its way from Syria to Egypt. From there, Gytheus brought it to Spain, and then Ireland, where he sat upon it to be crowned King of Ireland. The Scots grabbed this stone on a raid and brought it to an abbey in Scone, where it remained until 1291, when Edward I captured it for England's own damn royalty. The English, worried that the SOD was cursed, built a throne under which the stone would be placed for crowning ceremonies. This way the royals' sacred bums would not come in direct contact with any Celtic hoodoo. In 1950 some Scottish students stole the rock and returned it to the abbey. England eventually officially returned it to Edinburgh in 1986. It will be used in the next coronation.
Recent investigations show that the stone is made of the same type of stone used to construct the abbey of Scone. Rumor has it that the original was hidden away from the English, who made off with a forgery.
You guys,
Gate
Fortressy I'm also intrigued by the tragic Mary, Queen of Scots, who survived the deaths of her three husbands (one whom she may or may not have had a hand in murdering)' and who was ordered beheaded by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I! She gave birth to her only child, the future King James IV in one of the castle rooms. He was raised by others to be Protestant. She was catholic and improsoned almost two decades. She only visited the castle twice so... go look her up yourselves.
My legs were soaked after the castle but I continued exploring down into the Old Town, where multistoried buildings dating from the 1500s to the 1800s hover over the "Royal Mile", a cobbled medieval street that leads from the castle to the Holyrood Palace (*not* "Hollywood", no matter how often your brain tries to convince you otherwise).
People, I am not regretting a single layer I brought with me. I was never cold during the downpour and I feel fairly prepared for future inclement adventures. My plan is to always carry the waterproof pants in my backpack (not waterproof, btw), just in case.
I ended my day at the
wee abode with some amontillado and cheese and crackers from the local grocer. On TV? OUTLANDER, of course!
Check out more photos by following the link below
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Lori
non-member comment
Loving this!
So glad to read this! Thanks for posting. Never been, but on the bucket list. Continued safe travels and see you on the other side of the pond! ❤️