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Published: December 28th 2013
Having been in Edinburgh four full days now, I've been able to see and do quite a few things.
On Thursday, we climbed Arthur's Seat - a large hill on the edge of town that offers a spectacular view of all of Edinburgh. The day was perfect for such a climb: nary a cloud in the sky, bright sunshine, and very little wind (for Scotland, that is). On the walk back to David's apartment, we passed through Calton Hill, a large hill in the city centre with several Greek-inspired monuments atop it. These monuments, in part, help earn Edinburgh its nickname "The Athens of the North". The serendipitous find for the day was walking past a gated graveyard and finding the gate ajar, thereby signalling us to enter, obviously. Most of the headstones were from the 19th century, though several were from the 18th and 20th centuries.
On Friday, I was fortunate enough to ride aboard a hairy coo. For those few of you not from the Scottish Highlands, a hairy coo is the local term for a longhaired highlands cow. These cattle were suspected to have been brought to the island thousands of years ago and thrive in the harsh environment of the Highlands. I'm sure a Google image search would yield a suitable picture of these ginger-coated, longhorned, beefs. Anyways, I did not actually ride one of these animals, per se, but went on a tour bus called "The Hairy Coo" and painted as one.
The tour was an all day event, and began by taking us to the mouth of the River Forth, over which spans an impressive rail bridge. The largest William Wallace monument in the world and Doune Castle were the next two stops. Doune (pronounced "Doon"... think sand dune) Castle was made famous by its use in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The gift shop of the castle capitalizes on this by offering Monty Python's Holy Ail (Ale) and coconut halves, ready to be used as a trusty steed (viewing the movie is necessary for understanding this reference). The other set of destinations for the tour were all set in the beginnings of the Scottish Highlands. The Highlands were even more beautiful than I had imagined. There was snow atop several of the mountains, which, when serving as the background for one of the beautiful lochs (lakes) of the prisitine area, made for an intensely spectacular scene.
No hairy coo tour would be complete without seeing some actual hairy coos up close and personal, which we did. During the entire tour, the tour guide, a native Scot complete with kilt, told about the history of the area, focusing on the battles surrounding William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in the late 13th and early 14th century, as well as trivia about Sean Connery, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns, and other famous Scots. Overall it was a day well spent.
Today's adventure was a tour of Edinburgh Castle. This is a beautiful castle that sits atop a hill in the city centre, which looks over the entire city. Inside the castle is contained quite a few museums, the most impressive of which holds the Scottish crowns jewels - the crown of Scottish royalty first used to crown Mary Queen of Scots in the 1500s, a magnificent ceremonial broadsword, and a golden scepter, used in annointing monarchs of the United Kingdom. Other museums held artifacts and information about Scotland's long military history, the history of prisoners in the castle, and a tribute to all Scottish soldiers killed in wars since WWI.
The most impressive part for me was Mons Meg, a huge cannon built in 1449 that shot solid stone balls of a 20-inch diamater up to two miles away, and was capable of knocking down castle walls. Needless to say, this is a huge gun whose use began the end of the castle era and medieval warfare.
Today was rounded out by dinner at Auld Hundred. I had the Auld Hundred Steak Pie - very Scottish and very delicious. I am less than halfway through my stay in Scotland and still have many things yet to see. Of some interest to me is Hogmanay, the Scottish multiday New Year's celebration that is rated among the top 10 New Year's celebrations in the world. Being that I strongly dislike crowds and loudness, I will probably skip the downtown celebration and just watch the fireworks from a less crowded locale.
Being that Scotland is so far north, the days are very short this time of year. The sunlight begins sometime around 8:30 and ends near 4:00. Though it is warmer than home right now. It hasn't been below freezing so far.
Cultural fun facts I've observed so far:
Tartar sauce is spelled "tartare".
Whisky is spelled without the "e", as in the American spelling, "whiskey".
Shot glasses are called "tot glasses".
The word "wee" is used in place of "little" or "small" in almost any context: "I'm just a wee bit hungry", "He's just a wee lad", etc.
"Aye" is the appropriate word to use in place of "yes, yeah, uh huh, or mmhmmm".
"Lad" and "lass" or even "laddie" and "lassie" are used when discussing youths.
Scotland is home to the largest number of redheads per capita - 14% compared to an average of 1.5% in countries where red hair is present.
Also, I can view comments that you readers have left on my blog entries and I thoroughly enjoy receiving and reading them.
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Grandpa & Barbara
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Great Blogs. Brian
What happened to the Old People? Grandpa wants to know. Keeping up with you?