Marco and I went to Edinburgh over the long weekend (Bank holiday in the UK and Memorial Day in the US). We had a great time! The architecture is just fascinating and I didn't realise what a hilly city Edinburgh is. We spent most of our time along The Royal Mile which forms the main road of medieval Edinburgh; the castle is on top of a hill at one end and the Palace of Holyroodhouse is at the other end.
This is St. Giles Cathedral. John Knox started the Scottish Reformation from here and when Queen Elizabeth II is in Edinburgh she attends St. Giles (and has her own special seat).
Near St. Giles, I noticed this heart shaped cobble stone pattern. When people walked by they would spit in the heart. This prompted me to do some research... This is the Heart of Midlothian. It marks the entrance to the where the Tolbooth used to be (set up in 1561) to collect tolls. It also became a place where scaffold was erected to hang criminals and to display heads of famous victims. The spitting is a sign of disrespect to the town council for the tolls.
This is the Scot Monument (not along The Royal Mile). Sir Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh and besides being a famous writer he was also a noted public figure. This monument was built after his death in 1832.
Sir Walter Scott with his dog...
This is Edinburgh Castle. It is built on an extinct volcano and sits high above the city. It has been used as a fortress, a palace, military post, and a prison. We did not gone in while we were there because it was quite busy. Besides a lot of tourists there was also some sort of function/party going on - men in their kilts and women in dresses and fancy hats.
Here is a side view of the castle... very rocky!
We saw men in kilts almost everywhere we went and they were not just party goers and street entertainers....
We visited a place that makes tartan. I did some research before we went, to see if I could find the tartan for part of my family. When talking to people I've been told that Ballentine is a Scottish name but I was unable to find the tartan. I was once told that it falls under the Campbell clan but I could not find proof of that. There are also several Campbell clans and tartans. I did find the Moran tartan pattern but we were not able to find the actual tartan in Edinburgh... probably a good thing because I'm not sure Marco can carry off the kilt... and he wanted the Sporran to go with it.
The architecture was amazing!
A little church on a side street... love the red door!
Edinburgh has several gardens. The largest are the Princess Street Gardens near the castle (here) and the Regent Gardens (Holyrood Park is also a large green space).
This is Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Palace was built by James IV in 1498. Before the Palace was built there was an Abbey here... interesting story.... David I was staying at the Edinburgh Castle during Holy Rood day (September 14). He was encouraged to acknowledge this holy day but he preferred to go hunting. While hunting, he became separated from group. He stopped by a spring to drink some water when a giant stag leaped out and pinned the king to the ground with his antlers. As the stag was about to go in for the kill, David I looked up to the sky and saw a cross appear in a silver cloud. The stag reared up and ran away. David I was so grateful for God saving him that he built an abbey and made sure that the monks had everything they needed! The meaning of Holyrood is Holy Cross.
Mary, Queen of Scots lived here and when Queen Elizabeth II visits Edinburgh she stays here.
James V's arms at Holyroodhouse.
I didn't get to show everything but I did show some of the high lights. Marco did get to visit the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre and do the tour. It was interesting and Marco enjoyed it. Marco also was quite daring and tried the haggis, neeps & tatties - a very traditional dish but not for me!
We had a great time and are already talking about what to see and do next time.
Hope you enjoyed!!
No comments:
Post a Comment