Edinburgh Scotland ~ A Gothic Fairytale
“This is a city of shifting light, of changing skies, of sudden vistas. A city so beautiful it breaks the heart again and again.” - Alexander McCall Smith
I am a romantic at heart and Scotland has always spelled Romance with a capital R to me. The sound of the bagpipes, the handsome chieftains riding hell for leather, fearless in battle and chivalrous to their last drop of blood. The beautiful green glens and natural beauty a feast for the eyes.
Stories of Mary Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, all these romantic yet tragic heroes and heroines embraced by Hollywood and portrayed so realistically on the silver screen have fired the imagination and made Scotland a must visit destination for many travelers.
Edinburgh has been recognized as the capital of Scotland since the 15th century. The Palace of Holyrood house is the official residence of the British Monarch in Scotland and is open to the public. The city has long been a center of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, literature, sciences and engineering. Scotland is credited with the invention of penicillin, telephone and television.
Edinburgh is perhaps the United Kingdom’s second most visited destination. August is a busy month to visit Edinburgh, there are all manner of festivals particularly the Fringe Festival and the Tattoo. The Royal Mile was so crowded with people that one could just stand and let oneself be carried by the crowd.
Edinburgh is where my Scottish adventure began but please stay tuned we will be continuing beyond the Firth of Forth into the Scottish Highlands.
Gretna Green, the elopement capital of the U.K. Since Scotland’s laws were more liberal than England, couples who wanted to marry but were denied parental permission eloped across the border to get married over the anvil at Gretna Green.
As we crossed the border into Scotland talking about the Pam American crash over Lockerbie our first stop in Scotland was Gretna Green. It’s still a popular destination for weddings and we saw a couple of weddings being performed. Overall though it was fun to stop here and check a box, though I found this place quite touristy.
Edinburgh was crowded. The Grass Market area where we stayed pictured here was full of people and street performers. After two years, the city was full of people drinking dancing and in the mood to enjoy themselves.
I was here to attend the Edinburgh Tattoo a long held dream and my sense of anticipation began to mount as I too became infected by the general excitement that permeated the city.
Haggis that Scottish delicacy that needs to be tried at least once. I had tried it on an earlier visit and decided that it wasn’t for me. Considering that it had been many years, people change, I have expanded my palate in the past few years and I was persuaded to try it again. This time it looked quite different from what I recalled and the verdict is that it is not bad but not something that I would order if I had a choice.
Edinburgh Castle is one of the oldest fortified palaces in Europe. When you climb Castle Hill you walk in the footsteps of Kings and Queens, soldiers and chiefs.
Parts of the castle are still in military use but the Royal Palace and the Great Hall are open to visitors. I had been here before a long time ago and places like this don’t change but I kept feeling that the entire experience was completely different from what I recalled. Thank God, Holyrood Palace was like I remembered.
The Royal Palace was once home to Mary Queen of Scots where she gave birth to her son James the VI who united the crowns of Scotland and England. The Crown Room is home to the crown, scepter and sword of state which was first used at Mary’s coronation in 1543. The iconic Stone of Destiny used for centuries to inaugurate Scottish monarchs is also on display here. No photographs are allowed inside.
Our guide gave us an interesting story of how the English stole the Stone of Destiny and then some Scottish students on a drunken dare stole it back and brought half of it back to Scotland.
The Burns monument dedicated to Robert Burns the national poet of Scotland is located on Calton Hill which also gives you a birds eye view of Holyrood House Palace. Robert Burns wrote the words to Auld Lang Syne which the entire world sings to bid goodbye to the old year and welcome in the new year.
Edinburgh of course is home to more than palaces and the royal mile. While we did not visit the pub we heard the tale of Bobby Greyfriars, a Skye Terrier who was so faithful to his master that he spent 14 years guarding his master’s grave. He is buried in the nearby church and a statue of the dog was commemorated to recognize his loyalty.
People visit the pub to celebrate the life and story of Greyfriars Bobby though from what I’m given to understand the food is average.
The blue door on this block of apartments is the front door to what once used to be Sir Alexander Graham Bell’s home. As they say, Scotland might be a small nation when compared to others but it’s contributions are mighty.
The Palace of Holyrood House stands at the end of the Royal Mile and is the Queen’s official residence in Scotland. It is associated with historic figures like Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie.
The palace is open to visitors and is staged as a residence. We wandered through the throne room, the bedroom of Mary Queen of Scots, the dining room and other notable rooms.
The gardens were blooming in the warm prolonged summer the UK has been experiencing and while it is not possible to walk through all the gardens they were still a pleasure to view.
The Scotsman all set up for our group banquet prior to attending the Tattoo. The Royal Mile was closed to vehicular traffic given the crowds in attendance for both the Fringe festival and the Tattoo so we had a delightful dinner here b before we made our way to find our seats for the tattoo.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by the British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and other international Military Bands. The festival returned to Edinburgh once more this year after a two year hiatus and was titled “Voices”.
As we took our seats for the night performance, the view of the castle lit up with torches, silhouetted against the setting sun, the sound of the bagpipes as the Scottish marching bands opened the evening.
You have to be there to experience it. Words can’t describe the experience.
The entire performance was spectacular, I hardly felt the cold wind that whistled through me as I sat glued in my seat. One of the reasons for my visit to Edinburgh this year was for the Tattoo but even in my wildest imagination I could not have imagined what I saw. IT was a world class performance full of light, music, pomp and ended with a spectacular display of fireworks.
May I have the opportunity to return and once more experience this phenomena.