So I promised my parents a post on my way to Paris, but Laura and I have retired to a cafe, so it seems you all may get a peek into my adventures in Edinburgh a few days early. For those of you who aren’t aware, Laura was my roommate in the Arabic House for a semester and is currently finishing up her Master’s at the University of Edinburgh. This means that she has been more generous than I have any right to deserve in allowing me to stay with and distract her while she is working on her dissertation. Nevertheless, we’ve had a lot of fun these past few days I am happy to report.
It all started with Laura meeting me at the train station Sunday night. I didn’t take the train, trains are expensive, but the train station is a much more easily accessible structure than the bus station. She showed me around the University neighborhood a bit, but we were both pretty tired, so we ended up buying sandwiches and heading back to hers for dinner, the last twenty minutes of Ratatouille, and a lot of sleep.
The first full day was a treat for both of us though. School has been taking up a lot of Laura’s time, as it is wont to do, and she hasn’t gotten a chance to see much of Scotland yet. When she suggested going for a day trip to Loch Lomond then, I was all on board. Now… keep in mind that Loch Lomond is about ten minutes from Katy’s place, but it’s gorgeous, and was entirely worth the backtracking. Besides, expensive or not, we got to take the train and I love trains.
Loch Lomond is a big deal for two reasons. First and foremost it is the largest body of freshwater in the United Kingdom by surface area. Second and more importantly, however, it is the title of a classic Scottish folk song that you hear everywhere and I have grown to love. I’ve been singing it nonstop for the past three days.
When we got to Balloch, the little village at the southern tip of the loch, we had a quick lunch of pub food and headed for a walk in the park that dominates the southeast bank. The park was gorgeous, full of greenery and creek beds. It was a little wet and muddy, and my shoes definitely soaked through, but its Scotland; one expects to be wet 85% of the time. We stopped by Balloch Castle, which is really just an old castle-like house under restoration on the sight of an old castle on a hill in the park, but eventually decided the water was too tempting and headed off for a boat ride on the water instead.
Following the boat ride, which was, of course, relaxing, we broke for a drink at the local inn to rest and debate whether we wanted to explore the west bank or just go home. Consensus settled on walking up the west bank to try to find a docked steam ship left from bygone days on the loch. It was supposed to be repaired to working order for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, a date that was postponed to summer 2013. We’d seen it from the boat, however, and wanted to figure out what the story really was.
As it turns out, the boat is now a cafe; one that closes at five. We got there at 5:37, but lucky us hadn’t any interest in cup of coffee or tea. While the cafe was closed, they hadn’t quite gotten around to shutting up the deck yet, so we popped on for a look around and a couple pictures. Please note, much like Lisa has all the pictures from London, Laura has most of the pictures from Edinburgh. Hazards of a broken camera I suppose. Anyway, after the steamship we finally caught the train back to Edinburgh, had a dinner of sandwiches again, and went to bed watching Moulin Rouge in preparation for my trip to Paris.
Tuesday, we had already agreed, would be a day of exploring alone. Laura, in addition to having to work on her dissertation, also had a doctor’s appointment and a job fair. We decided, therefore, to have breakfast together at the Elephant House - aka the Birthplace of Harry Potter - and go our separate ways.
I headed first to the Edinburgh Dungeons, partly because I wanted to compare them to the London and Warwick Dungeons, but mostly because Katy had suggested them again. They had a few additional stories of interest, including the incestuous cannibalistic family of Sawney Bean and the body selling murderers Burke & Hare, but also repeated more or less the same torture and execution bits. As much as I enjoyed it, I’m glad that’s the last one I’ll be visiting. I think I’m all dungeoned out.
After the Dungeons I booked myself a time at Mary King’s Close before heading on to the Writer’s Museum, which surprise, surprise I loved. It’s dedicated to three famous Scottish writers with links to Edinburgh: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. I hadn’t read much of anyone besides Robert Louis Stevenson, but I very much liked the sound of Walter Scott, and enjoyed the first few pages of his first Waverley novel which was available for perusal in a small reading area. It is unfortunate I did not have more time to linger and read, but I did have a booking to make, so after a quick glance through the gift shop and a lot of self control I continued on to Mary King’s Close.
Mary King was a merchant and exceptional female burgess in seventeenth century Edinburgh who became so successful that they named a close after her. A close in those days, and today for that matter, was an alleyway, usually running off the High Street. Explaining the High Street would take more explanation of the civil engineering of Edinburgh than I am willing to get into right now, but suffice it to say the hilly geography of the city meant that when buildings were levelled to make way for the new Royal Exchange, they only levelled those even with the high street and left the others as foundation. This well preserved foundation is still fully intact today and someone has had the enterprising spirit to stabilize it, open it to the public, and offer guided tours. It was fascinating to see first hand where the people of seventeenth century Edinburgh lived, and there was even some new history that hadn’t been covered on other tours.
By the end of my tour I was getting a bit tired, but I found the energy to poke my head into The People’s Story, a city museum chronicling civilian life in Edinburgh, and climb Calton Hill. Calton Hill and the Writer’s Museum were really my two must sees this time in Edinburgh. It’s a city park on, no surprise, a hill, where Edinburgh has built a series of beautiful memorials and monuments. I would have liked to stay a bit longer, but I was meant to meet Laura, and my exhaustion meant I was in no shape to climb to the top of the Nelson Monument.
I met Laura at the National Library of Scotland where she had been studying all day, had a cup of coffee, and then headed out for dinner: Indian takeaway in the park. It was cheap and delicious and perfect. After a quick stop back at her flat, we then continued out for a drink with Laura’s friends at one of the University bars. I’d been eager to meet them, and the bar was decorated like a library, so… win win. After getting back for the night I spent far too long researching Paris and then settled in for another good night’s sleep. I really do have to thank Laura. I’ve never felt like I have a problem sleeping in hostels, but I clearly sleep better in a private room with just the one friend.
Good sleep or not though, this morning tired me out all over again. We slept in a bit because I think we both needed it, but did eventually wake up and head out to climb Arthur’s Seat. Arthur’s Seat is one of three large hills in Edinburgh, the other two being Calton Hill and Edinburgh Castle. It has some legendary connection to King Arthur and Albion that I would love to research a bit, but no one has been able to provide me the details thus far.
Being somewhat larger and much less developed than Calton Hill, Arthur’s Seat took quite an effort to climb, though the view from the top was spectacular. It is unfortunate that the weather today was also quite drear. I am thankful that the morning was merely overcast and windy, as it has since started to rain quite heavily, but that didn’t stop the summit from being freezing and, like most things in Scotland, damp. The dampness made it slippery, hence our not spending too long at the top. We were not, however, deterred enough to pass up climbing Salisbury Crags: the rocky cliffs beside Arthur’s Seat. It was a good workout, and one I’m going to need considering I will be spending nineteen hours on a bus starting tonight. Nevertheless, we’ve taken the evening off.
We headed back to Laura’s flat for lunch, showered, made granola bars out of the leftover muesli I’ve been having for breakfast, and headed out to a cafe to work. Laura has the pesky school thing, and I wanted to read. It occurred to me, however, that this post might be even better than reading. Certainly it will make more people happy. And now I will l have the entire ride to Paris to do… other things. I’m not sure what yet, but we shall see. Since all that’s left in the plan for Edinburgh is fish & chips and a trip to the bus station, I don’t anticipate having anything more to report. As such, happy week to all of you and you shall hear from me next in Paris!
Addendum:
It occurred to me talking to Laura that I left out an important event that happened in London. Namely, Lee and I saved a man’s life. So I apologize for the delay, but I thought a few of you might like to know.
I don’t remember what day it was, nor do I feel it necessary to go back and figure it out, but there was an evening on which we were coming back on the underground from somewhere, got on the escalators to exit the station, were riding up chatting away like we do, when suddenly Lisa who was standing behind me goes white and screams “somebody stop him!”
Turns out an elderly man, whom she had seen sway as if he’d had a stroke or a small seizure and fall while my back was turned, was sliding down the escalator head first on his back. So we rushed up and grabbed his shoulders to stop the continuing trauma to his head. There was blood everywhere, and some person trying to be helpful stopped the escalator, so there we were stuck with a prostrate man bleeding heavily from a giant hole in the back of his skull. At that point a medical student further down who had seen the whole thing came rushing up to help and the man himself came too. He didn’t understand that he was hurt, or indeed that anything had happened, but he was able to walk the rest of the way up the stairs where the transportation employees quickly shuffled him off to a private room, took our statements, and sent us on our way.
It felt like it all happened very quickly, and in the end we were both very shaken and a little in shock. Perhaps that’s why I forgot to mention it. I had little spatters of blood all over the front and sleeves of my jacket, so we headed to the restroom to try to wash them out. That was a success at least. Except I later noticed a few speckles on the back that had dried and don’t seem like they’ll be coming out ever. It was seeing those speckles yesterday that prompted me to tell Laura, and now to share the story with you. It’s after the fact now, but still one of those anecdotes I imagine I’ll be telling in years to come - reminiscing with Lee if nothing else.
It all started with Laura meeting me at the train station Sunday night. I didn’t take the train, trains are expensive, but the train station is a much more easily accessible structure than the bus station. She showed me around the University neighborhood a bit, but we were both pretty tired, so we ended up buying sandwiches and heading back to hers for dinner, the last twenty minutes of Ratatouille, and a lot of sleep.
The first full day was a treat for both of us though. School has been taking up a lot of Laura’s time, as it is wont to do, and she hasn’t gotten a chance to see much of Scotland yet. When she suggested going for a day trip to Loch Lomond then, I was all on board. Now… keep in mind that Loch Lomond is about ten minutes from Katy’s place, but it’s gorgeous, and was entirely worth the backtracking. Besides, expensive or not, we got to take the train and I love trains.
Loch Lomond is a big deal for two reasons. First and foremost it is the largest body of freshwater in the United Kingdom by surface area. Second and more importantly, however, it is the title of a classic Scottish folk song that you hear everywhere and I have grown to love. I’ve been singing it nonstop for the past three days.
When we got to Balloch, the little village at the southern tip of the loch, we had a quick lunch of pub food and headed for a walk in the park that dominates the southeast bank. The park was gorgeous, full of greenery and creek beds. It was a little wet and muddy, and my shoes definitely soaked through, but its Scotland; one expects to be wet 85% of the time. We stopped by Balloch Castle, which is really just an old castle-like house under restoration on the sight of an old castle on a hill in the park, but eventually decided the water was too tempting and headed off for a boat ride on the water instead.
Following the boat ride, which was, of course, relaxing, we broke for a drink at the local inn to rest and debate whether we wanted to explore the west bank or just go home. Consensus settled on walking up the west bank to try to find a docked steam ship left from bygone days on the loch. It was supposed to be repaired to working order for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, a date that was postponed to summer 2013. We’d seen it from the boat, however, and wanted to figure out what the story really was.
As it turns out, the boat is now a cafe; one that closes at five. We got there at 5:37, but lucky us hadn’t any interest in cup of coffee or tea. While the cafe was closed, they hadn’t quite gotten around to shutting up the deck yet, so we popped on for a look around and a couple pictures. Please note, much like Lisa has all the pictures from London, Laura has most of the pictures from Edinburgh. Hazards of a broken camera I suppose. Anyway, after the steamship we finally caught the train back to Edinburgh, had a dinner of sandwiches again, and went to bed watching Moulin Rouge in preparation for my trip to Paris.
Tuesday, we had already agreed, would be a day of exploring alone. Laura, in addition to having to work on her dissertation, also had a doctor’s appointment and a job fair. We decided, therefore, to have breakfast together at the Elephant House - aka the Birthplace of Harry Potter - and go our separate ways.
I headed first to the Edinburgh Dungeons, partly because I wanted to compare them to the London and Warwick Dungeons, but mostly because Katy had suggested them again. They had a few additional stories of interest, including the incestuous cannibalistic family of Sawney Bean and the body selling murderers Burke & Hare, but also repeated more or less the same torture and execution bits. As much as I enjoyed it, I’m glad that’s the last one I’ll be visiting. I think I’m all dungeoned out.
After the Dungeons I booked myself a time at Mary King’s Close before heading on to the Writer’s Museum, which surprise, surprise I loved. It’s dedicated to three famous Scottish writers with links to Edinburgh: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. I hadn’t read much of anyone besides Robert Louis Stevenson, but I very much liked the sound of Walter Scott, and enjoyed the first few pages of his first Waverley novel which was available for perusal in a small reading area. It is unfortunate I did not have more time to linger and read, but I did have a booking to make, so after a quick glance through the gift shop and a lot of self control I continued on to Mary King’s Close.
Mary King was a merchant and exceptional female burgess in seventeenth century Edinburgh who became so successful that they named a close after her. A close in those days, and today for that matter, was an alleyway, usually running off the High Street. Explaining the High Street would take more explanation of the civil engineering of Edinburgh than I am willing to get into right now, but suffice it to say the hilly geography of the city meant that when buildings were levelled to make way for the new Royal Exchange, they only levelled those even with the high street and left the others as foundation. This well preserved foundation is still fully intact today and someone has had the enterprising spirit to stabilize it, open it to the public, and offer guided tours. It was fascinating to see first hand where the people of seventeenth century Edinburgh lived, and there was even some new history that hadn’t been covered on other tours.
By the end of my tour I was getting a bit tired, but I found the energy to poke my head into The People’s Story, a city museum chronicling civilian life in Edinburgh, and climb Calton Hill. Calton Hill and the Writer’s Museum were really my two must sees this time in Edinburgh. It’s a city park on, no surprise, a hill, where Edinburgh has built a series of beautiful memorials and monuments. I would have liked to stay a bit longer, but I was meant to meet Laura, and my exhaustion meant I was in no shape to climb to the top of the Nelson Monument.
Good sleep or not though, this morning tired me out all over again. We slept in a bit because I think we both needed it, but did eventually wake up and head out to climb Arthur’s Seat. Arthur’s Seat is one of three large hills in Edinburgh, the other two being Calton Hill and Edinburgh Castle. It has some legendary connection to King Arthur and Albion that I would love to research a bit, but no one has been able to provide me the details thus far.
We headed back to Laura’s flat for lunch, showered, made granola bars out of the leftover muesli I’ve been having for breakfast, and headed out to a cafe to work. Laura has the pesky school thing, and I wanted to read. It occurred to me, however, that this post might be even better than reading. Certainly it will make more people happy. And now I will l have the entire ride to Paris to do… other things. I’m not sure what yet, but we shall see. Since all that’s left in the plan for Edinburgh is fish & chips and a trip to the bus station, I don’t anticipate having anything more to report. As such, happy week to all of you and you shall hear from me next in Paris!
Addendum:
It occurred to me talking to Laura that I left out an important event that happened in London. Namely, Lee and I saved a man’s life. So I apologize for the delay, but I thought a few of you might like to know.
I don’t remember what day it was, nor do I feel it necessary to go back and figure it out, but there was an evening on which we were coming back on the underground from somewhere, got on the escalators to exit the station, were riding up chatting away like we do, when suddenly Lisa who was standing behind me goes white and screams “somebody stop him!”
Turns out an elderly man, whom she had seen sway as if he’d had a stroke or a small seizure and fall while my back was turned, was sliding down the escalator head first on his back. So we rushed up and grabbed his shoulders to stop the continuing trauma to his head. There was blood everywhere, and some person trying to be helpful stopped the escalator, so there we were stuck with a prostrate man bleeding heavily from a giant hole in the back of his skull. At that point a medical student further down who had seen the whole thing came rushing up to help and the man himself came too. He didn’t understand that he was hurt, or indeed that anything had happened, but he was able to walk the rest of the way up the stairs where the transportation employees quickly shuffled him off to a private room, took our statements, and sent us on our way.
It felt like it all happened very quickly, and in the end we were both very shaken and a little in shock. Perhaps that’s why I forgot to mention it. I had little spatters of blood all over the front and sleeves of my jacket, so we headed to the restroom to try to wash them out. That was a success at least. Except I later noticed a few speckles on the back that had dried and don’t seem like they’ll be coming out ever. It was seeing those speckles yesterday that prompted me to tell Laura, and now to share the story with you. It’s after the fact now, but still one of those anecdotes I imagine I’ll be telling in years to come - reminiscing with Lee if nothing else.
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