Edinburgh-Scotland-2013

22 April 2013

In late April we left  Hamamas tucked up in Alanya  Marina, Turkey to join Tom's sister, Roslyn and  her hubby, John Hayes, for a 4 week land tour of bonnie Scotland little knowing that we would experience snowy conditions in the highlands!

We were aware that the weather would be cold and even wet but what a bonus it was to see the countryside magically turning white. Fortunately, we took lots of winter woollies and wet weather gear with us and hardly had them off our backs for most of the trip as the photos will attest.

So after leaving Alanya at 3am on a very chilly morning we arrived in a wet, windy and very chilly Edinburgh around 11am. Not to be deterred we set about on a rather long walk trolleying our luggage to find our little self- catering unit on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. This was no easy task as it was down a lane (Close) and up 3 flights of stairs. What a surprise it was to find people still working on putting the unit back together after having refurbished it. We decided to "dump" our bags and set off getting to know this beautiful old UNESCO listed city.

What follows  is how we saw wonderful Edinburgh through our camera lenses. Keep in mind it was hard to choose which photos to post as Edinburgh has so many historical buildings. There were many tourist junk shops as well as the upmarket Tartan Stores where we could  have had ourselves kitted out in kilts and the full Highland rig!

(Remember to Click to enlarge the photos)

The Royal Mile is thought to be the oldest street in Edinburgh. It connects Edinburgh Castle, where many Scottish Monarchs lived and died, with the Palace of Holyrood House which is now sometimes used as a Royal Residence. (There will be another Post on this two magnificent buildings).

Edinburgh Castle

The Palace of Holyrood House

 Red double decker buses, red trash bins and red "Dr Who" telephone booths were of continued amusement  to us as they were everywhere!



Buildings along The Royal Mile

More of The Royal Mile

Goose Pie House built around 1740 for the poet Allan Ramsey is one of the oldest and  most colourful houses on the Royal Mile. It's name derives from the unusual eight-sided shape similar to a pie tin.



Goose Pie House

The Writers’ Museum  is housed in a 17th century house and contains a treasure trove of portraits, relics, and manuscripts as it celebrates the lives of three great Scottish writers namely Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. We could have spent hours more in here as it was so interesting.

Tom in front of the Writer's Museum

The building in the far distance is the  National Museum of Scotland which was re-opened in July  2011 following a major re-development and now exhibits over 20,000 objects spread across 36 galleries. It is a great place to spend a wet cold day!

Looking towards the National Museum of Scotland

 St Giles Cathedral, the  historic City Church of Edinburgh, is also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh and takes its name from the city's patron saint St Giles. Originally a parish church, St Giles was further developed from the 12 century onwards. It is a magnificent building, combing features of medieval Gothic and Renaissance architecture. We just loved visiting it and went back to it number of times to soak up the peaceful atmosphere.

Magnificent St Giles Cathedral

St Giles Interior

Just one of the Stained Glass Windows

There were many moving memorials in the St Giles Cathedral but because Tom's middle name is Campbell we couldn't resist taking this photo of the memorial to one of his ancestors. Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquis of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell (1607-1661) was the de facto head of government in Scotland during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (British Civil War).

Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquis of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell

Back out on the Royal Mile Tom is about to put his head on the spot where the last public execution took place on 21 June,1864! I'll bet the 30 year old George Bryce (murderer) was not smiling.

What is Tom Doing?

We visited many of the tourist shops in the days as we wandered up and down the Royal Mile as it was fun to see just what "junk" was available.  



One of the Many Tourist Shop along the Royal Mile

Just out of the Old Town is one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh. Greyfriars  Kirk, a Church of Scotland which stands on the site of a pre-Reformation Franciscan Priory (1447-1560). Building commenced in 1602 on  land that was granted by Mary Queen of Scots and was completed in 1620. The exterior is a bit "barn" looking but the interior has been has been beautifully restored. Tom did an

amazing job photographing the interior with the big Nikon  camera as the "point and shoot" just didn't have the "grunt."

This is the best we could do without removing that old tree.

 

All the Stained windows were exquisite.

Looking towards the East Window. Note the Arches and Ceiling of Californian Wood

The Beautiful New Organ

Click to enlarge this photo and read a little more about the history of Greyfriar's Kirk and Kirkyard and the role it played in the signing of the National Convanant on 28 February 1638.

An Important Sign in the grounds of Greyfriars Graveyard.

The graveyard surrounding the church, Greyfriar's Kirkyard attracts numerous visitors as many famous Scots are buried in the Kirkyard and their monuments are extremely elaborate. Also the it is reputedly haunted by the restless spirit of the infamous 'Bloody'  Sir George Mackenzie a former Lord Advocate. Often some tourists on "ghost tours" are said  to have been attacked by unseen forces.



Just a small section of the Kirkyard

Also within the Kirkyard is a section of the Flodden Wall which was erected after Scot's defeat at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

A section of The Flodden Wall

The main reason tourists flock to the Kirkyard is to pay their respects to Greyfriar's Bobby,   a Skye Terrier who became famous as he spent 14 years guarding the grave of his owner (John Grey) until his own death on 14 Jan 1872.

There is a memorial to "Bobby" near the Kirkyard and of course a tourist café in his honour.

Café in Bobby's Honour

"Bobby's" Statue

Edinburgh is not all grey drab old buildings as is evident from looking at of the  Elephant House where J.K. Rowlings sat drinking coffee while writing the Harry Potter series. Bobby's statue is near here too.

 Harry Potter's Birth Place!

Roaming further afield we discovered a number of building that were sorely in need of cleaning including many churches and  Scott's Monument.

Cleaning could damage the buildings.

The Scott Monument, near E Princes Street Gardens in New Town, was built in 1846 to commemorate the life of Sir Walter Scott after his death in 1832. The 200' high Gothic spire can be climbed to enjoy fantastic views of the city centre. Unfortunately we just didn't have the time to do this. Next time perhaps.

Scott's Monument.

Not far from the Gardens we were delighted to see this elaborate building which had been cleaned! The photo was taken from the Gardens overlooking the roof of the railway station and the North Bridge.

Note the Amazing Blue Sky.

There is just so much to see and do in and around Edinburgh that we will just have to go back again as we only really "scratched the surface in our few days there.  one could stay a month and still not see it all!

Needless to say we both LOVED Edinburgh. Be sure to go there if you ever get the chance.