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September 27, 2005
A Long, Gud Walk Fir Auld Lang Syne
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Edinburgh's Walter Scott Monument, as seen through one ay the many closes oan the Royal Mile |
Fridae, 23 September. Eftir another breakfast at Starbucks - a granola bar fir Susanne, a scoon fir masel - we decided tae spend the day takin a series ay walks roond the city, includin a visit tae the University ay Edinburgh. The weather hud taken a turn fir the worse; the grey skies opened up tae a strong, unpleasant drizzle. But we cudnae be bothered. Rain or shine, we wid make the maist ootay our time in Edinburgh.
Our first stop wis the Greyfriars Bobby, a famous statue ay a Scottish terrier outside Greyfriars Kirk. The Bobby is perhaps the best known dog in Scottish history. Eftir his master died, the loyal dog spent mair than a dozen years guardin his graveside. The locals made sure the Bobby wis healthy n well-fed, but the dog nivir left his master's grave. Fir us, the statue wis an important memory fae mah time back at the University ay Edinburgh. Ah spent many a lunch in a pub across the street fae the Bobby.
The Bobby statue wis jist whair we expected it. The pub, however, wis naewhair tae be found. In its place, we discovered a grand new museum - the Museum ay Scottish History. Ah wis happy fir the birth ay a new museum, but its placement thair some time in the last dozen or so years wis mair than a bit disorientin fir us.
The Greyfriar Kirk itself still wisnae open, so we continued past the Bedlam Theatre - an auld church wi funky red doors - tae Bristo Square, the heart ay the university campus. Adjacent tae a sunken stoon plaza stood MacEwan Hall, an enormous domed 19th century buildin used fir graduation ceremonies. Beyond it Ah could see Reid Hall n other auld university buildins thit hae been roond fir ages. But some things were quite new, includin a student union n a large mosque. It wis odd; Ah hud a recollection ay the place, but the memories didnae surge back tae us the wey Ah hud expected. Ah wis a wee disappointed. Perhaps it wis because we approached the square fae an angle Ah didnae usually use. Ah eywis came tae the square fae Pollock Halls, not High Street. Thin again, maybe ye jist forget a loat in 14 years.
Just past campus, we walked along the Meadows, a series ay grassie bluffs thit Ah best remember as the place whair Ah took part in settin the Guinness World Record fir the world's largest ceilidh. (A ceilidh, pronounced Kaylee, is basically a Scottish dance party, but thit's oversimplifyin it a bit.) It wis one ay mah first days in Edinburgh, n thousands ay students danced in unison as gadges fae the Guinness Book confirmed the record-settin status upon the event. Today, tho, the Meadows were quiet, windy n damp. Just another autumn day in Auld Reekie.
Susanne n Ah walked a few blocks east tae Nicolson Street, which we followed south until veerin west tae Pollock Halls, mah former residence. The dense city streets thinned oot as we approached the halls, which are located in an area jist beloo the western slope ay Arthur's Seat. Walkin past the local swimmin pool towards Pollock, Ah distinctly remembered mah daily walk back fae campus. But arrivin at the dormitory, Ah wis once again thrown fir a loop. Aw the buildins looked brand new - modern constructions rather than the reddish-grey concrete Ah remembered.
We entered the complex n started tae explore it. Soon, Ah spotted Leonard Hall, the grand auld 19th buildin thit wis the heart n soul ay Pollock Halls. At least it wis still standin. Beyond it, though, we found the auld drab dormitory buildins. It seems thit some were torn doon n replaced by new structures, while others remained intact. Ah couldn't find mah buildin, Brewster Hall, oan the campus map. Apparently it wis a victim ay progress.
Since we were so close tae Arthur's Seat, Ah suggested tae Susanne thit we climb the Salisbury Crags, cliff-like outcrops juttin oot fae the hillside like the remnants ay a giant's lower jawboon. The climb tae the crags wis quite easy - jist a matter ay followin a slopin roadway then cuttin over a meadow. Susanne n Ah hud ruled oot climbin Arthur's Seat itssel. We hud both done the climb when we lived here, n once wis enough. Besides, the recent rains hud left the rocks quite slick, n Ah didnae fancy slidin doon 800 feet tae a nasty death. Short, stumpy cliffs wid suffice jist fine.
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Salisbury Crags n Arthur's Seat, wi the new Scottish Parliament beloo |
We hiked the road until reachin the meadow. By now, the rain hud completely stopped, n thair were signs ay clearin in the distance. Arthur's Seat stood directly in front ay us, glorious n imposin. The crags, meanwhile, were an easy, short hike tae our left.
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Edinburgh Castle, as seen fae the Salisbury Crags |
We followed the path along the crags fir aboot a kilometer, walkin clockwise roond Arthur's Seat. Eventually, the path jutted doonward until droppin us in front ay the new Scottish parliament n Holyrood palace. Ah suggested we stop fir some tea, but Susanne hud gautten a wee bit damp fae the rain, despite her industrial strength oilskin coat. So we walked agin up the Royal Mile tae the hotel. Susanne changed clothes while Ah hud a cup ay hot chocolate at Chocolate Soop.
Figurin we should git lunch in the near future, we walked doon South Bridge towards Cowgate. Edinburgh is an unusual city in thit it is built oan two levels: the ground level, n bridge level. Much ay the southern side ay Castle Hill n the Royal Mile is actually a series ay bridges thit are so dense wi buildins ye dinnae realize ye'r walkin oan raised platforms. Meanwhile, if ye follow some ay the hidden closes, ye can weave doon tae the ground level fir whole other environment ay buildins completely lost fae the world ay the bridge dwellers.
Just south ay High Street, thair's a close thit leads doon tae a ground level area called Cowgate, home tae an auld pub, Bannerman's. Susanne n Ah hud each spent copious amounts ay time at Bannerman's durin our student days, so we decided tae walk doon n see if it wis worth gettin lunch thair. It took us a wee while tae find, but once we goat thair we recognized it immediately, set in a dark corner beloo one ay the arches ay South Bridge. Inside, though, we found an empty pub jist opened fir business, reekin ay cleanin fluids. It didnae make a gud place tae eat, so eftir a few moments ay reminiscin, we hiked back up tae the bridge n High Street. We then strolled doon Cockburn Street tae the Malt Shovel, a lovely auld pub, whair we ordered some lunch while listenin tae Johnny Cash singin aboot how we can hae it all - his empire ay dirt - whilst he will let us doon, he can make us hurt.
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Mary King's Close, sealed undergroond fae nigh 300 years |
Leadin the tour wis a 17th century merchant, as it were - an actor in period costume whae stayed in character fir the full hour ay the tour. He warned everyone thit the tour is not gud fir people wi walkin problems or claustrophobie. Susanne came very close tae bowin ootay the tour, but the crowd wis very supportive n promised tae look eftir her in case she hud any problems.
We followed the guide doon a long stairwell until we reached the upper end ay the close. It wis quite surreal - Ah felt like we were standin in another close in the middle ay the night because it wis so dark, but the darkness wis purely because we were underground. The buildins oan both sides ay the close were at least three stories high, n ample laundry wis strung between them. The effect wis quite strikin.
Fir the next hour, we wandered fae buildin tae buildin, learnin aboot the dark side ay 17th century life in Edinburgh. In one room, we found a life-size diorama ay a murder scene in which a woman n her mother hud killed her husband over a dowry thit wisnae paid tae um. In another room, a gravedigger's family hud fallen sick tae the bubonic plague. Mary King's Close wis infamous fir havin one ay the highest rates ay plague in aw Edinburgh. Legend has it thit the close wis sealed off permanently wi aw its residents left tae die; our guide insisted this wis false, sayin, thit people were merely quarantined n neighbors wid leave food n water fir them outside thir doors.
One ay the last rooms we visited wis full ay dolls. Apparently a psychic hud visited the close n detected the presence ay a long-dead girl whose ghost wis searchin fir her lost doll. Since then, numerous visitors hae brought dolls tae appease the spirit. The effect ay aw the dolls piled against a wall wis quite disturbin.
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Edinburgh's Princes Street, as seen fae Calton Hill |
Hikin downhill, the two ay us were hungry n dehydrated. Ah suggested swingin by Burger King fir a quick drink, likesay, but Susanne hud a classier idea. She suggested we go somewhere fir afternoon tea. The Balmoral Hotel wis jist up the road oan Princes Street, so we stopped by tae see if they offered tea. Inside, we found a charmin gallerie full ay guests enjoyin multi-level platters ay tea cakes as a harpist performed oan a balconie. Perfect, kent? Rather than git the full-blown high tea, though, we ordered a plate ay scoons, some tea n coffee, along wi two large glesses ay water tae quench our parched thirst. Ah'm eywis a sucker fir an afternoon tea experience, n this filled the bill in a maist gratifyin wey.
By now it wis late in the afternoon. Ah'd made 7:30pm reservations fir dinner at the Apartment, a trendy restaurant southwest ay the university. Havin walked mair miles today than we cared tae calculate, we leisurely walked back tae the Royal Mile by wey ay Cockburn Street, visitin various shops along the wey, before goin tae Hunter Square fir drinks at the Advocate. Ah'd come here once or twice back in the day, ken; it didnae seem tae hae changed. Ah drank a sherry while Susanne hud a fruit juice cocktail while people talked in hushed overtones as anon'mous jazz played in the background.
Roond 7:15, we caught a Joe Baxi tae the Apartment. The drive took us through Grassmarket, which offered us a glorious nighttime view ay Edinburgh Castle as seen fae the south. The restaurant itself looked much like an upscale apartment, wi minimalist modern art décor. The food wis actually a wee disappointin, ken? The chicken skewers we ordered as an appetizer hud a pasty taste; meanwhile, Susanne's scallops were smaller than a child's thumbnail n might salmon wis burnt n oily. The two savin graces ay the experience were the excellent Spanish wine n the cheese course we hud fir dessert; the combination ay gouda n grapes wis extraordinary.
Rather than call it a night, Ah suggested we stop at Deacon Brodie's before goin tae bed. We didnae linger long, though. As Ah sipped mah beer, Ah realized thit the oily salmon n the cheese course hud made the thought ay alcohool seem thoroughly irrational. So despite mah urge tae stretch oot the evenin a wee longer, reason goat the best ay us as we returned tae the hotel, our drinks barely touched. It jist wisnae in the cards, likesay?
Posted by acarvin at September 27, 2005 10:09 AM
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