Off to Edinburgh!

Well for those of you who read my last blog, and perhaps did not notice, it was indeed an April Fools story. Just a wee Irish tale to cause a bit of mischief . . . the leprechauns made me do it! So there is no handsome Donald or baby lamb named Darby, but the real joke was on me as the next day we were driving and a flock of sheep crossed the road in front of us. For a split moment, a feeling of panic filled me as I thought, "Oh my Goodness, my tale is going to come true!" Thankfully however it did not (because the farmer was much too old for me). Here is real proof that it happened; we were very impressed by the attentive Border Collie.

Let me rewind now a bit, to a week before. I was lucky enough welcome my parents to Edinburgh on Sunday March 24th, as we were planning to stay a few days in the city with friends. It was a joyous reunion after seven months and it was tonnes of fun to sightsee Scotland together, even if I was freezing. If Irish weather has made this Canadian girl weak, then Scottish weather broke me! I was so cold our first day there I had to buy tights to wear underneath my jeans. I'm embarrassed to say it was about -7 Celsius. Luckily it warmed up the next days.

Regardless of weather, we had sightseeing to complete! The friends we were staying with were conveniently located in the Old Town of Edinburgh, not too far walk from the central street, the Royal Mile. At the highest end of the Royal Mile sits the impressive Edinburgh Castle, which seems to grow out of the rock.

You can really see how the buildings were built into the cliff in the picture below.

The castle has been inhabited by Scottish royalty for centuries. The first King was Robert the Bruce who was crowned in 1306. Another famous monarch who ruled here was Mary Queen of Scots, crowned at only six days old! She later became Queen of France for a year and was executed at age 44 by Queen Elizabeth I. Although the drama of the monarchy is amusing, my favourite part of the castle was a massive cannon which once could shoot a cannon ball up to two miles. The Mons Meg cannon was used from 1457 to 1681. It's a really big cannon.

My mother stuck this pose first, but on a humorous note when I did it I was "Shannon in the cannon."



At the other end of the Royal Mile lies the current (preferred) residence of the British Royal family. This is Holyrood Palace and it has fabulous views of the towering mountain, Arthur's Seat, which is an inactive volcano of over 70,000 years.

 Arthur's Seat can be accessed by car or on foot. We elected to drive, but either way you are rewarded with fabulous views of the city once you reach the top.

While in Scotland, my father decided to head south for a day with our host to hunt out some family homesteads around Jedburgh. Meanwhile my mother and I did some more investigating of Edinburgh city. We took a really neat tour into the secretive underground world of Edinburgh which has been covered by the current Royal mile since 1753. Very interestingly, the tight-knit buildings which existed in the 16th and 17th centuries were built on top of to accommodate new buildings level with the street. Old buildings once ten storeys tall were leveled off, boarded up and reinforced with brick to become the foundations of new structures. Now-a-days, you can tour the rediscovered dwellings and hear stories of plague, hauntings and medieval life.

Along with the underground tour, my mom and I also really enjoyed our visit to the National Museum of Scotland. Admittedly the building is terribly difficult to navigate, but the treasures within make up for its architectural setbacks. Some of the best items included two pistols owned by poet Robbie Burns, Dolly the (stuffed) sheep which was the world's first cloned mammal, the Lewis chesspieces, and miniature coffins found atop Arthur's Seat. We found the last two especially compelling so here are some pictures and further explanation.

The Lewis chesspieces are Norse in origin and carved in the 12th century out of Walrus ivory. They came to Scotland with the Vikings and were discovered on the Isle of Lewis over 700 years later. Over 82 pieces were recovered and are now divided between the National Museum of Scotland and the British Museum. The attention to detail on their humorous little faces is exquisite.

A true mystery at the museum revolves around 17 miniature coffins found in 1836 on Arthur's Seat. Each coffin contained a small carved body, complete with movable joints and facial features. It may never been known why these figures were given a mock burial, but it is suspected that they were to honour 17 murder victims who were murdered by two serial killers in Edinburgh between 1827-28.

I really enjoyed my time in Edinburgh. The consistent stone architecture throughout city buildings makes a beautiful, unifying characteristic which I have not experienced to the same extent in any other city. It is a city that I could spend much more time in (especially if it was warmer). Do not worry though, this is not the last you will hear about Scotland. Next stop the Highlands!

Cheers,
Shannon