Scottish Landmarks

Sunday morning we visited the Hub before touring Edinburgh Castle which overlooks the entire city; in the far distance, I could see the Firth of Forth and nearby, the Sir Walter Scot Monument on Princes Street in New Town. From the nearby West Princes Street Gardens bordering Princes Street was a breathtaking view of the castle framed with blue sky and green hills. We took a local bus to Rosslyn where we visited the small countryside church, Rosslyn Chapel, made famous by Dan B.’s novel, The DaVinci Code. Perhaps the only person not to have read the novel in the small chapel bursting at its seams with the novel’s fans, nonetheless, I found the tiny church’s disproportionaltely ornate decoration charming and was intrigued by the presence of the pagan symbol, the “Green Men,” throughout the walls. The inclusion of corn stalks carved into a small portion of a wall over a stained-glass window is intriguing since the chapel’s design pre-dates Christopher C.’s discovery of the New World.

Back in Old Town, we walked east to Scottish Parliament whose ultra-modern aesthetic draws a sharp contrast with the Edinburgh Castle on the other side of High Street. More than once someone commented on the building’s crooked windows and bamboo-like bars.

Eager to mount Arthur’s Seat, what used to be an active volcano thousands of years ago, I convinced M and V to join me in a hike (A, a mountain-climbing Canadian needed no coaxing).

Monday we visited the University of Edinburgh and Greyfriar’s Church before approaching the Palace of Holyrood which we could only see from a distance since a member of the royal family was in residence. We concluded our trip in the Old Town’s vaults underneath the city where our tour guide provided an extensive overview of two-centuries worth of history about the city.

 

Stirling Castle

We spent Saturday outside of Edinburgh in an attempt to explore the Scottish countryside.  On our way to Stirling Castle we stopped at the Firth of Forth bridge before heading to what our tour company marketed as “Braveheart Country” where Robert the Bruce conquered the British.  While the fortress was impressive, the grounds and surrounding Highlands and Lowlands were sweeping and extravagantly green, natural, and comforting for four urban-dwelling visitors.  Making our way through Trossachs to stop at Loch Lomond and then back to Edinburgh, I saw more rainbows than I had ever seen in my entire life up that point. 

Food Review: Witchery by the Castle

In celebration of VK’s birthday we had dinner at the Witchery by the Castle. Within the oak-pannelled walls, I had the duck foi grois and roast Gressingham duck entrée while M had a lovely asparagus cooked in a buttery cream sauce followed by the seabass. The candelabras reminded me of Candela, one of our favorite restaurants in New York, and the potted plants and natural light filtering through the windows, combined to create a cozy yet formal dining atmosphere. For desert we had the exquisite chocolate tart with a side of lavender ice cream I found a bit too floral in taste, accompanied by complimentary chocolates and fudge.

Exploring Old Town

Upon arriving in Edinburgh, we were greeted by painted cows, an unexpected reminder of New York which was similarly decorated with artistically-rendered bovine creatures six years ago when I first met M. There we met up with VK and AD who were visiting from NYC. Armed with three guide books between the four of us, we began plotting our next four days.

The gothic-inspired architecture and narrow, winding stone-cobbled streets called closes, are picturesque. Having escaped WWII’s blitzkrieg, the city is a modern one replete with mainstream stores housed in centuries-old buildings.

We began our exploration of Old Town (UNESCO WH), what Robert Louis S. describes as “the liver-wing of Edinburgh,” with a tour of High Street. Our guide was a sleepy one whose trademark was posing questions without ever answering them. Despite her deficiencies in storytelling, I enjoyed visiting the old Parliament House where a significant case was going to trial. Inside, advocates paced back and forth while discussing their cases. They wore black robes and suits that, although strikingly old-fashioned, were nothing in comparison to the wigs they wore, remnants of a centuries-old tradition. Across the street, we visited St. Giles Church. A city that reveres its scientists and writers, a wall engraving of Robert Louis S. bids visitors farewell as they exit the cathedral. Afterwards, at the Scotch Whisky Heritage Center we tasted whisky from the four major regions (lowland, highland, speyside, and islands), a dubious reward for sitting through two movies, one talking-hologram show, and a Disneyesque ride reminiscent of “It’s a Small World After All” aimed at educating visitors about whisky production.