Day 6 – July 23 – Edinburgh

by The Travel Guy

For our introduction to Edinburgh, our Tour guide Roy put us in the more than capable hands of Ken Hanley, a local Blue Badge Guide.

Kenny did an excellent job of immersing us in his love of Edinburgh and showing us some of the subtle things you wouldn’t normally see.

We started the tour in the “New Town”.  It’s easy to know when you’re in the Old Town vs the New Town because the New Town follows the grid systems you find in younger cities.  The Old Town has the winding streets that follow the topography more closely.

Kenny pointed out how the architecture in the New town was a bit of mix of several styles.  Note in the picture how the columns are worked into the facade of this block of homes.  Apparently the idea of having bedrooms between the columns was long considered a “no-no”!

As we walked along, Kenny pointed out where some of the homes have stoned up windows that they didn’t need and thereby reduced their tax bill because it was based on the number of windows in your home.

In some cases they painted the outside surface to hide the fact that they were bricked up.

As we walked towards the Edinburgh Castle the sound of “God throwing coal on the fire” (according to Ken) quickly accelerated to frequent strikes of lightning and a torrential downpour.  As we pulled out our umbrella we watched as Kenny tried to find refuge for his 28 charges and keep us from getting soaked to the bone.  We briskly made our way into the Princes St. Gardens where the canopy of trees provided some shelter.  Here Kenny took some time to provide some insight into the Edinburgh history.

Most cities divert a river around the city core and this allows them to use the river to carry away their effluent away from the city. Edinburgh used a volcanic plug as the site for the castle and surrounding buildings. This prevented the traditional technique and instead the waste was allowed to collect in a toxic dump that led to widespread disease, often referred to as “The Plague”.  It was determined that a new development needed to be undertaken to remove this source of disease and from this the New Town was born.

Kenny walked us around the base of the castle on the west side and we started to climb through the streets to the south.  We passed through squares that continue to be used as markets however the goods being sold has likely changed considerably from the local produce that would have been available centuries ago.

There’s a story of a small terrier that was the devout companion for a local policeman. Stories tell that when the policeman died in 1858 the dog, affectionately referred to as “The Greyfriars Bobby” walked ahead of the coffin in the procession to the cemetery and slept on his master’s grave each night until the dog finally passed in 1872, some 14 years later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenny noted that because all dogs had to be licensed there was no one to claim ownership of “Bobby” and therefore pay for the license.  Ownerless, Bobby was in danger of being put down but there was such an outcry from the public that the case went to court and many witnesses were called.  It is from the court records of these court proceedings, still viewable today, that we are able to read about the testimony given during the court case.  Ultimately it was determined that Bobby had was a valued member of the community and he was granted a license that would last the rest of his life.  There was even a plaque put up to commemorate the spot where a couple who owned a restaurant near the Greyfriars Kirk (Kirk = church) had fed Bobby every day for 14 years.

Roy recommended that we spend some time in the Royal Museum of Scotland getting a better understanding of the history in Scotland through the transition periods in Scottish history.

Kenny then led us up the steep streets to the Royal Mile.  This is the road connecting Edinburgh Castle (where the royalty could be protected) to Holyrood Palace (where the royalty could relax). Today it is very busy, much as it would have been when it was a center for commerce and trade.  Apparently, if you were to look at the Royal Mile from above it looks like the spine of a fish and then all the streets radiate from there.

On the way up the Royal Mile Kenny took us into the Court house to show us the Scotland legal system in action.  As solicitors wandered back and forth in a magnificant hall we speculated on the conversations taking place between potential rivals.

Kenny took us through a few back streets before we reached the Castle and as we looked at the outside of the buildings you could see how a lack of “indoor plumbing” was solved.

From the Castle (protection for the Royalty) to the Palace (place for Royalty to relax) runs the Royal Mile, which if looked at from above looks like the spine of a fish and then all the streets radiate from there.

In the Edinburgh Castle, the Crown jewels of Scotland are on display in a similar way to the English Crown jewels held in the Tower of London.  Although we couldn’t take any pictures of the jewels we did happen to be present for a surprise audience with Mary Queen of Scots.

On the way back to our hotel we managed to find some sun and the opportunity to take a picture in Princes St. Garden with the Ross Fountain, that was first shown at the Exhibition of 1862 in London.