“You lose sight of things… and when you travel, everything balances out.” Daranna Gidel
I’m guilty of getting my priorities out of whack more than just once and a while, especially around finals… There’s God, who is there with his gentle nudge as a reminder of what really matters. Sometimes, if you’re like me, you still ignore him and things continue into a state of disarray until finally something happens, maybe a trip to Edinburgh, which helps you put things in the correct order.
The Journey to Edinburgh
After the end of our third week of class, a large group of us boarded the train northbound for Edinburgh (this doesn’t rhyme with Pittsburgh, i/ˈɛdɪnbʌrə/ ed-in-burr-ə the “i” is a link to the audible pronunciation from Wikipedia.) It was a five-hour train ride and, unfortunately, some of us were without seats for a few hours. On the train ride to Edinburgh, we passed some towns on the coasts that were beautiful. If it weren’t for the freezing winters, I might pack up my bags and move! That was my first impression of Scotland – how amazingly beautiful it is. Plus, who doesn’t love a good Scottish accent? We finally arrived at the train station and headed to our hostel, and I was just as impressed walking through the city with its beauty. After we checked in, we headed to a local pub for some live music. He played quite a bit of a local Arkansan’s music – Johnny Cash, which, just saying, took me by surprise in Scotland. He played Let Her Go by Passenger, which has been out for a year, but I hadn’t heard it until I started listening to local stations in England, and I’ve worn out the album “All the Little Lights” now. Good stuff.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
The next morning we began our tour on a tour bus, which the weather was wonderful that morning for riding with the top down through Edinburgh. Three of us stopped to tour the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland. The origins of the Palace of Holyroodhouse date to the foundation of an Augustinian abbey in 1128, but it was too small and was expanded by James IV (1488 – 1513.) The fragments of the Abbey still remain and are very inspiring, while walking through the Abbey Ruins I felt the urge to sit and read or write all day. After visiting the Palace of Holyroodhouse, we ate at a local tavern with massive booths, where our waitress underestimated my love of ketchup.
Golden Hour
After lunch, we decided to explore the Royal Mile (a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh, it’s approximately one Scots mile long and runs downhill between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace.) We visited the Old Calton Cemetery, and climbed up Calton Hill to look at the monuments and enjoy the view, which was pretty impressive. After exploring the shops and Calton Hill, we stopped by the Elephant House for snacks. Any Harry Potter fans? J.K. Rowling sat and overlooked Edinburgh Castle as she wrote the book. She says it’s unclear in the books, but in her imagination she starts Harry off in London, and then he ends up in Scotland at the school for wizards (Hogwarts) – “some big gothic thing sitting on the mountains of Scotland.” She also reminds the interviewer, that Harry travels on the train due north for a day, “Where’s he going to end up?” And seeing Edinburgh Castle, you can easily see her inspiration. Especially, when you see the Castle at the golden hour (in photography that refers to the hour before the sun sets or after the sun rises, when everything has a warm, golden hue) as we were fortunate enough to see after the Elephant House!
Edinburgh Castle
Of course, we wanted to do more than just see this great castle at a distance! The next morning we made our way to the 340 million year old volcanic rock that forms the foundation of Edinburgh Castle. Due to its exposure to the elements, many monarchs chose to live elsewhere, but Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI in the Royal Palace in 1566. The castle became a military base in the 1600s; it is no wonder why with such a fortress! In 1861, a tradition began with the shooting of the One o’clock Gun to aid ships to set their maritime clocks. Every day to this day (except Sundays) the cannon is still fired! I was impressed with the amount of punishment bestowed on one gentlemen in the prisons of war who was caught drunk on guard – two months of hard labor and two months of solitary confinement! The oldest building in Edinburgh sits atop this volcano in this castle as well! St. Margaret’s Chapel, 1130, was a private place of worship for the royal family. It is still used for weddings, and we actually saw a wedding while we were at the castle! Although, it is quite small, fitting around twenty-five people. Scottish weddings are fun – the groom wears a kilt and there’s a bagpiper. What more could you want?
Arthur’s Seat
Sunday morning before we headed back to Downing College, we decided to climb Arthur’s Seat. The hill rises to about 822 feet, and once you’ve made it to the top you have an amazing panoramic view of Edinburgh, including the coastline. Similar to Edinburgh Castle’s foundation, Arthur’s Seat was formed by extinct volcanoes 340 million years ago. In mythology, Arthur’s Seat is mentioned as the possible location for Camelot (King Arthur and the round table.) It was a beautiful climb, and the view from the top was magnificent! I was envious of the couples picnicking there, thinking what a brilliant idea that is! After Arthur’s Seat we made our way to the train station, and while I was sitting in my seat and the train left the station I couldn’t help but notice what was happening outside my window. There was a man weeping for a loved one aboard my train. He had such intense emotions; I couldn’t help but shed tears for him, and then ponder the scenario and who was leaving – a daughter, wife, brother, sister? Later in the train ride, the stranger sitting next to me demonstrated a great deal of kindness, that after the weekend of losing my glasses in Scotland, leaving my credit card behind at a store, and getting sick, was welcomed and very appreciated.
If you’d like to see more pictures from our trip to Scotland, either hover over “Photographs” in the menu and drop down to Edinburgh, Scotland and choose the day or follow these links! Thanks, love! 🙂
Palace of Holyroodhouse, Calton Hill, The Elephant House, The Castle at Golden Hour
Ozark Artisan 