Today was a pretty full schedule, so we started bright and early with the Tartan Weaving Mill. The guidebook made it seem like it would be more of a museum of tartan weaving, but it turned out to be just a tartan shop with a view of a couple looms below. We did get to see a tartan in progress, but other than that, it was pretty much a bust. Nevertheless, we pressed onward to the Writers' Museum, which focused on Scottish greats Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Robbie Burns. The museum had a great collection of artifacts from all three authors, including personal items and early manuscripts. A great site for any literary enthusiast, especially since it's free. From there, we headed to Gladstone's Land, which is a restored tenant building from the 17th century. It was pretty cool to see what a house at that time would have looked like. We saw what looked like early prototypes of the Exersaucer and Renaissance style cooking utensils. Then it was off the Royal Mile and onto George IV Bridge to hit the National Museum of Scotland. The museum houses the other half of the Lewis chess set that is housed at the British Museum. There's also a cool section on early Scotland, which combines a geological history as well as the early peoples of Scotland. While I was watching a video on how Scotland formed (fun fact: Scotland and England were on separate continents before they collided), I noticed that the man sitting next to me looked very familiar. Turns out, it was Sean Ryder, the Lit and Film professor from the NUI Galway summer program. Small world. Anyway, after browsing through the museum, we headed across the street to Greyfriar's Kirk. There's a lot of history behind this church, including the signing of the National Covenant that resisted pressure to convert to Anglicanism, but it is most famous for being the grave of John Gray. John Gray spent his final years with a little Skye terrier named Bobby. When he died, Bobby would sit by his master's grave, leaving only to get food at a local butcher shop. Bobby stayed at the grave until he himself passed away and was secretly buried in the churchyard (animals weren't allowed to be buried in consecrated ground at that time.) Today, Bobby's grave is the recipient of many gifts and notes. A guide there told us that recently, someone left an envelope of unused German bus tickets and a note-- "Bobby, please come to Oktoberfest."
For lunch, we stopped at the Elephant House, where JK Rowling wrote much of the early Harry Potter books. Although there was a bit of wait, our lunch was delicious--a beef and mushroom pie with mashed potatoes and gravy. Yum!
Our next stop took us to the other end of the Royal Mile and Holyrood Palace, one of the royal residences. We got to tour through, since the Queen was not in residence. It's very strange to walk through, because though it looks like a museum, all that really happens when it's opened for residence is that the ropes are removed and the carpets are rolled back. It really is a fully functioning palace. The rooms were very exquisite and beautiful. It was interesting to see all the portraits of Scottish monarchs along with the English from the Tudor period on. Macbeth was even there. They also had the royal apartments opened, where Mary, Queen of Scots lived. It was also where Mary's second husband killed her secretary, an event that led to Mary being forced to abdicate the throne and lose custody of her son and heir, James IV of Scotland (to be James I of England). She appealed to Elizabeth I for help, but since Mary was a potential competitor for the English throne, Elizabeth had her locked up and eventually tried and executed for treason. Not the best of luck for Mary Queen of Scots. We also explored the gardens and the ruins of the Holyrood Abbey, which was beautiful though no longer functional.
After we left Holyrood, the real adventure of the day began. Rising up above the town of Edinburgh, there is an extinct volcano known as Arthur's Seat. There isn't really any connection to the King Arthur myth, though it's said that one side looks like a sleeping lion. But regardless, Arthur's Seat is the highest point in Edinburgh. So, naturally, we had to climb it. Props to my mom, who indulged me on this one. The trek up is fairly uneventful, since the vegetation is low lying and the path just meanders to the top. But the real draw of the climb is the views. From the top, one can see all of Edinburgh, from the entirety of the Royal Mile to the farmland outside the city, to the firth of Forth and the other side of the river to the North Sea. It's absolutely incredible--a must-do for anyone spending any time in Edinburgh. The wind up on top is incredibly strong; you almost feel as if you're going to blow away. It really feels like you're standing on the top of the world.
Anyway, we eventually decided to head down, since we were getting hungry. For dinner, we decided to try the World's End pub, so named because it stands on the wall that used to mark the city boundaries, thus "the world's end." Unfortunately, you must be 18 to enter, and I had to walk back up the Mile to the hotel to get my passport, since I lost my license in London. It was a bit of a pain, but so worth the hassle. Mom and I had our first drink together, a very momentous occasion, and the food was incredible--a steak and ale pie for dinner and sticky toffee pudding for dessert. We had a chance to make friends as well, including one guy from Cork who I spoke a little Irish with and our table neighbor from Russia. It was a lovely evening, but I was glad to get back to the hotel--I probably couldn't have walked another step!
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