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| Arriving at Rosyth (Cruise Terminal for Edinburgh)...it did not blow 145 knots of wind at all.... |
At most a couple of times a year, Edinburgh enjoys cloudless
skies and warm temperatures – and upon arrival of Prinsendam in Rosyth
(Edinburgh’s cruise ship terminal) we were treated to just one of those
rarities. The ship’s navigation screen told us otherwise, showing an apparent
wind of 145 knots….one of these days, where one is happy that technology is not
always telling the truth.
It is the last port of call of this journey, the last
opportunity to enjoy an exploratory stroll through sunny Edinburgh and the one
opportunity to attend the grand Edinburgh Military Tattoo tonight.
I had no fixed plans, except to organize my post Tattoo return
journey to the ship, which was scheduled to cast off at 1 a.m. and the Tattoo closes at 10:30 p.m. As I did
not partake in a ship’s excursion (which are guaranteed to return ‘in time’ and
if not, the ship waits) I had to make sure, that my walk/train/taxi return combination
would get me aboard in time.
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| A bit of Edinburgh Skyline |
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| Topping the TattooVisitor Stands - a line up of international flags... |
Armed with train schedule, and testing the time to walk from
the event back to Waverley Train Station, I arrived at ‘the venue’, which is
Edinburgh Castle’s Esplanade – now converted into a giant stadium, with seating
for 8000 spectators – and staging for 1400 performers.
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| A small part of Edinburgh Castle |
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| Edinburgh Castle |
Of course, being early morning, there is yet no trace of
Tattoo. As I was at the gate of Edinburgh Castle, I might just as well visit
the interior. Even this early the line-up for entry tickets was quite long, but
the Scots are used to hordes of visitors, and it only took minutes to gain
entry.
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| Resident Military Divisions |
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| "Grey Lady' ridden by Major Sir Eric Bonham (Bt CVO) |
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| That about wraps it up in a few short words.... |
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| Waterloo....a carnage for all, the British and the French - and their horses |
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| I can see how so many 'damsel' were in 'distress' whenever they encountered one of these handsome mounted officers.... |
The Castle is still used for military purposes. A quick glimpse into one of their 'guard rooms' showed the Castle being on Third Stage Alert...probably due to the influx of Tattoo spectators in addition to the usual summer tourists...
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| Behind these walls, and a lot of Chubb's Vaults rest the Scottish Crown Jewels |
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| And here rests GYP, a soldier's dog.... |
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| Edinburgh - St Magnus Cathedral Spire |
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St Margaret's Chapel,
the oldest building in Edinburgh Castle, built by King David I (1124-53) and dedicated to his mother, who died here in 1093. She was created a Saint in 1251. The building to the left houses a Scotch Whisky Store - Cheers to St Margaret's!! |
No guided tour – wonderful – that meant I could just wander around,
without audio guide, not following the prescribed sequence of attractions, take
it easy, people watch, look at the famous Crown Jewels, see mementos of Mary
Queen of Scots, visit the room where she gave birth to her only son James, look
at ‘The Great Hall’ adorned in carved wood and hung with ancient weapons of
war, read the inscriptions on the grave stones of the soldier’s dogs cemetery,
listen to the One O’Clock Gun, sip a coffee sitting near the ramparts
overlooking the City, and peeking into the oldest stone building in the Castle
grounds, St Margaret’s Chapel.
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| Fireplace in The Great Hall |
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| Scottish Roulette |
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| Still going off right on time to this day... |
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| For the hard of hearing, or the one's who did not know how to adjust for sound delay, a black ball to indicate 1 p.m. was raised as well |
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| I did not catch the puff of smoke - but it was 1 p.m. nevertheless... |
I had never visited ‘old’ Edinburgh. After leaving the
Castle I wandered down to Victoria Street, which seems like a canyon edged by
an arrangement of buildings, which appear to be constructed on two levels of
ground – the old street, and the previously underground new street. The
sidewalks of the ‘old’ street are now terraces replete with pubs, bistros and
restaurants. On a sunny day like today, the open air seating was replete with
diners.
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| Victoria Street at the top..... |
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| ....and from the bottom |
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| Grassmarket |
Grassmarket, just below Victoria Street was no different. As
The Fringe Festival was also in full swing, buskers entertained patrons of the
many pubs here as well. One had to wait at ‘the fringes’ of the patios to
garner an outside seat in any of the pubs. Not a bad way to spend a pleasant
afternoon, enjoying warm sun and warm English draft beer (for the Brits and
Scots ‘warm’ is the correct temperature for beer).
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| Greyfriar's Cemetry and adjoining houses |
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| The 'Recoleta' of Edinburgh |
Following Grassmarket and Candlemaker Row (I love those
descriptive old names) one reaches Greyfriars Monastry with its Chapel (now also
used as a concert venue), its graveyard (looks like the Recoleta of Edinburgh)
and its Greyfriars Bobby Inn.
Greyfriar Bobby is a very famous and revered personage of
the Canine kind. He died 14 January 1872 at the age of sixteen years, the last
few of which he spent sitting by his owner’s grave every day after he followed
his funeral cortege, mourning the death of his beloved master.
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| Greyfriar Bobby's Plaque |
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| Recoleta in Buenos Aires has Eva Peron, Greyfriars in Edinburgh has Bobby.... |
Greyfriar Bobby’s
bronze statue features on many picture post cards; it has a shiny nose from so
much rubbing for ‘good luck’. He also has a large marble memorial at the entry
of the graveyard….however, I could not find the grave of his owner. Shows that
these guys got their priorities right….
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| And he still receives more homage in modern times.... |
The Royal Mile (connecting avenue between Holyrood Palace
and Edinburgh Castle) was closed to vehicle traffic due to the Fringe Festival
and thousands of locals and visitors alike strolled among the buskers, craft
stalls, open air pubs, ice cream vendors, and shops – all soaking in this
incredibly warm day.
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| St Magnus Facade |
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| St Magnus Interior |
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| A Stretch on the Golden Mile |
I paid a short visit again to St Magnus Cathedral, location
also of Thistle Chapel (where the Order of the Thistle is awarded by the Queen).
The Chapel was closed, however, the cathedral offered a cool, serene and quiet
resting place before heading towards the Scotch Whisky Experience’s Amber Room.
That is, where my Tattoo Experience would start with a genuine Scottish dinner
followed by a wee Scottish Dram….
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| See you at the Tattoo..... |
