August 26, 2022
The very touristy thing to do in Edinburgh is to walk along the Royal Mile. Actually a 1.1 mile distance between the Edinburgh Castle and the Holyrood Palace. Although the castle is spectacular and dominates the skyline, the palace is worth a visit too. It is the actual residence of the Queen of England when on holiday in Edinburgh. And remember, it is Ed-in-brah, with a hard rolling rrr if you want to sound more Scot than you really are.
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| Canongate Kirk. I failed to find ancestors graves |
The street itself has different names as you go from the castle - Castle Hill, Lawnmarket, High Street, Canongate - but it is one road. And it is crowded with tourists, street performers, pubs, restaurants, kitschy tourist shops, and other fun things along the way. Want a kilt? Get a cheap one or shell out major bucks for fancy ones. St. Giles Cathedral, with it's towering spire sits near the castle. Tours can be arranged, but are not necessary.
Between the buildings, there are gaps or small alleyways. The alley is known as a close (pronounced with a "c" not a "z"), but the attached apartments can be described as a close also. The steep sloping brick alleyway formerly led to a man made loch named Nor Loch, on the east side of the Royal Mile. (now a gardens area and train station). Each of the closes are named after a prominent merchant or citizen. Many of those older buildings have been demolished but some of the ruins still exist below ground. I visited one such close called Mary King's Close.
Mary King was a prominent businesswoman in the 1630s. Remarkable to have something named after you during those times! The rooms and hallways are almost like catacombs beneath the city with narrow passage ways, stairs, and uneven ground - in darkness. These apartments where poorer people lived, before plumbing, running water, electricity, etc. Imagine a family of 10 living in a cramped room, smaller than a regular sized hotel room, in such conditions. But that was the life they knew. And that plumbing? It was a pot. When it was full, one of the children would take it out to the close and dump it where, along with all the other pot dumping, its contents slid down that sloping alley into the Nor Loch. Maybe that's why the Princes Street Gardens are so green these days. But it was also what led to the black plague decimating populations in Edinburgh. All that bacteria and then those disease riddled rats and their fleas. It's a fascinating history.
Sorry, no photos allowed at Mary King's Close.
I don't really admit to having much fascination with the British Monarchy or Royal Family. But the Holyrood palace has its charms. Beautiful gardens and great halls and chambers, and in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, celebrating 75 years on the throne, her collection of art is on display this year at the palace. The Holyrood palace isn't as extravagant or opulent as the palace in Windsor, but I think it was worth a visit. Just for the art alone it may be worth it. But of course that exhibit is only through 2022. Get here while you can. And avoid the rubbish.
Of course the biggest attraction in Edinburgh is the Edinburgh Castle. Standing high above the city on an exctinct volcano, it is an excellent defensive position from invading marauders. At one time there was a wall around the city when it was much smaller. I went to a bar called The World's End, maybe a quarter of a mile from the castle on the mile. To the resident's then, who didn't travel, that really was the end of the world in their eyes.
Although is does look formiddable, the castle has changed hands many times. The English and Scots were seemingly always at war or at least the Scots always had greivances and craved independence and their way of life. As you enter the castle, the statues you see at the gate are that of Scottish heroes William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Mary, Queen of Scots lived here. Her 2nd husband Lord Darnley was murdered with her watching at Holyrood Palace.
Today in unified Britain, it houses a War Museum of Scotland, a 16th Century Great Hall, a small chapel, Scotland crown jewels, defunct canons, battery, and ruins of another tower. If nothing else, it offers terrific views of the city and a reminder of Scottish fierce independence and history.
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