Holyrood and Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh
This city is a stark contrast with London. Where London has had to rebuild from losses sustained in a devastating fire in the 1700’s and the Blitz during WW2, the Scottish capital has had no such losses. Most of the city buildings, at least where we were staying, look to date back as far as the 18th century and often older. And nothing was older than the Royal Mile, a stretch of basically ancient road connecting the city’s two palaces. As you can imagine, this is a huge tourist destination; the whole pedestrian zone was lined with shops promising tartan, well-made scarves and Celtic jewelry. And food, lots of that. Even the buildings on the lest populated stretch near Holyrood were covered with baroque columns and look as though they have stood the test of time. Considering where they are, they have.
The entire complex was built on top of a dormant volcano: Holyrood at the bottom and Edinburgh Castle at the crest. This is especially significant if you know that Holyrood is the place where the English Queen conducts matters of state every summer. The Queen’s stately palace with it’s well-manicured garden and (gorgeous) abbey ruins are given an important place on the mile and were honored by the building of the nearby Scottish Parliament building. However, if you really want to know what it is to be Scottish and not just a British territory, you’ll climb the volcano, ignore the closes and winding alleys telling you to go down, and reach Edinburgh Castle. It is here that the Kings and Queens of Scotland were born and buried, including James VI ( I of England). It is here that a stunning memorial chapel was built for Scotland fallen soldiers and here where the Crown Jewels and sword of state are kept. While Holyrood was barely used by the Scots, this rugged and rooted fortress has survived 26 assaults from a posing army's completely intact all while perched on top of a lava fissure that could, should the earth wish to shift, blow at any time. Even those who lived there were far more rugged than Holyrood. All the history tour at Holyrood truly mentioned was proper meetings, croquet parties and matters of state. At Edinburgh they proudly showed off their artillery and told stories of a dinner party that ended in an execution and where they buried the Crown Jewels during the war. It completely boggles my mind that two state buildings this connected could be so indicative of two distinct national identities. I can definitely see why Shakespeare would have chosen the wild Scottish culture for a murder play, considering the recent assertion of King James I and the bloody history of Scottish royalty.
Other than our historical adventures, Jen and I had a literary one as well. We managed to share a pot of tea in the Elephant House, a café off the Mile where J.K Rowling first started writing Harry Potter. All I kept thinking the whole time was, “My grandma would love this.” Three of her favorite things are Harry Potter, tea and elephants. There was plenty of all three, especially if you took a peek in the women’s restroom, where people have written quotes, names and dates all over everything. Even the toilet. It was nuts, but I could definitely get the writer vibe from the place. An amazing pilgrimage for both a fan and a writer.
On the way to the Highlands today, where I’m sure we’ll see more of the true Scottish heritage, wildlife, and with hope some peat bogs. It’s been an amazing journey so far, and even after seeing so much, I still can’t wait to see what history Braemar has baked into it’s hills.
Cheers!
-Kristin
This city is a stark contrast with London. Where London has had to rebuild from losses sustained in a devastating fire in the 1700’s and the Blitz during WW2, the Scottish capital has had no such losses. Most of the city buildings, at least where we were staying, look to date back as far as the 18th century and often older. And nothing was older than the Royal Mile, a stretch of basically ancient road connecting the city’s two palaces. As you can imagine, this is a huge tourist destination; the whole pedestrian zone was lined with shops promising tartan, well-made scarves and Celtic jewelry. And food, lots of that. Even the buildings on the lest populated stretch near Holyrood were covered with baroque columns and look as though they have stood the test of time. Considering where they are, they have.
The entire complex was built on top of a dormant volcano: Holyrood at the bottom and Edinburgh Castle at the crest. This is especially significant if you know that Holyrood is the place where the English Queen conducts matters of state every summer. The Queen’s stately palace with it’s well-manicured garden and (gorgeous) abbey ruins are given an important place on the mile and were honored by the building of the nearby Scottish Parliament building. However, if you really want to know what it is to be Scottish and not just a British territory, you’ll climb the volcano, ignore the closes and winding alleys telling you to go down, and reach Edinburgh Castle. It is here that the Kings and Queens of Scotland were born and buried, including James VI ( I of England). It is here that a stunning memorial chapel was built for Scotland fallen soldiers and here where the Crown Jewels and sword of state are kept. While Holyrood was barely used by the Scots, this rugged and rooted fortress has survived 26 assaults from a posing army's completely intact all while perched on top of a lava fissure that could, should the earth wish to shift, blow at any time. Even those who lived there were far more rugged than Holyrood. All the history tour at Holyrood truly mentioned was proper meetings, croquet parties and matters of state. At Edinburgh they proudly showed off their artillery and told stories of a dinner party that ended in an execution and where they buried the Crown Jewels during the war. It completely boggles my mind that two state buildings this connected could be so indicative of two distinct national identities. I can definitely see why Shakespeare would have chosen the wild Scottish culture for a murder play, considering the recent assertion of King James I and the bloody history of Scottish royalty.
Other than our historical adventures, Jen and I had a literary one as well. We managed to share a pot of tea in the Elephant House, a café off the Mile where J.K Rowling first started writing Harry Potter. All I kept thinking the whole time was, “My grandma would love this.” Three of her favorite things are Harry Potter, tea and elephants. There was plenty of all three, especially if you took a peek in the women’s restroom, where people have written quotes, names and dates all over everything. Even the toilet. It was nuts, but I could definitely get the writer vibe from the place. An amazing pilgrimage for both a fan and a writer.
On the way to the Highlands today, where I’m sure we’ll see more of the true Scottish heritage, wildlife, and with hope some peat bogs. It’s been an amazing journey so far, and even after seeing so much, I still can’t wait to see what history Braemar has baked into it’s hills.
Cheers!
-Kristin
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