Europe is so interesting, in part, because it is so full of history. Centuries and Centuries of history. Edinburgh is a relatively small space, but it is possible to vacation for a week, staying busy, and still not soak in everything there is to offer. Here are a few highlights that don't fit in other category-specific blogs.
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Yea for Google! It is fun to just search for other blogs and read about the things that interested other travelers. It helped me as I planned for this trip. Finding out that we had a TMA alum living in Edinburgh was such a wonderful discovery, and then finding that his wife was such an interesting writer made the anticipation of being in Edinburgh even greater! Thanks Dr. Scotty and Becca!
Here are a few things you might want to know about the UK....first...it has more parts than you think. I was pretty good with geography in my day, but I had no idea how vast this kingdom really is. Or...maybe I just never really thought about it.
Bullet points This link is cool if you don't want the bullet points - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the full name for the UK
- Four Countries within the kingdom: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
- All of these people are British. But England=English, Scotland=Scottish, Wales=Welch and N.Ireland=Irish (So don't confuse being English with being Scottish, etc) Be safe and say "British."
- The Queen still rules over many places across the world, both independent and not.
- Great Britain is the large island containing England, Wales and Scotland
Now that you have it figured out....join us for some sightseeing! We did not ride the big red bus, but it is a good idea to do this if you visit. (We had a charter and Davey was a great driver who stopped often!) |
Enjoy the city streets! We were walking a lot of the time as well! Do enjoy the hop on hop off buses when visiting Edinburgh!
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| The High Kirk of Scotland - St Giles Cathedral in the background. This is along the Royal Mile. |
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| Black Cab - catch one at a taxi station...but do not call it a taxi. The Hub is in the background |
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| Fast cars! Don't step into the street without looking. The kids even found graffiti, which is not specific to large American cities, as we found. |
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| Old Town means narrow streets. |
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| North of town...the River Forth. |
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| Ring, Ring...hello! Alexander Graham Bell has a museum here. He was a Scot. |
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| Pretty princesses found the Disney Store! |
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Royal College of Surgeons has been around since 1510 and training surgeons since them. One of the most acclaimed medical schools in the world!
Now some special stops with a little more historical information
Greyfriars Bobby is a heartwarming story of the Skye Terrier. Greyfriars Bobby was a real dog who became a companion to his maser John Gray (Auld Jock) in the 1800's. When his master died, his pet stayed on the grave in Greyfriars graveyard every day for the rest of his life, becoming known as Greyfriars Bobby.
Who do we know as being great at telling heartwarming stories....well, none other than Walt Disney....The True Story of a Dog ...
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| Greyfriars' Bobby. So loved that they gave him a monument! |
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| Greyfriars Kirk (Kirk is a Church) We entered the churchyard just before dusk. |
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| And around the corner..... |
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| Terry made every stop so interesting. It was amazing to walk into the very VERY old graveyard. (They don't say cemetery...it is a grave yard) |
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| Close up with the Edinburgh Castle in the background. Graveyards fascinate me. Especially the very old ones. This one is very well maintained and I wished that we had made it to this spot earlier in the day so that we could have read the many stones and considered the lives represented here. We don't often think of our epitaph do we? We also don't see many graveyards like this in America. Fascinating stuff! |
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| Once again...not enough hours in the day...... We divided up and tried to hit some high spots to share! This museum had everything under the sun that represented the history from Scotland...way on back to the Vikings! |
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| Celtic Knots...in stone, no less....very geometric! |
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| A welcome from Bryan |
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| Gazebo Girls |
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| Interior of the museum was vast! Lighthouse light. |
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| Interactive Exhibits |
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| Stuffed fish, birds, reptiles and mammals of all types. (Matt is not stuffed) |
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| These girls rarely stopped moving. |
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| Clock works...this was so fascinating! And massive! |
Monuments are everywhere! Enjoy a few.
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| To get the perspective..I would say this is one of the larger monuments we found. Locate the arch at the base and the little white image just above the road block barricades. |
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There you go...good old Sir Walter and his beloved dog Maida Now he is really quite large-Carrara marble and double life size.
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) made a key contribution to Scottish literature and is often regarded in the east of Scotland as Scotland's most famous writer. (Ivanhoe, Rob Roy)
It took 4 years to build his monument. There are 64 statuettes of characters from Sir Walter Scott’s books upon this monument. The 200 ft high monument can be climbed via the 287 steps....for a small price.
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Sir Thomas Guthrie
Located on Princes Street - notice Edinburgh Castle in the background.
He was a philanthropist and a prominent preacher. A child is standing next to him because he was the founder of the "Ragged Schools" ~ a movement of the Victorian Period which was dedicated to the free education of destitute children. (remember all of the plagues and how they left so many orphaned children...)
He published “Plea for Ragged Schools” in 1847.
While the chaperones were quite interested in the older, well renowned authors, the students found writers - a writer- from their generation much more interesting. Some of their photos are just hilarious! Though Terry dismissed them as somewhat silly...he was great to make their dreams come true by making some special stops.
When the writer was here...in the 1990's....this was called Nicholson's Cafe. She took her child for a daily walk and did her writing while the child napped. Coffee kept her going so she could write. Her environment inspired her. |
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| Have you guessed yet? Her first love was possibly a fella named Harry. She wrote in a cafe on Potter's Row. Does that help any? |
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J.K. Rowling has a fun web site. Click on the top box for access.
I enjoyed reading her biography and learning about her history and how she uses her newfound wealth. Though I am not necessarily a Potter fan, I did enjoy reading about how her surroundings inspired her and that she started out writing a children's book, knowing all along that "you can't really make a living writing children's books" as expressed by her agent. It just goes to show that it is a good thing to follow your dreams, and don't do it for the money. Her dream was always to be a writer.
The place is now a chinese restaurant but it still got the plaque for being a special place!
Now....another journaling spot for this writer.
The Elephant House |
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Though these stops were not on my 'agenda'....this post is for you, Jordan, Blake, Lauren, Kristin ......ladies and gents.
May you always be inspired to bloom where God plants you.
May you always look at adversity as a way to grow.
May you always be generous with what you receive.
And may you always be blessed as you seek to serve God for all of your days.
It is interesting the way even secular things can inspire you. Just keep your focus where it ought to be! I definitely enjoyed the enthusiasm of these young people and can say that they did more in reading those tomes (tome = a very large volume)....than I ever did! But I bet I have read more books on artists and photography!
Here's to inspiring literature!
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