The Journey-and Flexibiity

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.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10&feature=player_embedded

• 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!

The High Kirk of Scotland - St Giles Cathedral in the background. This is along the Royal Mile.

Black Cab - catch one at a taxi station...but do not call it a taxi. The Hub is in the background  

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. 

Old Town means narrow streets.

North of town...the River Forth.

Ring, Ring...hello! Alexander Graham Bell has a museum here. He was a Scot.  

Pretty princesses found the Disney Store!

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 ...

Greyfriars' Bobby. So loved that they gave him a monument! 

Greyfriars Kirk (Kirk is a Church) We entered the churchyard just before dusk.

And around the corner.....

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) 

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!

These guys don't scare me at all!

Next stop...National Museum of Scotland

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!

Celtic Knots...in stone, no less....very geometric!

A welcome from Bryan  

Gazebo Girls 

Interior of the museum was vast! Lighthouse light. 

Interactive Exhibits 

Stuffed fish, birds, reptiles and mammals of all types. (Matt is not stuffed)

These girls rarely stopped moving. 

Clock works...this was so fascinating! And massive!

Monuments are everywhere! Enjoy a few.

 Sir Walter Scott Monument

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.

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.
 

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. 

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?

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

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!

Calton Hill...it was not a Florida Hill!

Today we travel to Calton Hill in Edinburgh. Recall that this is still Day 2 of our trip. We have not slept yet. The cold and wind have been doing a great job of keeping everyone awake, and since we never stop long enough for a doze....yes, we have jet lag under control!

Terry (our Tour Guide, remember?) had a great surprise in store for us. We found that he did not tell us much in advance, which was a very good thing or we would not have voted to climb a hill! But, like in most situations, if you put one foot in front of the other and take one step at a time, you can really accomplish so much. And the reward, as you will see....was to be GREAT!

Calton Hill is toward the northeast side of Edinburgh. It was originally planned out as the location for the Scottish Parliament, but that building plan was de-railed somewhere along the way. They did, however, create a beautiful park at the top of this magnificent hill. Magnificent due to the views! The area is full of grand monuments. The Scots love their monuments! That is something we have continually found interesting in Europe....statues and monuments. These are scattered everywhere from small towns to great cities. We tend to put everything big in Washington.

We wondered where this door might lead....perhaps it was a short cut...or an elevator? The door was locked, so we kept walking.

If you keep your eyes open, you can find all kinds of great looking gates, alleyways, and such. These steps led somewhere, but they were not for us.

Oh....this is only part of the stairway to.....at the time, we did not know where. At least the treads were wide and the risers were consistent and shallow, so it was not the worst climb in the world....well, for the able-bodied and not-too-tired. We all made it...even the eldest among us! Remember...one. step. at. a. time.

After climbing and taking another uphill pathway, Terry was found scurrying up a hill...the kids followed him to the building that you see on the left. No, there was no sidewalk, there were no stairs. This was on our right, to our left was the most beautiful view of Edinburgh....more on that later. Let's find out what is up here!

Here is the reason to look at the buildings....Edinburgh is often referred to as "the Athens of the North."   Architecturally, Calton Hill is pretty important for this reason. Most of the buildings and monuments date from the Enlightenment period. When you think about the size of these structures and the lack of the type of building equipment we have today, just the building of it is pretty impressive. Remember that it is on a big hill.

This is the Robert Burns Monument. Actually, he has been moved to the Museum now, but it was worth stating that he had a grand memorial up here. (Poet...'love is like a red, red, rose'.....you remember him) This was styled after a Greek temple and the cupola copies the Lysicrates Temple in Athens.

The Dugald Stewart Monument

This was built in 1831, designed by the architect Playfair, and was modeled after the Tower of the Winds in Athens. Stewart was a philosopher and mathematician....brilliant student....who attended the Royal High School and then the University of Edinburgh and did his advanced studies at University of Glasgow. Here is the wild part...his father was a professor of math at Univ. of Edinburgh and when he became ill, son Dugald filled in for him. He was 19 at the time! By the time he was 22, he was made a co-chair of math, but continued to study and by 32 was the chair of the Dept of Moral Philosophy at good olde Edinburgh U. (he served there for 25 years and made it a center of intellectual and moral influence.....and Sir Walter Scott was one of his students) 

He died in Edinburgh, was buried at Connongate Kirk (graveyard at Holyroodhouse) and was principally responsible for the "Scottish philosophy" that was predominant in 19th century Europe.  

The rolling green hills of Scotland! We came prepared for blistering cold and sideways rains and wind. Imagine how blessed we felt! Scotland was having a mild winter...or at least a mild week!

By journal entries that I have been reading, the kids found the grass fascinating. Many described it as soft and wavy. I never thought about grass as wavy, but it was definitely different from our Florida variety. Terry told us that it stayed green because the Gulf Stream dead ends into Scotland and they get a lot of rain, so the grass keeps growing. 

The St. Andrews House which I believe was listed as the home of the 'Tea Drinking Society' these days. Pay attention to that monument to the left. Does it look familiar?

Political Martyrs Monument
Yes, it looks more than vaguely familiar...like the Washington Monument, perhaps?
It was built to honor Scottish Martyrs to Liberty who were imprisoned for campaigning for political reform in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
(get it? Washington...liberty from the Brits)
 

(Admiral) Nelson MonumentThere were so many photos of this monument. We first noticed it because of the cross on the top and as we kept taking photos, the moon started showing up in the shots. It was about 4 pm here...and yes, the moon was evident! Scotland is pretty far north!
Memory Test...who was Nelson?

Battle of Trafalgar (1805) ~ He led the victory over the French and Spanish fleets, dying in the battle. He is also on the grand monument in Trafalgar Square in London. 

Back in 1853 a time ball was added to the mast. It was used as a time signal for the ships in Leith Harbor...at 1pm daily, the ball droped so the ships could set their maritime clocks. We have fancy technology today so the ball is not as necessary as it once was.

The National Monument
Familiar looking? Perhaps....the Parthenon.....are you getting the relationship as "The Athens of the North." ......ah, the inspiration! This one was built to commemorate Scots who died in the Napoleonic War. It was paid for with private funds, so as you can imagine..when the funds ran out........
The work was started in 1822, but only 12 columns were completed before the funds ran out. No government bailouts for 19th Century Scotland!

And now....kids having fun!
They photographed each other and I had a blast photographing them! I was also hoping this was their last 'second wind' before they would collapse into the bed!

In our photo album there will be some incredible shots on this monument!

Everyone stopped shivering long enough to smile!

The observatory......it was once used for setting the time daily....for accuracy, but we have better instruments today. Lovely though!

Saving some of the best for last....the mini path to the top is to the left. Most of the kids just ran up the hill because the path was pretty muddy and slippery. Check out the shadow in the right foreground....the sun is low in the western sky! (this was around 4 pm...when we first arrived at the hill)

There are so many photos with kids in them, but this is the view from where we started our climb. The River Forth, the mountains, and even with the misty sky, you can see green hills on the other side of the river. Imagine the view on a clear, sunny day!

The sun is getting lower in the sky! A view from the top of Calton Hill.

Enjoy the next views.....Kids just gotta have fun!

This might have been one of our first views. An AHHHH moment to be sure.
Quite possibly the realization had struck that they were starting off the new year....in Scotland.....what a remarkable way to start a new school year! Journal notes indicated that these wonderful kids realize that they are remarkably blessed.

Several journals indicated that a very important thing to consider is relationships. If they come away realizing that relationships are so much more important than stuff....that will last a lifetime! It is fun to watch new relationships being formed and old friends growing deeper and richer in their relationships. Twenty five years later....this is still something that I find wonderful and special at TMA. 

This camera had a neat feature....black and white with only one select color.
I discovered some quite talented photographers among this group of students.

Scotland JTerm at Calton Hill.
Thank you Terry for handling the cameras and ipads for us!

Our cheerleading group provided lots of fun! I did not have to worry too much about their 'stunts' because they are ....cheeeeerleaders! At least they did not toss anyone into the air!

We never figured out what this was, but possibly it was the meridian marker, used for tracking the daily 1 pm time. (???....just a guess) But the cheerleaders found a great use for this lonely chunk of stone.

First....get up. 

Sorry....this one un-rotated itself. 

Several people were shooting this but only ONE caught the ....oops..almost fall! Great balance! (That would be little ole me who caught it....yeaaaa Nikon!)

Can you imagine a more beautiful evening. Here we were at the top of the hill, reflecting on the beauty around us, clear across the world from home. But, we were with people we love, and we could not possibly be alone, because God was with us every step of the way. Though we had not slept for almost 30 hours, we kept putting one foot in front of the other....made it one step at a time....and we got to experience a most wonderful reflection of God's love at the end of our day.

The message is this....one step at a time. It is not our job to know it all or plan it all out. God has it all under control and has the most wonderful surprises for us when we trust Him....one step at a time, day in, day out, for a lifetime.

I hope no reader misses a moment of it!

And....thank you Terry, for not just dropping us at the hotel for an early rest!
Some tour guides might have done that. We did not know it just yet, but we were in for a spectacular trip!

Off to dinner, showers, and bed.
Goodnight, Edinburgh!