2018-05 - The Peasants are Revolting! (London, UK)

At our hotel in London (Rathbone) there was a city guide of activities. It had a nice summary of all the different museums around town, events happening in May and a list of activities that included guided walks by Bee Midtown. Expecting something a bit touristy and high-end, I was pleasantly surprised to find their May brochure listed several interesting looking walks, all free. While the Sweeney Todd walk and the Samuel Pepys walk looked especially interesting, the only one that fit our limited time in London was "The Peasants are Revolting!".

THE PEASANTS ARE REVOLTING NEW

Thursday 3 May

5.30pm. Farringdon Station

For this tour we go back to 1381 and visit places in Farringdon and Clerkenwell from Wat Tyler’s Peasants’ Revolt.

Duration: 75 minutes.

Farringdon Station -- the beginning of our tour

This was a great tour of English history that I'd never even heard of. First, though, I had to make it all the way to Farringdon Station, outside of touristy London. The metro got me safely there, and on time. Outside the station, we gathered around a gentleman in an orange Bee Midtown t-shirt. Interestingly, tourists were the minority in the group. Most of the people were locals. As the tour progressed, it became clear that the locals had been on most of the tours in the brochure.

Following the locals

The tour guide set the scene for us. In the 14th century, the Black Death had killed roughly a third of the population. The King at the time had set a maximum wage, meaning no one could earn more than that wage. Plus, England was at war with France; and, the King had instituted a poll tax, which was a tax that had to be paid just for being alive. Needless to say, the common people were fed up with their government.

Memorial to the Peasants' Revolt, carved by Emily Hoffnung

Wat Tyler and Jack Straw are credited what became known as the Peasants' Revolt, although it wasn't just peasants revolting. John Ball, a priest of the Lollard denomination also took part. King Richard II came out to meet the leaders at Smithfield. Actually, that was where we were standing on the tour, in Smithfield. Everything seemed to have been settled, with the King listening and agreeing to demands. However, after that, everything went haywire, Wat Tyler was killed; and, the Peasants' Revolt ended only a few days after beginning. In 2015, a memorial went up commemorating what had happened so long ago (1381).

Smithfield Market. Jousting site, meat market and execution site of our hero.
Still in use today as a food market.

We were moving down little streets now at a clip, me trying to keep up and get photos of the buildings of interest. Unfortunately, my notes are few and far between at this point. We did stop for a quick photo of the St. Bartholomew church, which was built in 1123. Although, now looking at google maps, I realize that we saw both the churches St Bartholomew the Less and St Bartholomew the Great. Plus, to add even more confusion, there is a very visually appealing gatehouse into St Bartholomew the Great that was built centuries later (it's near the memorial to the Peasants' Revolt).

St. Bartholomew the Great

The final big stop on our tour was the Museum of the Order of St. John, which, you guessed it, was a church. However, this church (the Clerkenwell Priory) was set up by Crusaders from Jerusalem back in 1144. It looks like a very interesting building from the outside. I wished that I had time to come back during the day for a visit of the interior. (The TripAdvisor reviews look pretty good, too!)

Museum of the Order of St. John

2018-05 - Science Museum (London, UK)

Portable blood transfusion kit from WWI

Perhaps the best kept secret of the world-class free museums of London, the Science Museum was empty in comparison to the Natural History Museum and British Museum. Without any plan in mind, I simply wandered into the first exhibit that caught my eye, which happened to be on World War I (WWI) and the medical advances that came out of it. For example, did you know that during WWI, sphagnum moss was used for bandages? Or that tetanus was often fatal during WWI until the military started giving everyone anti-tetenus shots after leaving battles? Or that Marie Curie coordinated portable x-rays and technicians to operate them directly to the fronts? Or that one of the noise makers that we use today for sports games was originally a rattle letting everyone know that there was going to be a gas attack? There was also a section dedicated to the soldiers returning home with injuries and amputated limbs. Many advances were made in plastic surgery and in prosthetic limbs because of WWI. A sad reminder of the tragedy of war and how it forwards the field of medecine.

Some of the plans hanging from the ceiling, including a replica of Otto Lilienthal in one of his gliders

The next exhibit that I wandered toward was an entire floor of the museum dedicated to the history of flight. It covers everything from hot air balloons to a cross section of a Boeing 747. From the ceiling hangs plane after plane, including a replica of the Wright brothers' plane (1903). Plus, along one wall, there are a collection of plane engines to compare and contrast. Some of the planes that I admired included a sky writer originally built for WWI (S.E. 5a), a plane that made the first non-stop flight across the northern Atlantic in 1919 (Vickers Vimy) and the Schempp-Hirth Cirrus glider (1973).

Radio tuning inductor from Rubgy, England

Descending a floor below, an exhibit traces the communication technologies over the last 200 years. Basically, it begins with the telegraph, as information being transmitted via electrical pulses. There is a Hughes printing telegraph on display, which has piano keys on it for use in typing in the messages. Did you know that the stock market crash in 1929 was partly due to the fact that the telegraphs couldn't keep up with all the trades? The next section is on television and radios with signals broadcasted as waves. There is a model of a radio tower built in Russia (1922) and a radio tuning inductor built in England (1943). Plus, there are old television broadcasts playing, such as that of Queen Elizabeth's coronation. The next section is dedicated to to telephones with speech converted to electrical pulses and back to speech. There are phones to pick up and listen to. Plus, a film of the last switchboard operated exchange going automatic in London (in 1970!). Next follows satellites, which communicate via super high-frequency waves. Although, this section really highlights how we're using maps today, even displaying one of the Google bikes used for mapping Google Earth. The fifth stage is the web of computer networks, which are utilizing electrical pulses, radio waves and optics. Mostly, though, it is dedicated to computers in general. There is a part of , a section of ENIAC (1943-45) as well as the first business oriented computer, a LEO I (1951). Finally, it ends with mobile phones using base stations in a "cell" pattern.

Astrolabe by Jalam al-Din ibn Muqim (1666)

Then, I crossed the threshold into a completely new exhibit on mathematics. It pulled me in with parts of Babbage's analytical engine (1834-71) and a PDP-8 computer (1965). Yet, there were more than just computers here. Surveying has longed used mathematics; and, there is a theodolite for surveying on display from 1828. Astronomy also uses applied mathematics, and astrolabes have been in use to read the sky for at least two thousand years! A beautiful astrolabe from 1666 hangs in a solitary case. In 1859, Harriet Martineau and Florence Nightingale published a book that pioneered a a way to look at war mortalities via a pie chart with the slices as stacked data. Some other mathematical items on display include a slide rule (1850s), an x-ray machine from a shoe seller (1950), a survivability predictor (1972) and, of course, an Enigma machine (1934).

Prosthetic arm for a pianist. padded fingers so that they won't click on the keys

It was about tea time for me. Yet, to get to the cafe, I had to pass by a portion of Henry Wellcome's medical collection, which was fascinating! The Wellcome Museum was on my list of museums to visit. Unfortunately, it was closed while we were in London. This little section in the Science Museum was all I was able to see of the curiosities.  They included such objects as a birthing chair (1900-30),  a bellows to blow tobacco spoke into a person to revive them, a prosthetic arm for a pianist with thumb and pinky finger exactly an octave apart (1904) and a fancy porcelain jar to hold leeches for blood-letting (1831-59).

15th century iron wall clock

After tea, I admired a special display of clocks and watches. The oldest clock is a crude, iron pre-cursor to a cuckoo clock, from the 15th century. The other pieces include a self-winding clock through the use of sulfuric acid and zinc pellets as well as many, many watches crafted with exquisite detail.

Visiting Information
The Science Museum is free and open to the public from 10 am - 6 pm daily, except December 24-26. Map of the museum

2018-05 - Natural History Museum (London, UK)

Mantellisaurus in Hintze Hall

There was already a line by the time I arrived at the Natural History Museum, pre-opening hour. Within ten minutes, the doors had opened; and, we quickly filed in. It's important to remember not to be distracted by the shiny new displays when entering the museum. The key collections are the dinosaurs and the collections of dead, stuffed animals.

Ichthyosaur fossil discovered by Mary Anning in 1832

However, I got distracted by the collection of fossilized skeletons of ichthyosaurs and pliosaurs along one of the hallways. Many of them had been discovered in Great Britain by Mary Anning in the first half of the 1800s. Her ichthyosaur is on display on the wall. The other giant sea fossils are this wall include a mosasaur.

Blue whale skeleton in Great Hall

To get to the dinosaurs, first you'll need to go through Hintze Hall, which is a grand open space. From the ceiling hangs the skeleton of a blue whale. Along the sides of the hall, there are fossils and stuffed animals that give you an idea of how many different specimens are in the museum.  It is a great introduction to the museum; and, there is an entrance directly into this hall. Which explains how I didn't realize how quickly the museum was filling up.

Giant deer from ~20,000 years ago

Another detour led me to the rooms of fossils and stuffed mammals. There are so many different species gathered in these rooms! Definitely a good place to take kids to see these animals up close. Giant deer, pygmy hippopatamus, camels, echidnas, embrithopods, and bears plus a host of many more animals.

Fossilized skin of an Edmontosaurus

With a sense of urgency, I bee-lined for the dinosaurs. But, it was too late. The galleries were packed with families and school groups. Even so, the fossils are very nicely displayed. The larger skeletons sit on the floor and stretch to the ceiling. The smaller fossil skeletons hang at or above adult head level. Therefore, it was possible (at least as a grown-up) to see and read about most of the dinosaurs. There were even some dinosaurs that I'd never heard of, such as the Albertosaurus, a slightly smaller dinosaur similar to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Plus, there was a cast of part of the skin of Edmontosaurus!


Visiting the Museum:
The Natural History Museum is free and open to the public daily from 10 am - 5:50 pm except December 24-26. Map of the museum

2018-05 - British Museum (London, UK)

Overwhelming, awe-inspiring, amazing and just a bit entitled, the British Museum houses artifacts from around the world. The museum was my top priority to visit in London. It's open from 10 am - 5:30 pm daily; and, with so many things to see, we tried to start out with a plan of action. But, seven and a half hours really isn't enough!

Rosetta Stone! 

First stop: the Rosetta Stone. Before this stone was discovered, the Europeans who visited Egyptian pyramids and brought back many artifacts, including papyrus writings, could not translate any of the hieroglyphics. The Rosetta Stone was carved in three languages, including Greek and hieroglyphics. It has been the basis for our understanding of hieroglyphics since the early 1800s.

Amenhotep III: head and arm

Next, we walked through the amazing assortment of Egyptian statues located on the first floor (Room 4). These take up three immense galleries along one side of the museum. The sculptures are large, in good shape and cover Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. Plus, there are several bas-relief wall sculptures, some even with vivid colors still painted on them. The head and arm in the photo belonged to what was originally a complete statue of Amenhotep III (New Kingdom).

Letters for Roman soldiers occupying Britain in he 1st century AD

We took advantage of the Roman Britain eye opener tour at 11:15 am (Room 49). Throughout this visit to Britain, I've been educated about Roman invasion and occupation (43-410 AD). During this tour, we saw Roman artifacts both Christian (a 4th century floor mosaic of Christ) and pre-Christian (various god and goddess statutes). Although, the most interesting part of the tour is something that wouldn't have even caught my eye walking through the gallery: letters from Roman soldiers written during the 1st century AD! The letters are faded and worn, written on tree bark. However, in the case, the letters are translated into English, bringing those soldiers occupying Britain 2000 years ago into our present.

Pictish bull carving

  After the tour, we wandered into the adjoining room and looked at artifacts from the Anglo-Saxon occupation of Britain (400-750 AD), the Picts ruling Scotland (400-850 AD) as well as the Viking invasions (750-1100 AD). One of the exhibits that I should have spent more time exploring were the artifacts of the Anglo Saxon ship unearthed at Sutton Hoo. The ship was used as a burial in the 600s AD and was unearthed in 1939. The treasures inside are exquisite. I was distracted by information on my own ancestors, the Vikings. The British Museum has many more of the Lewis chessmen on exhibit, as well as gold rings.

Bas relief of Assyrian lion hunt

After a quick bite to eat, we walked back to the first floor and started the Rick Steves audio tour on the Assyrian section of the museum (Rooms 6-10). The winged, human headed lions guarding the entrance are impressive! They are originally from the palace of Nimrud (800s BC). In the next room, there panel after panel of bas reliefs taken from the Nimrud palace. The detail is exquisite. The scenes are not all that palatable, as they show war and conquest. In the room of bas reliefs taken from the palace of Ninevah (600s BC), there are panel after panel showing the king lion hunting. It was the king's duty to protect his people from such problems; and, he had the lions captured and brought to his arena for "hunting".

Nereid Monument

We continued along the Rick Steves audio tour until we came to the Nereid Monument, an entire tomb from Turkey, and then a Parthenon sized room (Room 18) holding all of the friezes from the Parthenon itself (400s BC), including the pediments. The Greeks were masters of showing movement in the way that they carved their figures. The figures are also very lifelike, with human musculature and form. It is worth it to spend the time here to walk around all of the friezes and see the activities depicted.

Ginger, naturally mummified man from 3400 BC

By now, it was time to head up for our 2:30 pm tour of Ancient Egypt (Room 64). By now, the museum was packed! We were all wedged as close as we could be around the docent providing us the highlights of the room while simultaneously tourists flowed around and through our group to see what we were all staring at. The oldest Egyptian mummy at the British museum is called Ginger (3400 BC). He was accidentally mummified and still has some ginger colored hair, hence his name. Another tomb was excavated during this same time frame. This was of a woman (not mummified); and, there was a simple yet striking necklace found in it. The form struck me as so modern for being 5500 years old.

Book of the Dead

After recharging with some tea and scones, we braved the crowds to meander among the Egyptian mummies. It was very interesting to see all the different types, especially as the Greek began influencing; and, people's portraits began to be in the Greek style instead of the stylized Egyptian. The museum also had pages from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. In a less crowded room were the painted murals from a tomb in Nebamun.

Easter Island statue

Running out of time, we breezed through the remaining rooms on our way back to the main hall. Just as we were exiting, an Easter Island statue rose above us like a vanguard. A very fitting way to end our day in this museum of the world's artifacts.

Visiting notes:
The British Museum is free and open to the public daily from 10-17:30 every day of the year except January 1, Good Friday and December 24-26. Plus open late on Fridays. Docents provide free eye-opener tours, spotlight tours and gallery talks.  Minimum highlights to visit are included in the British Museum's 1 hour highlights.

2018-04 - Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh (Scotland)

On our last day in Edinburgh, we decided to visit the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). Walking around the gardens is completely free. There is an extra surcharge to visit the greenhouses. Just by chance, it happened to be a Monday, and, the gardens were almost completely empty. It was wonderful to walk around all the beautifully groomed plants, flowers, bushes and trees. There were even a couple of ponds and mini-waterfalls.

Rhododendron

We started to realize that every other plant was a rhododendron. According to their website, the four RBGE gardens have 500 different rhododendron species! The came in all different shapes, sizes and colors.

Flower all the way from Yulong Xue Shan mountain, China

Another section of the garden is home to endangered plants all the way from the Yulong Xue Chan mountain in China. Due to the development of these mountainous regions, much of the habitat is being lost. RBGE works with research institutes within China to preserve these habitats there as well as showcasing several of the flowers in a section of the garden titled Chinese Hillside.

Gorse watercolor by Sharon Tingey

By now, I needed a tea stop. We stopped at the Gateway cafe for tea and a scone. There are options to sit in a warm, sunny interior or outside on the beautiful terrace overlooking the gardens. On the bottom floor, there is a gift shop as well as a permanent exhibit about the gardens. Plus, there was a temporary exhibit of exquisitely painted plants by local artists.

Inside pavilion on the edge of the Queen Mother's Memorial Garden

Feeling recharged, we continued our stroll around the gardens. There were even sections of vegetable gardens that we saw volunteers watering. However, the next feature that was really eye-catching wasn't even a garden. Instead, it was a small building at the edge of  the Queen Mother's Memorial Garden. Only after entering could one appreciate the detailed artistry. It is completely covered with natural elements inside, including shells and pine cones.

Mini landscape

We spent a lot of time exploring the mini landscapes area of the garden. Each small section had more precious, tiny plants to admire. There are old stone troughs as well as several screened in areas to explore. Most of the plants are from alpine areas. Their small size is due to surviving in the crevices of mountains. 

Monkey Puzzle trees

Up close Monkey Puzzle tree

Running out of time before the park closed, we started walking back toward the entrance, following the map in order to walk by a must-see tree in the park: the monkey puzzle tree. It really does look quite puzzling. The tree has the framework of a pine tree. However, there are few branches; and, each branch looks more like some spiny time of succulent. A perfect highlight to end our visit.

2018-04 - National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh)

The National Museum of Scotland is housed in a beautiful building just a block away from the Royal Mile. There is so much to see and learn about here! From Dolly the sheep to a human-sized guinea pig wheel to endless stuff animals and an entire wing devoted to Scotland's history. One of the best ways to sample a bit of everything and get a brief layout of the museum is to take one of the free, docent led tours. The guide took us around to at least one important piece per collection.

Feast bowl from the Cook Islands

The Grand Gallery: this is the large, open space in the middle of the museum. It is roofed with glass, letting the sunlight warm the area. There are several larger pieces in this gallery; but, mostly, it's just for walking through and enjoying the scenery. Some interesting pieces that we saw in the gallery included part of an atom accelerator (used between 1950-1972), the skull of a sperm whale and a feast bowl from the Cook Islands.

Millenium Clock

In a side room just off the Grand Gallery is the Millenium Clock. It is a collaboration of a glass artist, a clockmaker, a furniture maker, a kinetic sculptor and an illustrator. It rings every hour from 11 am until 4 pm. We caught the Millenium Clock just in time to see it in action. While it plays a song, it is more of a cacophony of movement, bells and clangs. Highly recommend catching it on the hour.

Stegosaurus

Natural World Galleries: at the far end of the Grand Gallery is the entrance to the Natural World galleries. We entered and stopped in front of a skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Interestingly, this skeleton, discovered in Montana, is one of the most complete ever found. Above us, there was a large array of sea animals (and a hippo) hanging from the ceiling and appearing to swim through the air. On the ground level, we walked past a plethora of beautiful taxidermi animals, including a giraffe whose head stretch up to the balcony on the level above.

Dolly the sheep! First cloned sheep

On the second level, there were more stuffed animals as well as information on endangered species and poaching around the world. In fact, there is a big sign in front of the rhino stating that the horn is a replica. Rhino horns are worth more than their weight in gold. There is also a skeleton of a Stegosaurus on this level. The placard next to it speculated that it could turn it's skin red by pumping blood into the vertical plates on its back.

Trying out the human sized hamster wheel

Science and Technology Galleries: these galleries are at the other end of the Grand Gallery. In here, we saw a spinning, stuffed Dolly the sheep (the very first cloned sheep)! All the floors in this section are packed full with interesting information. Plus, there are lots of hands on exhibits. I tried running in the human-sized guinea pig wheel (tougher than it looks). We could create different waves, have a robot spell our name, and many other hands on activities. Plus, there were so many interesting exhibits, including planes hanging down from the center of the gallery, information on a Japanese scientist's invention of a fire alarm for deaf people (it sprays a scent like wasabi), many bicycles, and part of the CERN particle collider!  These galleries were so much fun. Easy to lose track here and quickly spend hours checking everything out.

Pre-historic artifacts in sculpture cases

Scottish History and Archaeology Galleries: past the Science and Technology Galleries, we arrived at an entire wing dedicated to Scotland. There is so much history here! By going down into the "dungeon" area, there are pre-historic jewelry collections displayed in sculptures that are artworks themselves. Going into the following gallery on this -1 level opens up to endless ancient artifacts meticulously cataloged and displayed. It becomes a bit overwhelming!

Lewis chessman

On the main floor of the Scottish History Gallery, our docent led us to the Lewis chessmen, part of four complete sets carried by Vikings to Scotland. Our docent showed us how to pick out the king, the queen, and the "berserker", a soldier biting his shield who would get all crazed and drugged up (go berserk) and lead the army into battle. The other pieces of interest that our docent pointed out on this floor were a replica of the tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a chest that was used to send a quarter of the Scotland government's money to the New World as a failed attempt to become part of the slave trade.

Chest used to transport 1/4 of the Scottish government's wealth to the New World

Above this level are two more levels of more recent Scottish history. We had to at least check out the floor above to figure out when Scotland became part of England (1707, due to losing so much money from attempting to become part of the slave trade). The floor above that had more homewares and furniture from the Victorian age (think 1800s).

Roof Terrace: a get way to end your tour of the museum, or just give your brain a rest for a few moments, the roof terrace above the Scottish History Galleries gives a splendid view of Edinburgh.

2018-04 - The Writers' Museum (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Along the Rick Steves Audio Tour, one point of interest had been The Writers' Museum. However, we had started the tour so late that the museum was closed by the time that we arrived. It was interesting enough to warrant a follow-up visit in order to see inside.

First, you'll need to find the museum. It's off the Royal Mile, in Lady Stair's Close. It did take a bit of back and forth on the block before seeing the close identified. Once inside the close, the building stands beautifully as it has done since it was built in the 1600s.

The Writers' Museum is dedicated to three Scottish authors: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. We entered and took the stairs down to the floor dedicated to Robert Louis Stevenson. It was so interesting to learn about Stevenson's life growing up in Edinburgh! We've crammed in a lot of learning on Edinburgh up to this point. We could start making connections, like about the clothes wardrobe from Stevenson's house that was made by Deacon Brodie, who is the probable inspiration for Stevenson's novel "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde".

Stevenson's wardrobe built by the infamous Deacon Brodie

On the top floor, there are exhibits for Robert Burns of "O My Luve's like a red, red rose" fame and of Sir Walter Scott. Robert Burns wrote poetry in the Scottish language; and, became an inspiration for a generation of Scots poets and authors, including Sir Walter Scott. Scott wrote one of the very first historical novels (Waverley) and this about Scotland.

Looking down on the main floor of the museum

The museum is free and well worth the visit. Donations are always welcome. In addition, museum offers walking tours for a fee.

2018-04 - Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh Castle, on a sunny day

Our first day of dreary weather on our England-Scotland vacation; and, we were on our way to tour Edinburgh Castle. We walked up the Royal Mile, across the esplanade and between the statues of William Wallace (remember Braveheart?) and Robert the Bruce flanking the gate.

Statues of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce flanking the gate

 As we stood in line to purchase our tickets, the drizzle intensified. More prepared people popped up umbrellas. Even more prepared people had purchased tickets online earlier, saving both on ticket price and wait time in line.

Up the stairs we go!

Once inside, we realized that we were still outside in the elements. I had mistakenly assumed that a "castle" would be completely covered. However, much of Edinburgh Castle is outdoors. We analyzed the map and planned our attack of the castle, starting with the 69 stairs up to the upper level.

Upstairs, there was a man dressed in traditional Scottish costume drawing us in with his talk of fighting during the 17th century. We became part of the audience and learned how to "schiltron", or fight with pikes. We practiced positioning our pikes, pretending to thrust our pikes into our enemies (the British!) and yelling our war cries. It was quite a workout, both for the arms, shoulders, quads and throats!

By this time, I was shivering. We moved inside to check out the Crown Jewels of Scotland. There's two different routes to view the jewels. One way is to take an entrance directly up to the jewels. The second route is to take a more round about way through rooms set up with historic scenes and information written on the walls. We opted for the second option and learned various historical anecdotes, including that Mary, Queen of Scots was crowned as an infant. We also learned about the Stone of Destiny, a rock throne that each Scottish ruler sat on to be crowned. There are no photos allowed of the Crown Jewels or the Stone of Destiny.

Roof of the Great Hall

Our next stop was a short walk outside to the Great Hall. Finished in 1511, it is a large open room designed to host feasts and generally impress any visiting dignitaries from other kingdoms. Overhead the ceiling looks like the hull of a great ship, with intricate wooden arching. At one end, there is a large fireplace. To the top right, there was a small grate where the king could spy on anyone in the hall. It was built by the Scottish King James IV. Unfortunately, he died a few years later. This hall then had the unpleasantness of being used as a military barracks and wasn't returned to its grandeur until the late 19th century. Today, it looks more like a military museum, with various weapons lining the walls.

Looking down on New Town. The 1 o'clock gun is in the center of the photo, on the overlook

As you walk around the Edinburgh Castle, there are various lookouts. Placards point out the various sites below. One such placard near the One O'Clock gun (yes, it fires at 1 pm daily), talks about the New Town on the other side of Edinburgh Castle. Most of original Edinburgh is along the Royal Mile. However, there was such overcrowding, that the plague had a deleterious effect. We're talking about buildings cramped close together without any type of sewage system. People threw the contents of bedpans out the windows, leading to general sewage sitting in the courtyards, closes and streets. New Town was a way to alleviate the problem. It was a planned community with wide streets. Edinburgh's first modern suburb.

There are many great museums with the Edinburgh Castle complex. Many of them are dedicated to some aspect of the military or wars; and, part of the castle is still used by the military.  One interesting one that we did visit was The Prisons of War. It had several rooms set-up to reflect how POWs were kept. Plus, there was a door carved with graffiti from at least the time of American prisoners captured during its Revolutionary War. In addition, there was a section on money counterfeiting.

As we were heading toward the gift shop, we noticed that a free docent led tour had just started; and, we joined in. It was great to walk around with a guide pointing out different interesting tidbits. She recommended the National War Museum of Scotland within the complex, dropping a tantalizing hint about an elephant kept at Edinburgh Castle. We didn't have time to visit. However, the National War Museum is a back-up for bathrooms (in case the long is too line in the cafe). The museum was quite extensive, as I walked through the entire museum to get to the toilets.

Walking out of Edinburgh Castle

The Red Coat Cafe inside Edinburgh Castle offers lunch items as well as pastries and cream tea. It is a great stop to rest the feet and recharge to continue your tour of the sites. For an upscale experience, there is also the Tea Rooms.