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.

2018-04 - Arthur's Seat (Edinburgh)

Approaching Arthur's Seat park. Little did we know that the highest part was hidden behind this first hill

After a chilly afternoon of strolling the Rick Steves audio tour from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace, I was ready to get in some real hiking and warm up a bit. The sky above was blue and sunny. However, I was shivering inside my down jacket every time the wind blew.

Just past Holyrood Palace and Scotland's Parliament, there is a lovely hill called Arthur's Seat. It towers 250 meters (~800 feet) above sea level and even taller than the rock where Edinburgh Castle is built. Both of these rocks are actually extinct volcanoes.

While the name sounds like it comes from the time of King Arthur, there are no historical facts to connect this hill to him. I still looked for a sword in a stone at the top.

View from the top!

According to wikipedia, this summit was used as a hill fort since at least 600 AD. While I didn't see evidence of the remains of the fort or the terraces, I did enjoy the view immensely.

Flowers on the way down

On one side, you look over the city of Edinburgh. On the other side, out to sea.

The entire park is free and open to the public. There are several paths that run through. However, there is no system of lights within the park.

Heading back toward town

2018-04 - Rick Steves Tour of Edinburgh

We arrived in Edinburgh this afternoon. After settling into our AirBnB in an old stone building in a close on the Royal Mile (check out the start of the Around Edinburgh album for some interior photos), we made our way up toward Edinburgh Castle for lunch. Afterward, we started on the Rick Steves audio tour.

Looking down the Royal Mile from the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle

Rick Steves has a tour company with almost exclusively European tours. However, he also has an app with several walking tours of London and one of Edinburgh. It downloads offline, so, no need to have WiFi or data plan when you're listening to it. We had all downloaded the app and tour to our phones. We weren't the only ones along this path of sites listening to our phones! Plus, while the tour points out different buildings, it doesn't require going into any that charge any type of entrance fee.

Witches' Fountain

The tour begins on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle at one end of the Royal Mile. There were beautiful blue skies above us as we slowly walked down the hill to the first stop, a fountain commemorating all the witches that Edinburgh had killed (300). \

Camera Obscura

The next stop is a building with a Camera Obscura that is still in use today, although it looks more like a fun house amusement house. Just down the street at a roundabout is the Tollbooth Church. It's a beautiful building that continues in use today as an information center.

Along the Royal Mile there are all these little pedestrian paths between the buildings that lead into courtyards of more buildings. We entered one called the Lady Stair's Close to a courtyard that houses a building from the 1600s that is now the Writers' Museum (more photos here).

Continuing along the Royal Mile, we come to a pub named after the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Deacon Brodie. He paraded as an upstanding citizen but burglarized people at night. The pub signs are two sided - one showing him as an honorable member of society and the other side as a burglar.

Bank of Scotland

As we look left at this intersection, we see the green dome of the Bank of Scotland. It was the world headquarters since 1695 but now houses a museum. Crossing the street, we see a famous person from Edinburgh: David Hume. I'm still at a loss at exactly what he contributed to philosophy and science. However, you can rub his toe for good luck.

St. Giles church

We cross the street to the site of the lost public execution in Edinburgh. It wasn't Deacon Brodie for all of his breaking and entering, although he was also executed on this spot, on a gallows that he designed! We pass an old well, the old parliament building (from the 1300s) and the Heart of Midlothian in the pavement before entering St. Giles church. (While there's no entrance fee, there is a 2 pound fee if you'd like to take photos within the church.)

St. Giles church

The entire church is very ornate with stain glassed windows and side chapels. Inside, you'll find a statue of John Knox, looking quite fearsome. In the far back corner is a small chapel of the only chivalrous order in Scotland: the Knights of the Thistle. There's a fee if you'd like to enter that section. However, staying within the main church provides plenty for the eye to see and enjoy.

Mercat Cross

Continuing down the Royal Mile, we see the "Mercat Cross", which marks the former main market in Edinburgh. Atop it is a unicorn, the animal symbolizing Scotland. It is also the place for royal proclamations since the 14th century up to at least 1952. We took a ghost tour later in the evening and ended at this cross, as do several other tours.

The next item of interest along the Royal Mile is the statue of Adam Smith, credited with the economics of free market capitalism. Just down the street are some more recent historical artifacts: telephone boxes!

John Knox's house

Now, there is more walking between items of interest. The next is John Knox's house. While it may not be his actual house, it is now a museum set up with furniture of the same time period. Then, we are at the World's End, which signifies the end of the city walls of Edinburgh. Today, it contains a pub, which we stopped at after hiking up Arthur's Seat.

Robert Fergusson in front of Cannongate Church

We continue done the Royal Mile, crossing over the street to Cannongate Church. Just in front of the church is a statue of Robert Fergusson, an author credited to be one of the first to write in Scottish. He looks quite young! Beside the church is a cemetery that includes the grave of the economist that we saw earlier: Adam Smith.

Scotland's Parliament

 From here, it's another long walk to the new Parliament building. At least the walk is downhill! Scotland formed a union with England in 1707, at which time it gave up its old parliament in Edinburgh (the building by St. Giles cathedral). However, it gained the right to hold it's parliament back in Edinburgh at the very beginning of the 21st century. At that time, it built this new parliament building and held it's first parliament here in 2004. The building is free to enter. The exterior of it is quite fun to look at.

Holyrood Palace

At the very end of the Royal Mile stands Holyrood Palace. It was used as an abbey before the palace was built. Mary, Queen of Scots, lived here; and, England's royal family today continue to use it. There is an entrance fee if you'd like to tour the palace.