June 21, 2018

June 21, 2018

We began our Edinburgh tour at nearby Holyrood Park. The centerpiece is Arthur’s Seat, an extinct old volcano. My last visit to Edinburgh was 34 years ago. Then it was cold, cloudy and brown. Today it is gloriously sunny, and everything is green. Perhaps the extra CO2 is making the earth more fertile. We then walked the Salisbury Crags, a volcanic cliff extending out toward the city. The edge is surprisingly steep.

The Crag walk eventually slopes back down at Holyroodhouse Palace, the Queen's official Scottish residence. Across the street is the new Scottish Parliament. We peek in the Debating Chamber and peruse some exhibits on Scottish history. They cover the union with Britain in 1707 and the modern effort to ‘devolve’. Setting up this separate Parliament in many eyes is the prelude to total independence.

Edinburgh is a city of hills. We then climbed up Calton Hill for close-up views of the city. This small hill also has a half dozen monuments packed on the summit.

After descending, we walked around New Town Edinburgh. The town expanded across an old lake bed during the Victorian Age. It has a master planned grid with large avenues, central monuments, and architecture all in the Neoclassical Georgian Style. This was the heyday of Scottish Enlightenment or Renaissance. Suddenly Scotland went from a backward nation to the leading intellectual center with the likes of James Watt (steam engine), Hutton (geology), Stevenson/Scott/Burns (literature), Maxwell/Kelvin (physics), Adam Smith (economics), and Hume (philosophy). Capitalism surged the country forward. Unfortunately in the late 20th century, they turned Socialist and they are now the stepchild of Britain, heavily dependent on English subsidies.

We then walked along the Princes Street Gardens. This sunken park separates Old and New Town and comes with grand views of Edinburgh Castle. 200 hundred years ago it was a smelly marsh. After walking the length we stop in the National Gallery for a quick peek and then climb up to the Castle.

From the Castle we start our Royal Mile walk that extends downhill back to Holyrood Castle. This is the original Edinburgh and was packed with tall medieval 'tenement' buildings making it one of the most densely populated cities. Edinburgh used to be called 'Auld Reeky' because of the smell and squalor. Now it is a tourist mall filled with stores selling Whiskey and Tartans. There are also a dozen street performers. We visit the interior of St Giles Cathedral which was the home base of John Knox, leader of the Scottish Reformation. His belief in hard work, frugality, and literacy may have set the stage for the later Scottish Enlightenment.

We stop for lunch at Deacon Brodie’s Tavern. Because this fine upstanding citizen led a criminal life at night he was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. After our late lunch we finish the Royal Mile walk and then head back to our B&B. Our feet need a rest.