EDINBURGH
Admittedly
and sadly, I saw too little of Glasgow to weigh in on its feud with Edinburgh
for the title of the city most representative of Scotland. What I can say,
however, is that Edinburgh is a beautiful city and, however it may hold up to
Glasgow, is Scottish to the core. My first introduction to the city was at
night, which is to my eyes the best way to see a city. The walk back to the
hotel from the garage in which I left the car took me through its narrow,
winding roads and past Edinburgh Castle.
Few
were out, however, and almost all the pubs were closed. Among the scarce signs
of life are saw were a few European hares on the castle grounds. European hares
bare a closer resemblance to our Eastern cottontail than the cottontail does to
its Western cousin the jack-rabbit. Despite being canonized in British culture
by the works of Lewis Carroll and A.A. Milne, the European hare is an import to
Great Britain having been introduced from continental Europe by William the
Conqueror, a subtle nod to this fact is found in Watership Down in which
Richard Adams modeled the Lapine language on lingua franca. There is, however, one hare that is native to
the British Isles and that is the fuzzy mountain hare.
When I
made my way out in the morning the essence of Edinburgh embraced me in all its
liveliness. It’s that delightful paradox, a bustling city retaining its
quaintness. The retention of its history and heritage has made room for
innovation. It thrives while never exhausting.
Ultimately,
I decided to leave my car in the lot and experience this vibrant city by foot. This
proved to be the right decision as it was the best way to reach the Bath House
of Queen Mary, a tiny structure surrounded by a serene garden that was once a
retreat for the Queen of Scots.
From
there I made my way to the current home of the Crown in Scotland, Holyrood
Palace, towering over Queen Mary’s little slice of heaven. The contrast is, of
course, great. Holyrood Palace is, to the tourist, a museum of a castle with
artifacts and arts traversing the centuries. On that particular sunny October
day the Royal Mile was very busy and I became quickly lost in the throngs of
visitors.
My
visit to Holyrood Palace was briefer than I had hoped for a building of such
reputation but I found that the day was passing by and I still had a lot of
Edinburgh to see before I left the city on the following day. Indeed, some of
Edinburgh’s most charming curiosities are overshadowed by its icons. Also on
the Royal Mile one can find the People’s Story Museum which celebrates the
laborers that have kept the city running and the Moubray House, home to
nobility since 1477. I lingered the longest at the John Knox House, a
fascinating building that illustrates how legend and conjecture often become
history. What is certain is that the house, built around 1470, was nearly a
century old when John Knox (1514-1572), the theologian and reformer of the
Church of Scotland, lived there. A plaque adorning the building identifies the
house as the residence of John Knox from 1560-66. According to the site’s own
somewhat contradictory literature, however, Knox resided in the house only
briefly during the siege of Edinburgh Castle, but documentations show he died
within its walls. Nonetheless, following the Disruption of 1843 and the
creation of the Free Church, the house had become so attached to the legacy of
John Knox that it carries his name to this day.
The majority of my day spent in Victoria Street, which in many ways is the heart of Edinburgh. On the day of my visit (October 20) the city was already decorating the vibrant swerving street with Christmas lights and wreaths while a line of tourists was awaiting their turn to enter Diagon Alley, popularly known as the Harry Potter store. I could have spent an entire day at Victoria Street, admiring the elegant India Buildings and exploring its shops and cafes. I was delighted to find Armchair Books, an antique bookstore with an impressive array of titles. In design Armchair Books bears some resemblance to the basement of the Harvard Square Bookstore. There is a section for every topic imaginable and I got lost in its labyrinth of shelves.
Before dark I had to visit the Sir Walter Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens, the second largest monument to a literary legend, which is neighbored by a statue of that enigmatic explorer David Livingstone.
I ended my day visiting
Edinburgh Castle just as the sun was setting. I was feeling somewhat
dissatisfied with my pacing and couldn’t escape the feeling I had shortchanged
many of the sights I visited and put off Linlithgow Palace for the following
day before leaving Edinburgh, but the shadow cast by the ancient castle as the
last rays of sun set reminded me that the true rewards are in the moments you
cannot plan.
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