Edinburgh: City of the "Gothic Rocket"

Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

As our taxi meandered through heavy traffic from the train station to our B&B, we were struck with the grandiose architecture of the churches, stately homes, and national buildings . What also struck us was how dark and dreary they all appeared, as if in need of a good scrubbing including the imposing Scott Monument; a huge, pointed structure looming into the gray afternoon clouds.  Bill Bryson described the Scott Monument as looking like a “gothic rocket ship” in his book, Notes From A Small Island (page 25).  We thought it resembled something from Lord of the Rings.

To get a better perspective of Scotland, we chose to visit the National Museum of Scotland. Once you're inside it's extremely difficult to find your way OUT! The "old" section of the building is linked with the "new" by way of a convoluted maze of floors, half-floors, and odd and sometimes even-numbered elevators.  We managed to escape for a lunch break at The Red Fort, an Indian buffet 2 blocks from the museum--friendly people, very tasty food, and casual atmosphere. After lunch we were able to finish the history of Scotland. The museum brought to light the number of Scottish people who made significant contributions to engineering, science, literature, and to the building of the British Empire ....quite out of proportion to the very small population (only 5 million even today). The displays were ingenious with a good portion directed to children with hands-on opportunities.

A treat was in store for us the next morning when we discovered the Water of Leith Walkway.
It is a public footpath and cycle way that runs alongside the small river of Leith. One section of the walkway was accessible 2 blocks from our B&B. We followed the quiet, beautiful, tree-lined path to the Royal Botanic Garden.  A nice change of pace and a chance to get away from noisy city traffic and crowded sidewalks.  

For our last outing we took the bus across town to see the Royal Yacht Britannia. She is now permanently moored as an exhibition ship at Ocean Terminal. The ship has been beautifully preserved in the immaculate condition it was when decommissioned in 1997.  If you have more than a few extra dollars, euros, or pounds to spare, the ship is available for that special occasion including a dinner table for 38!  This does not include a spin around the harbor .

Our B&B was located on a wooded cul-du-sac within walking distance to the historic center of town. Breakfast included real Stornoway black pudding, a "high-end" blood sausage made from pork blood, oatmeal, and other not-so-secret ingredients. The proprietress, Lady Susan Kinross, runs a 4-star B&B which lives up to its reputation. 

We're looking forward to another fine B&B in Inverness. See you there!

For more photos please click the link:
https://picasaweb.google.com/104590044281989964656/20140625Edinburgh?authkey=Gv1sRgCM-c4-KLhK7kmwE#

   


 

 

   





 

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