When I got to Edinburgh, it was a cloudy day but luckily rain was not in the forecast. Thank God! I took the bus from Waverley Train station to my apartment which was a quick 10 minute drive. Since the bus driver wouldn’t give me change back and the smallest bill I had was £5, I decided to just get a £4 day pass with unlimited use of the bus system.
After checking into my apartment, I decided to head over to Old Town starting with the Royal Mile, a mile stretch that connects the Palace to the Castle. This compact capital of Scotland has so much history packed in it.
It was pretty cool to admire the St. Giles Cathedral, listen to the bagpipers on the street in their kilts, walk through couple of “close” from the Royal Mile which would open up into courtyards and a great way to escape the tourists on the busy Royal Mile.
St. Giles Cathedral standing majestic on the Royal Mile.
There is a big heart mosaic on the pavement near the St. Giles Cathedral. Pretty cool?? Well, at this spot executions used to happen and people would spit over the heart. So, if you ever decide to propose someone, this might not be the best spot. Unless you’re hoping for a doomed love life. Just saying!
Bagpiper, Men in Kilts – filling the air with Scottish music makes the visit to Old Town so much historic.
Courtyards and narrow Close makes it super easy to cut through one street to another.
I did learn that “shit face” is a saying that was coined by the Scottish. Since this was a walled medieval city over the hill for strategic reasons because of constant war with England and the only way it could accommodate it’s growing population was to build upwards. The major problem was that there were no toilets inside people’s home. They were allowed to dispose the shit in the morning and at night, by saying “gardyloo” to warn passers-by of waste about to be thrown from a window into the street below. Often at night time, the tipsy men returning home might look up when “gardyloo” was announced, hence “shitface” term was coined. Haha!
Walking through the Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery and learning about the infamous Bobby, the Skye Terrier, who was looked after by John Gray for the last two years of the old man’s life. After the death of Gray, Bobby reportedly guarded his grave for fourteen years, capturing the heart of the Lord Provost, William Chambers (whose own statue stands nearby on Chambers Street) and the public, who would bring him food and other comforts. Chambers organised for the Town Council to pay for Bobby’s dog licence, and so saved him from being rounded up and destroyed.
View of the Edinburgh Castle perched on top of the hill.
It was about time to head back to the apartment, so I could get ready and be on time for dinner at my friend Kim’s home.
Kim, who I met during my Yoga Teacher Training and lives in Edinburgh, invited me for dinner when she found out that I would be in her home town. Her home was just 20 minutes walk from the apartment I was staying at. I got to meet her loving family and friends, from her charming husband Simon who had prepared a lovely meal for us, her adorable grandkids who were funny and did like my hair, to her talented musician son and daughter. It was so nice to be surrounded by such a creative and loving family. It has been a long time, I’ve been in a family setting, so this was a wonderful treat. I’m so grateful for these moments of unconditional love and happiness. We talked for hours until 11pm and it was time for me to head back home.
Kim with her creations – the giant puppets
What a beautiful end to day one in Edinburgh!
