Just a side note: get ready for more insanity from that sorry excuse for a man for the next two months. Just like a cornered rat, he will do anything and everything to try to stop the Mueller investigation before the Democrats take over the House in January. Fortunately, Mueller is a thousand times smarter than him. I’m sure he’s figured out every move T will try to take. I’ve seen this analogy a lot: Mueller is the Master Chess Player here. T can barely understand checkers.
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Okay. On to Edinburgh. We were in Edinburgh for about 36 hours, so we could only see so much. I let Don take the lead, as he had never been there. Same with London.
We headed to the Prince Street Gardens and the walk to the Castle.
This is the statue of Sir Walter Scott that is part of the Scott Memorial.
You can see it on the left in this view from the other side of the gardens.
Somehow I had never gone inside Edinburgh Castle during my previous visit, and Don definitely wanted to go there.
We paid the entrance fee and explored the Castle.
I have one photo for you other than the one above, because it was so damned windy up there that I was afraid I’d get swept over the battlements! We did watch a film on the history of Scotland and its soldiers that was very interesting. It was beautiful up there, high above Edinburgh, but incredibly cold and windy.
A stained glass window inside the Castle’s chapel.
Eventually, we got so cold that we made our exit.
We headed further into Old Town.
The library. I love the inscription above the door.
We stopped for a snack at a ‘patisserie.’ Were we back in Paris? Hot chocolate for me, a sweet concoction for Don, and these.
Scones, clotted cream and jam, because I knew that Don had to sample this staple of the British Isles. He, of course, loved them.
As we walked along, we encountered the famous statue of Greyfriars Bobby.
Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier who spent 14 years guarding the grave of his master until Bobby himself died at the age of 16 in 1872. His master was buried in the graveyard of Greyfriars Kirk. I told Don the story of Bobby and we saw the Kirkyard across the street so we decided to explore it.
This is one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh, completed in 1620.
A dark and windy day, rather appropriate for a visit to the Kirkyard.
All around the edges of the property are private graves, with monuments, many of them decaying.
I learned from a gentleman that I’ll soon introduce you to that the iron gates that kept these family sites private were taken down and used for the war effort during WWII, which explained something that had puzzled me – why were the sites so exposed?
Bobby’s grave. “Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all.”
We were walking around, discussing the grave markers when a man appeared and started explaining one of the gravesites to us in his charming Scottish brogue. His name was Wallace. He appeared out of nowhere, like the Scottish version of a leprechaun. But he is very real. He is a trained volunteer at the Kirkyard. They are a devoted group who appear every morning at 7 am to clean up trash and debris and share their knowledge of the history of this place with visitors. Wallace ended up taking us around the entire Kirkyard.
It was one of those moments where we thought to ourselves, “This is what the whole afternoon will be about.” By that, I mean, it was unexpected and magical and we were connecting to a lovely man and his spirit in a way that was rare. Whatever else we had planned was shelved. We also learned so much about the history of Greyfriars.
From Wallace:
• Greyfriars was where the Scottish Covenant was presented by the Covenanters in 1639, which said, in essence, that they would only pledge their allegiance to God and not the King. The King did not like that, and 1200 Covenanters were imprisoned in the Kirkyard while awaiting trial. They had very little food or shelter and townspeople would do their best to sneak food into the Kirkyard for them. I saw the gates behind which they were imprisoned – I can’t imagine what they went through.
• Bodies were wrapped in linen and were buried only 12 inches below ground. When the weather is wet, bones often rise above the ground and the volunteers mark the site with a stick and then go back when they can and push the bones back underground.
• J.K. Rowling, as a single parent who had very little money, used to write in the Elephant Cafe, which overlooks the Kirkyard, and she drew much of her inspiration for the first Harry Potter book from there. Many of the character names were adapted from the names on the tombstones. The George Heriot School, which is just beyond the grounds of Greyfriars Kirk, was the inspiration for Hogwarts.
Don and I are not Harry Potter fans, so we had no idea of any of this. Of course, now we want to read the series, having seen the real-life inspiration for its settings! It also explains why we saw so many young people taking pictures of the grave markers and the school.
• During WWII, Hitler instructed his soldiers not to bomb Edinburgh Castle. First of all, it was a directional marker for the flight to Glasgow, which was the site of industries that Hitler would want to obliterate, and secondly, Hitler planned to take over the Castle when he won the war as one of his private residences.
Behind these gates is the inspiration for Hogwarts.
The George Heriot School.
Wallace and I by the gravestone for the master of Greyfriars Bobby. Seems strange to be smiling, but after you’ve been there a while, you become entirely comfortable with the history and the gravestones and Wallace’s passion about the Kirkyard, as well as his wonderful sense of humor.
At one point, Bobby was in danger of being carted off by those who didn’t understand his devotion to his deceased master, but the children who lived nearby and an Edinburgh official banded together to protect him and allow him the freedom to come and go from the Kirkyard, just as any citizen of Edinburgh. One of the sextons would make sure he was safely inside the yard each night.
Don and Wallace in front of the grave marker for William McGonagall, considered the worst poet in the English language. Wallace quoted a few poems for us and they were, indeed, terrible. McGonagall is the inspiration for one of the characters in Harry Potter.
Wallace, by the way, made an appearance in Braveheart.
Thomas Riddell was the inspiration for the real name of Voldemort.
“Robby” robin, who lives in the Kirkyard and sometimes lands on Wallace’s hand.
I can’t tell you how much our time with Wallace meant to us. We still talk about him. He is gentle, kind and funny man who is devoted to his volunteer position. It was what I would call a Holy Encounter: spiritual, unexpected, and incredibly powerful. Our day turned into a journey that we didn’t expect and are profoundly grateful for.
Wallace may be in Florida as I write this. He and his wife were headed there for a vacation and I think it was about two weeks after our time there. Enjoy the sun, Wallace!
Just a quick note about our hotel, The Principal George on George Street. It is situated in three Georgian buildings that have been combined to form the hotel and it was wonderful. Gorgeous, with a great staff. They gave us a complimentary upgrade before we even got there, so we had a huge corner room with a king size bed and a beautiful view.
Our view:
Incredible restaurant – the best meal we had on the entire trip – with a great breakfast, as well.
There we go. Fini.
We headed home the next day.
And now it’s back to normal Claudia posts. I hope you’ve enjoyed these posts from our trip. It’s been a pleasure sharing them with you.
Happy Thursday.
The photos of your adventure have been enjoyable! Thanks for sharing them and all your stories about the trip.
As for dt, I completely agree with you.
The election results have renewed my hope and determination.
Minnesota saw a blue wave with many barrier breaking firsts. Hope lives!
It does! Thanks, Carolyn Marie!
Loved your dream vacation!
By the way, I defended you on FB against the snarky Sheila Archer. I PM’d David to ask if she was an infiltrator as she was very much trying to stop the preemptive march. She was opaque on her page but I went down to her interests and found she organized Get the Vote out events in PA. I guess it’s only okay when she organizes marches and protests. Maybe she didn’t have her coffee this morning.
I saw that! Thank you. She’s a pill. If she can’t handle dialogue, she’s in the wrong place. Projecting her arrogance onto others.
I treasure each of you travel posts – such a pleasure to see what you saw. A wonderful trip.
Hugs.
Joy
Thank you so much, Joy!
Loved, loved, loved the trip photos and stories! But did I see on your Just Read Books list that you finished a C.B.Strike/J.K.Rowling story? I watched all of those on Showtime, I think, and loved them. Hope there are more to come!
Also, the sticks placed at Bobby’s headstone—so sweet.
Yes, it just came out. Her newest! I liked it – a big long, but her books are always good.
I loved this day of your journey! Incredible that the stars aligned so you would meet Wallace. Maybe a nod for you and Don to enjoy the Harry Potter books, too. Beautiful memories. What a very special day. Thanks so much for sharing with us. ♡
You are most welcome, Chris.
Claudia,
Enjoyed all of your travel posts. I was already familiar with the story of Greyfriars Bobby, but it still brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.
I know. It’s so beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.
Thank you for your travel posts. I enjoyed every picture and word of them.
My pleasure, Joyce.
Great photos. You really are a talented photographer!
Thank you, Terri!
Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us! The pictures and commentary were great and made me feel like I was right there too! Wallace was certainly a treasure! Thanks again. Any thoughts of selling some prints?
Glad the election is over and hope against hope things get better. T is just such a mess.
You’re welcome, Dottie!
I have so enjoyed this Travelogue. just like everything you write, Impeccable,and thought provoking. I am quite sure that is the most I shall ever see or learn about Europe.
You sure did a good job planning your trip. Thank You for sharing it with us! Judy A-
You’re most welcome, Judy!
Thank you so much for sharing your trip! I loved seeing all the pictures and hearing about all your experiences. It must have been magical and a bit surreal at times.
It was both. Mostly, it was simply wonderful. Thanks, Carol.
Claudia, your travel posts sure had me hankering for returning to Paris and London and add Scotland to my must go to list. Looking forward to your “normal” posts even though there is nothing normal about them. They are all special.
Thank you so much, Wendy.
Hello Claudia – Thanks again for taking us on your fabulous European tour! Even though I’ve been lucky enough to visit the three capitals on many occasions, it’s been lovely to see them through someone else’s eyes.
I think Edinburgh is definitely breezy and chilly. I once visited for a wedding in November, unbelievably cold. In fact I’d say the eastern side of Britain (apart from Kent) feels colder, probably due to the wind blowing across the North Sea from Scandinavia.
What a lovely man is Wallace – a genuine diamond.
Glad that changes are happening for you in the States. Over here Trump is reported to have said “It’s a big win” – Seriously this guy is supposedly a world statesman and unless he’s reading from a pre written speech, seems to have the vocabulary of a ten year old! No wonder folk in the UK, think he’s an absolute buffoon!
He has the vocabulary of a three year old. Of course three year old don’t say many of the mean words that come out of his mouth on a daily basis! He IS a buffoon! I can’t wait until he’s out of office and on his way to prison.
FYI. Disney did a movie about Greyfriar’s Bobbie in 1961. A Challenge to Lassie 1949 is loosely based on this lovely story. The 1949 movie is just wonderful.
Yes, I know of that movie. Thanks so much, Nancy!
It has been a great pleasure to hear all about your dream trip. Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us.
My pleasure, Cathy!
What a joy it has been to read the journal of your travels and experiences, Claudia! Thank you for sharing all of this with us.
You’re very welcome, Susan.
This was so wonderful traveling around with you and Don….thanks for taking us along. It’s been a delightful distraction from all the politics of the day. When I was in Scotland, I felt such a connection to the land and the history. Just walking the land that had been walked on hundreds of years before. You were fortunate that Wallace found you…almost like it was meant to be. I think it was!
I absolutely agree – it was meant to be. That’s sort of what we mean when we say “road trip” – being open to things, being led to experiences and people. It happened last year on our trip across the country and it happened again on this trip. We’re very grateful! Thanks, Donnamae.
Lovely photos. How nice to get the corner room with a view. Also to meet Wallace and all the more special as it was happenstance, a magical moment. I remember it being bitterly cold when we visited Edinburgh castle in the month of May. But it just happened they had a whisky company there, giving tastings of their products, and I must say it hit the spot. One had a true understanding of the value of whisky in warming the soul.
So cold! And the wind was out of control! Thanks, Christine!
It has been such a joy to read of your travels and to see all the beautiful photos. I have enjoyed it very much. You explain everything so well that it almost makes me feel as if I were there too. At least it makes me want to be there! As for dt……just thinking about him makes me feel ill.
Thank you so much, Lorinda! My pleasure.
Great wrap-up on your trip. I’m genuinely sorry to see it end. Hopefully we’ll hear additional snippets in the future as appropriate to your topic or even just as you remember them. Wow, there really are a lot of Edinburgh-inspired Harry Potter references, aren’t there? I was tempted to read the books myself when my niece was reading them [age 6] but didn’t ACTUALLY do it until I read that Keith Olbermann had read them. I know it’s weenie, but I just needed to know that there was one other adult on the planet whom I respected that read them. Then I dived right in and they really are that good! Definitely written for children but thinking adults surely get a lot out of them too. Like Disney & Pixar movies for kids, which always have goodies for grownups sprinkled in among all the kids’ stuff. I never heard the story about Greyfriars Bobby, but the British are so devoted to their pets, so it’s not surprising. It seems like EVERY British home has at least a dog or a cat – and maybe have more. Have you ever read the “All Creatures Great & Small” books by Scottish veterinarian James Herriott? PBS made a series out of them back in the 70s. A huge favorite in our family, then & now. Highly recommend them. Peace.
#Resist
#ProtectMueller
I started the books years ago but it wasn’t a good time and I was not committed to reading them.
The Greyfriars Bobby story is so moving. Such devotion!
Thanks, Janet.
I love your Wallace story. Also, I love your photo of the British robin. I love our North American robins, but those British ones seem much cheerier. One of my collections is various bits of china from various companies, but all with British robins on them.
They have brighter coloring, that’s for sure. And they’re smaller. Love that you’re collecting china with British robins!
Thanks, Brenda.
I have so enjoyed your trip! and as many times as I hear of Greyfriar’s Bobby I always get tears in my eyes at that little fellow.
and I’ve read almost all the Harry Potter series. after reading them you really should see at least a couple of the movies. when they’re rowing across the water to Hogwarts is totally enchanting!
the books are beautiful and so are the earlier movies. I don’t know about the later ones. I somehow quit watching. but I hope you enjoy them.
and so much information in this post! I loved every minute of it. xo
So glad you enjoyed the post, Tammy!
I have enjoyed your trip very much, Claudia. Thanks for taking us along!
You’re very welcome!
Thank you so much for sharing this journey. Your photos have been wonderful, too. I’m happy you and Don had such a wonderful time.
Thank you so much, Debbie!
Oh, Claudia, I have so enjoyed your recaps of your trip and am as sorry they’re over as I’m sure you were to have to come back. Thank you so much for “taking” us along with you. And, OMG, I totally forgot the Jo Rowling connection with Edinburgh! I HAVE read all the books since when they began appearing my boys were 10 and 8. I read the first one aloud to the 8 year old and we were all instantly hooked. Midnight release parties at the now defunct Borders Books. Memories… Eldest son actually got to go to Edinburgh when his high school band played at their Easter Festival He loved it and he even tried haggis (he didn’t like that).
Yesterday you mentioned Scott Walker was out and, believe me, after voting against the guy 4 times I couldn’t be more thrilled myself :-)
I miss Borders!
I bet you’re feeling giddy now that Walker was defeated! Thanks, Kay.
Thank you both for sharing your thoughts and knowledge along the way on your glorious trip!…I have seen many many things that I would never have seen otherwise…I can’t think of two people that I would rather tag along with than you and Don!…As for Baby T…it will be such fun watching him sweat now won’t it?? lol
Yes, it will! The panic will grow daily. Thanks, Nancy!
Now that you’ve lived and relived your once in a life time 20th anniversary trip, do you have some plans before heavy winter sets in? I find that after a trip even tho I’m glad to be home, it’s an adjustment back to reality. And yes, we made great strides in the election–I’m by no means disappointed with the results–but a cornered rat is dangerous and we’re in for more shenanigans. You needn’t share them here, but I hope you have a few things on your calendar besides sprucing up the property for winter that will bring back some of the joy and exploration of your trip. It’s a lot of work sorting out and putting up all those photos and relating the stories. I’m grateful!!
It’s a big adjustment and I really miss being over there, being inspired by new sights, new sounds, new information and so much beauty. We both are having a hard time adjusting to being back.
I have more work to do on Anastasia and my birthday is in 12 days, so I’ll be somewhat busy, but we have lived here many years and there’s really nothing we haven’t seen or done. Ah, well.
Your meeting up with Wallace was a total joy. When I looked, and re-looked at your picture with Wallace I was struck by the resemblance – could this spiritual, unexpected, and incredibly powerful encounter have a deeper connection, considering your roots?
I think the resemblance is just a fluke in that particular photo. We really don’t look anything alike. But I sure wouldn’t mind having Wallace a relative. He’s a wonderful person. And I do have Scots ancestors.
Thank you for spending so much time giving other people pleasure from your great holiday. I vowed to go back soon to both Paris and London but the Edinburgh photos made me really homesick since I lived near there till 5 years ago. It is so like human nature that you don’t truly appreciate where you live,taking it for granted until visitors open your eyes. The great bit about travelling is the people you meet.On a trip to Lithuania a group of us went to visit a lovely man on his farm who had been a British Consul in Moscow during the cold war and he had so much to tell and show us . The next village had a choir of ladies who had been moved to Siberia in the 60’s as slave labour and now were home and spreading the message of reconciliation. In Germany on a trip the young lady guide explained how she had been at kindergarten in the communist East Germany years and had to be questioned each day by her mother in case she had said the wrong thing. Travel does open your eyes.Wallace sounds great and I know the type well,my husband is just like him and perhaps yours is too! We meet many people from the U.S. here in Llandudno,a seaside town in North Wales and we love to hear their stories when we meet them strolling about.
My son who used to live on Long island is trying to explain your election to me,and although I haven’t grasped it all yet, I am glad you are pleased and don’t loose hope. Thank you again for you great blog, Megan.
We had so many experiences like yours. Conversations with people that touched us, broadened our knowledge and, most importantly, established a connection. It’s priceless. Thanks so much, Megan.
Stunning beauty in Edinburgh. I’m smitten with the architecture – love the stone construction. You generously shared so many pictures and stories and I think you for that. Have a lovely weekend.
You’re most welcome, Karen. It was my pleasure.