British Isles - Day 11

Travel can be exhausting, especially if overnight coach bus rides are involved. I gave myself a later start today (and earlier bedtime the night before to get a spot of rest. Judging by how well I slept, I needed it.

After rising closer to 8:30, I took my time getting ready to face the day and decided to visit the hostel’s breakfast offering at the bar next door. Fairly small continental breakfast, not much to talk about, but one huge flaw- perhaps the worst coffee I’ve ever had. Yes, I like good coffee. But no, I’m not a snob. It’s not the price point, or the name, or style that matters to me. I just want it to taste good. This one just tasted burnt. And the fireplace is not a tasting note I like in coffee.

After that disappointment, things could only go uphill. Literally, I suppose, given that the Royal Mile, the central street of old Edinburgh, is a sloping road leading up to the castle. I got to the tour’s meeting point earlier than expected, providing an opportunity to poke around in the ancient stone alleyways. The first scheduled tour was an Underground Walking Tour about the darker side of Edinburgh's history and an entrance into the vaults. As with many medieval cities, they did a lot that wasn’t necessarily worthy of pride, and this tour outlined some of the torture, executions, and suffering that went on. What made it unique was the access into the vaults, hidden stone rooms underground which were supposed to be pubs, markets, and stores, but turned out to be too dark, damp, and unpleasant. As a result, they quickly devolved into crime-ridden brothels, opiate dens, and shelters for the homeless. So there were plenty of darker tales to share.

I had some two hours until the city walking tour, so the National Museum of Scotland filled the time. It has a fun mix of exhibitions, from the ancient Scots, to the industry that developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, to technology. In the technology section, I looked for information on Watt and Stirling. While they had a decent amount about James Watt, his steam engines, his governor, etc. But I didn’t see anything at all about Robert Stirling. Sure, he isn’t as famous as Watt, yet he does deserve recognition for developing the Stirling Engine. Some of the technologies presented included F1 cars and a Black Knight rocket, which were cool to see up close. My visit was too brief to get a full grasp of the museum though.

Some of the best walking tours I’ve been on are the free ones where you, as the tourist, decide how much to pay the guide. This one with City Explorers was no exception. My guide, Rory, is an Edinburgh native and had a PhD in Scottish history, making him the best possible source of information. On top of that, he had a great stage presence, keeping the audience engaged. I wish I could relate even half of what I learned during the two hour tour, but that would be the equivalent of several chapters in a book, so I’ll only tell one story, the tale of Greyfriars Bobby, as it explains one of the most well-known monuments in Edinburgh. 

John Gray was a town watchman and his job was to walk a path around the city. One of the requirements for watchmen was to have a dog. So he chose Bobby, a small terrier. When Gray died of tuberculosis, Bobby, who knew the route well, kept walking it once a day, and sleeping by his owner’s grave. Beloved by many townsfolk, Bobby was officially adopted by the city so that he wouldn’t be a stray. Eventually, when he died, people wanted to bury him next to his beloved owner. Only dog burials weren’t permitted on consecrated ground. As such, he lies in rest in the same cemetery, just further off in unconsecrated ground. Upon learning of him, an American philanthropist commissioned the famous monument, which was later followed up by the memorial above his grave. 

By the time the tour ended, I was in the mood for a drink and a walk, specifically in that order. Good beer can be expensive, and this sour was the most expensive one I’ve ever bought. But totally worth it, since it was also the best beer I’ve ever had. Made by Holy Goat Brewing, it is light and refreshing. Reinvigorated, I continued over to the new part of Edinburgh, visiting the National Monument and Nelson Memorial. Getting to them is only a short walk from the old city, making it a very worthwhile stroll for the views.

In order to get a bit of work done, I set up shop at a (nominally) Swedish restaurant/pub. There, I ordered their vegetable snack plate, which had almost no vegetables in reality. More of a general snack plate since two of the major components, the bread and cheese, aren’t vegetables. But nevertheless tasty. A pot of lemon-ginger tea wrapped up the meal.

Another slow meandering stroll through Edinburgh’s new town and the residential area provided some very picturesque views, including the castle and a flowery celebration of the queen's platinum jubilee.