Saturday, June 19, 2004 (Royal Museum and Museum of Scotland)

It was very cold and rainy this morning. I didn't like it. My plans where to go to the Edinburgh Castle today, but with this weather ... so I didn't hurry to get up and then I enjoyed breakfast. The other family members took a little bit longer to get up. Miguel went today back to Spain so we said goodbye to each other. After that I went with the bus to the centre of Edinburgh.



Royal Museum

First I visited the Royal Museum on Chambers Street. This is a part of the National Museums of Scotland. The entrance is free of charge and the museum dates from 1861. The stolid, grey exterior gives way to a bright and airy, glass-roofed entrance hall – fantastic. It was presenting "the World to Scotland" - which they wrote on the brochure. It’s in a magnificent Victorian building. It is a collection of international Arts, Science and Industry, Archaeology and the Natural World. Some exhibits are millions of years old, others less than a decade. Together they reflect the diversity of life on Earth, and the "ingenuity" of humankind. "Communicate" is the exciting new exhibit. It shows displays with interactive exhibits and shows the diverse ways, people have made contact over the centuries.
Sure I must visit the Museum Shop and yes I bought a book ... ;-)



Museum of Scotland

The weather hadn’t changed by then, so I went to see the golden stone and strikingly modern architecture of the Museum of Scotland. It said "Presenting Scotland to the World". The magnificent building was designed by the architects Benson & Forsyth and was opened in December 1998. The Museum presents the history of Scotland - its land, its people and their achievements – with rich national collections. On the roof Terrace on Level 7, I enjoyed the breathtaking view over Edinburgh. The interior design is an attraction in itself. It would take several visits to do justice to the museum; highlights include the Monymusk Reliquary, a tiny silver casket dating from AD 750, which is said to have been carried into battle with Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn in 1314. At the other end of the cultural spectrum is a 20th-century gallery devoted to objects that were nominated by celebrities and members of the general public as representing their life and times. www.nms.ac.uk

Now I had enough new information for this day and needed a break – I drank a coffee and tried a Sponge Cake with walnuts. Mmmhh. Sure, in another country you have to try the sweets … ;-) Afterwards I walked around the Edinburgh Castle to warm up my feet.



Greyfriars Bobby's Bar

The memorial that draws the biggest crowds is the tiny statue of Greyfriars Bobby, in front of the pub beside the kirkyard gate. Bobby was a Skye terrier who maintained a vigil over the grave of his master, an Edinburgh police officer, from 1858 to 1872. The story was immortalised by Eleanor Atkinson in her 1912 novel and in 1963, it was made into a movie by Walt Disney.

Greyfriars Kirk was built on the site of a Franciscan friary and opened for worship on Christmas Day 1620. In 1638, the National Covenant was signed, rejecting Charles I’s attempts to impose episcopacy and a new English prayer book, and affirming the independence of the Scottish Church. Many who signed were later executed in Grassmarket and, in 1679, 1200 Covenanters were held prisoner under terrible conditions in an enclosure in the kirkyard.
Many famous Edinburgh names are buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, including poet Allan Ramsay (1686 – 1758), architect William Adam (1889 – 1748) and William Smellie (1740 – 1795), editor of the first edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica.



Pubs on Grassmarket

The site of a market from the 15th century until the start of the 20th, Grassmarket has always been a focal point of Old Town. As well as being a cattle market, this was the main place of execution in the city, and over 100 Covenanters are commemorated by a monument at the eastern end, where the gallows used to stand.
The notorious murderers Burke and Hare operated from a now vanished close off the west end. In 1827, they enticed at least 18 victims to their boarding house, suffocated them and sold the bodies to Edinburgh’s medical schools.

Nowadays, the broad, open square edged by tall tenements and dominated by the looming castle has many lively pubs, including the White Hart Inn, which was once patronised by Robert Burns.
Cowgate, the long dark ravine leading eastwards from Grassmarket – was once the road along which cattle were driven from the pastures around Arthur’s Seat to the safety of the city walls. Today I think it is the heart of Edinburgh’s nightlife.

Now I’m sitting in the easyInternetC@fe in Rose Street. Here I meet Aya and her friend. Soon I will go back to my host family and try another dinner in Scotland.

After dinner – Spaghetti with a very good olive sauce and for dessert pineapple and strawberries – we had home cinema in the living room. Something’s Gotta Give with Diane Keaton and Jack Nickolson. Bills comment was “the film is for women” …