Sunday, June 27, 2004 (Edinburgh Castle)

And again it was raining. During my morning wash, I decided against visiting of the Royal Highland Show. So I missed “another jam-packed programme of entertainment. The Royal Highland Show proves once again that it’s come a long away from being just an agricultural event.” www.royalhighlandshow.org

After breakfast Elsa said goodbye then she wanted to go early to the airport because of the Royal Highland Show which was close by and would cause a lot of traffic. I took the bus in Town and started with an Audio Guide the tour inside the Edinburgh Castle. On the esplanade, they prepared the rostrum for the Tattoo.

EDINBURGH CASTLE
The brooding, black crags of the Castle Rock, shouldering above Princess St., are the very reason for Edinburgh’s existence. This rocky hill - the glacier-worn stump of an ancient volcano - was the most easily defended hilltop on the invasion route between England and central Scotland. A route followed by countless armies from the Roman legions of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD to the Jacobite troops of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745.



Edinburgh Castle

The castle has played a pivotal role in Scottish history, both as a royal residence - King Malcolm Canmore (reigned 1057 - 93) and Queen Margaret made their home here in the 11th century. From the 16th century on, the royal family favoured more comfortable domestic accommodation at places such as Holyrood and Linlithgow.The castle became more a seat of government and military power. However, in 1566 Mary Queen of Scots underlined its continuing symbolic importance when she chose to give birth to her son, King James VI, in the castle.



Edinburgh Castle, Café

The castle suffered extensive damage during the Lang Siege, between 1571 and 1573, when supporters of Mary Queen of Scots held out against the forces of James Douglas, Earl of Morton. It was occupied by English soldiers from 1650 to 1660 during Oliver Cromwell’s invasion of Scotland and by the Jacobites during the siege of 1689, when the duke of Gordon faced off against William of Orange.

But when the army of Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through Edinburgh in 1745, they made only a cursory attempt to take the castle before moving quickly on. That was the last time the castle saw military action, and from then until the 1920s, it served as the British army’s main base in Scotland.



Edinburgh Castle, direction Calton Hill

I enjoyed the superb southern views over the city towards the Pentland Hills and the panoramic views to north. There was a lot to see and read so I spent a long time in the National War Museum of Scotland, the Royal Scots Regimental Museum and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Regimental Museum. A bit special is the dog cemetery for the regimental mascots and the officers’ pet dogs. But an absolute must are the Honours (the Crown, Sceptre and Sword of State) of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny in the ancient Crown Room. But the other rooms inside the Royal Palace are also nice. The Scottish National War Memorial is a quiet and thoughtful place. Above the entrance, the figure rising from a phoenix denotes the survival of the Spirit.

The Castle Vaults were used as prisons of war and that captured my imagination the most. But it’s amazing what these POWs had done, they had made some objects (model ships, intricate little workboxes and banknotes) out of old soup bones, bits of wood and bedstraw, which they then sold to the townsfolk. The Military Prison was built to house soldiers from the castle garrison, for offences such as “drunk on guard”. The St. Margaret’s Chapel is a delight inside. This little structure is the oldest building in the castle, indeed in Edinburgh. The giant medieval siege gun, Mons Meg, stands beside the Chapel. During a birthday salute in 1681, the barrel burst.



Edinburgh Castle, Royal Palace

In the Great Hall there was a live concert with Scottish and Gaelic music. After a few songs they told us that they would come back for another session. I appreciated the break and went for a coffee and sweets in the Queen Anne Building. Back in the Great Hall, I was impressed by the hooded fireplace, the heavy Gothic timber entrance screen and panelling and the heraldic stained glass. All of this things surrounded me except for the great hammer-beam roof, high above my head. It was amazing. www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/edinburgh/edinburghcastle
Sorry - but I don’t not why, I missed the castle’s famous one o’clock gun shot.

After 6 hours in the Castle I made my tired way to the easyInternetC@fe to write my diaries in German and in English on the blog. But my ticket ran out and the vending machine was broken so I wrote a little bit longer in my German diary … ;-)