Tuesday, June 15, 2004 (Fuel Protest)

Fuel Protest, the lorries drove very slowly through Edinburgh.

During breakfast, I told my host mother Wendy about the idea of going with friends to the Royal Botanical Garden after school. That would be no problem for her, then she had her “women's day”. She liked to meet her girlfriends in Glasgow for cooking and having a fine lunch. She left the house for the bus station at the same time as me.

This time I was a little bit faster (half an hour) in downtown Edinburgh and now I am writing my German diary in the bus. It was also a good time to study the people in the bus or those waiting at the stops. I noticed that the women wore neat blouses with a skirt or trousers. The men were dressed in suits with a tie. I was a little too early and it was nice weather for taking some photos. On the Royal Mile, I met David and he recommended some nice pubs in Edinburgh to me.

During the morning lessons, James gave us some statements on the artists Paul Gauguin and Diego Velázquez and we had to find out to whom this refered. Nice, we could search in the Internet and so I found the teachers answers under www.insideout.net ;-) But sure, we also learned some new words and a lot about the lives of these artists. James drew me a map to find the cheapest Internet Shop in town.

At lunchtime I went to the bus station again and Joe from France accompanied me. I asked about my bus pass, unfortunately it was not at this station but at a bus depot about half an hour away by bus. In “sweet” English I asked about the possibility if they could give it to me at this station the next day. The Scots are really very friendly and helpful. After this hard work we went in a pub and ate a toasted sandwich – mhhh very delicious and with fresh salad. Having gotten a discount for waiting a little bit longer, we sprinted back to school with the sandwich.

Kirsty taught us some expressions (adjective order) like “dark brown eyes”, “long dark hair”, “curly hair” and “has a slim build” which are a source of trouble for foreigners. Then again the lessons with James were tough and he went with us to the library and computer room.



Royal Botanical Garden - with friends

After class we met the others for a walk to the Royal Botanical Garden. It’s a nice, quiet, place to relax. It was founded in 1670 and it moved from near Holyrood to its present location in 1823. It’s the second oldest institution of its kind in Britain (after Oxford) and one of the most respected in the world. Seventy beautifully landscaped acres include splendid Victorian palm houses, colourful swathes of rhododendron and azalea and a world-famous rock garden. www.rbge.org.uk



Back to New Town

New Town lies north of Old Town, on a ridge running parallel to the Royal Mile and is separated from it by the valley of Princes St. Gardens. Its regular grid of elegant, Georgian terraces is in complete contrast to the “chaotic” tangle of tenements and wynds that characterise Old Town. Along with Old Town, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

Between the end of the 14th century and the start of the 18th, the population of Edinburgh – still confined within the walls of Old Town – increased from 2’000 to 50’000. In 1766 the Lord Provost of Edinburgh announced an architectural competition to design an extension to the city. It was won by the unknown 23-year-old James Craig, a self-taught architect. During the 18th and 19th centuries, New Town continued to sprout circuses, parks and terraces, with some of the finest neoclassical architecture designed by Robert Adam.



Royal Scottish Academy

Two of Edinburgh’s most impressive neoclassical public buildings, the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery of Scotland, both designed by William Playfair between 1822 and 1845 in the style of Greek temples. The older of the two is the Royal Scottish Academy, which presents an annual exhibition by its members. www.royalscottishacademy.org and www.natgalscot.ac.uk



University of Edinburgh - New College

The twin towers of New College – home to Edinburgh University’s Faculty of Divinity. Nip into the courtyard to see the statue of John Knox.