Well, yesterday I managed to both finish the huge book I was reading on the history of the world AND kill the washer/dryer machine thing.
First though, I have to correct something I said the other day—the faucet in the kitchen does have its hot and cold water on the same side as the States, so I guess it is just this apartment that tries to confuse me.
And speaking of confusing—I believe every person in Britain who owns a washer/dryer machine MUST have an advanced degree in…well, in something. Reading Comprehension maybe? I don’t know what it is, but this user’s manual that tells how to use the washing machine is evil!!! And impossible to understand. I managed to do a load of gentle clothing the other day without a problem by just switching the 3 dials to where the booklet told me to. Then I switched them back to the way they were to do a load of towels yesterday. I turned it on and they began washing—so far, so good. Only I had forgotten that I didn’t want to dry one of the items that I had thrown in with the towels—a pair of pajamas that I wanted to hang dry—so when I heard the washer go into a spin cycle, I hurried into the kitchen and pressed the cancel button—AS THE MANUAL TOLD ME HOW TO DO. Well, I obviously did something horrifically wrong for then the washer would NOT turn back on no matter what I did. I read every page of that stupid manual to see what it meant if all the thing would do is blink lights at me. I turned it off, I turned it back on, probably 2 dozen times. I pressed this button and that one. Nothing. It is demented!
I finally found in the booklet where it said that if the “door closed” button is blinking very fast at the same time that any other LED button is also blinking, then an ABNORMALITY has occurred and you should call for assistance. HELP!!!
Well, since there was obviously no assistance to be had, I just turned the whole thing off once again and hung the towels to dry also. Once Ray got back, he tried to figure out what was going on and finally came to the conclusion that Yes, I broke it.
So, yet another mechanical thing that doesn’t like me. So I figure we will not be doing any more loads of wash before we leave. We turned it off, just to sit there and be dead. Only this morning when we got up, Ray turned on its power and--viola!--it is working again—no manic blinking of lights at me anymore. So maybe I just gave it a nervous breakdown with all the button pushing and now it has recovered. Whew!
Ray returned from Atlanta by train late yesterday—well, plane and then train. The swimming pool at home is not so very Irish green any more, he reports. He worked so hard on the pool, he didn’t have time to visit with anyone while he was there. Now it is time for us to move on to our next adventure. So today we have to pack up and pick up the rental car and pack it with all our stuff to move to Berwick-upon-Tweed first, then on to Kirriemuir and Covesea.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Other pictures from my walk
from top: Man with turban and necklace denoting Morocco Land; Scottish Parliament Building; Abbey Sanctuary building which now houses the gift shop; one of the S-shaped brasses in the cobbled street to denote the line of sanctuary; beautiful orange berries on tree near Holyrood--some had turned to red.
Monday, September 28--National Museum & Holyrood Abbey
Took the bus to Morrisons for breakfast where I left another book for someone to find. Then took the bus back to Cadzow Place stop where I caught the #5 bus to South Bridge. Checked the mail then walked over to the National Museum and went in to find the tiny coffins that were found at Arthur’s Seat in 1836. These were buried in the 1830s and no one knows why or who did it. One theory is that they were a mock burial for the victims of Burke & Hare. In 1827 & 28, Burke & Hare sold the bodies of people they had murdered for dissection in the city’s anatomy classes. Burke was caught in 1829 and executed, and in a strange turn, his body was legally given to the anatomy classes for dissection.
Also saw some beautiful stained glass and a regular pane of glass from a window where Robert Burns had used a diamond-tipped stylus given to him by a friend to inscribe his signature and some lines of a poem in the glass. He had a habit of scratching lines in windows. Saw a witch’s stone which was used as a charm against witchcraft in Roxburghshire along with other charms to ward off nightmares.
After that, I headed down to Cowgate. I know, I know, I said I had checked the Magdalen Chapel for the last time, 3 strikes and you’re out and all that, but I decided to give it one more try—and guess what? IT WAS CLOSED AGAIN!!! I don’t believe they EVER open it. It has the only pieces of stained glass in Scotland to survive the Reformation intact. They are in the central South window, 4 mid-16th century heraldic roundels, one showing the Royal Arms of Scotland encircled by a wreath of thistles. Guess I won’t be seeing that!
Long walk down the hill on Candlemakers Row and then back up Victoria Street's hill. Passed by Deacon Brodie's Tavern. Robert Louis Stevenson reputedly based his infamous tale of Jekyll and Hyde on the equally infamous life of a fellow local resident, Deacon Brodie. By day, Brodie was a cabinet-maker and chaired a committee investigating the city's crime epidemic. By night, he was a prolific burglar. He ended up being hanged on the very gallows he had worked to improve--he had fixed the problem with the trap-door mechanism himself a couple of months earlier.
Also saw some beautiful stained glass and a regular pane of glass from a window where Robert Burns had used a diamond-tipped stylus given to him by a friend to inscribe his signature and some lines of a poem in the glass. He had a habit of scratching lines in windows. Saw a witch’s stone which was used as a charm against witchcraft in Roxburghshire along with other charms to ward off nightmares.
After that, I headed down to Cowgate. I know, I know, I said I had checked the Magdalen Chapel for the last time, 3 strikes and you’re out and all that, but I decided to give it one more try—and guess what? IT WAS CLOSED AGAIN!!! I don’t believe they EVER open it. It has the only pieces of stained glass in Scotland to survive the Reformation intact. They are in the central South window, 4 mid-16th century heraldic roundels, one showing the Royal Arms of Scotland encircled by a wreath of thistles. Guess I won’t be seeing that!
Long walk down the hill on Candlemakers Row and then back up Victoria Street's hill. Passed by Deacon Brodie's Tavern. Robert Louis Stevenson reputedly based his infamous tale of Jekyll and Hyde on the equally infamous life of a fellow local resident, Deacon Brodie. By day, Brodie was a cabinet-maker and chaired a committee investigating the city's crime epidemic. By night, he was a prolific burglar. He ended up being hanged on the very gallows he had worked to improve--he had fixed the problem with the trap-door mechanism himself a couple of months earlier.
I popped into the Museum of Childhood to take a picture of Dick Bruna’s book—since I have searched relentlessly and cannot find a copy anywhere. Then I found—finally—the little guy marking Morocco Land on Canongate. I had looked and looked for him everywhere. Today I looked from across the street and there he was! WAY UP HIGH!! Would have never seen him up close. It is a gloomy building above what is now called Mid-Common Close. On the front is the figure of a Moor wearing a turban and necklace. This effigy recalls a curious story. In the seventeenth century a student, Andrew Gray, was arrested as ringleader of a mob which had attacked the house of an unpopular Provost. Gray was imprisoned, but escaping, went to sea, and eventually rose to high position in the service of the Emperor of Morocco.Years after, a Moorish vessel, of which he was captain, arrived in Leith Roads. Learning that the daughter of the Provost of his student days was ill of the plague, Gray is said to have cured, and then married her. The couple set up house in this building, which has long been known as Morocco Land.
After that, it was time for a fudge stop. Bought 2 varieties I will enjoy later. Then stopped back by The Old Children’s Bookshelf—one of my favorite stores. They have wonderful old editions of children’s favorites.
Walked down to towards Holyrood and into the Gallery gift shop where a tour guide lady was yelling at the tourists from India to get back on the bus. She was relentless and kept apologizing to everyone in the shop who just kept looking at her like she was crazy. The customers from India were mostly just ignoring her and going about their shopping. She got very frustrated and told one of the shopkeepers that this stop was just supposed to be a quick photo stop and that she had 79 other tourists waiting to come on the next trip that was now being delayed.
I also shopped for postcards in the Abbey Sanctuary gift shop next door. According to legend, the Abbey was founded as the monastery of the Holy Rood (Cross) by David I, King of Scots, following a miraculous intervention during a hunting expedition. The Strand which flanks the modern Palace entrance, once served as the route taken by multifarious commoners from the climbing curve of the Royal Mile beyond. The Abbey offered sanctuary to the pursued, in times when minor theft could warrant a hanging, and inflexible debt collectors would use violent means to intimidate their debtors.Sanctuary was a defined area, five miles in circumference, taking in most of Holyrood Park. Those in need of 'protection' applied to the Baille of the Abbey. This would extend their 24 hour period of safely indefinitely and allow them to venture into towns on Sunday without fear of apprehension. These 'tenants' were eventually accommodated by buildings erected around the Palace and Abbey, and thereafter called Abbey Lairds. I wondered if our apartment was on the lands used for this purpose.In 1880 a law was passed which meant that debtors could no longer be imprisoned. Sanctuary of this nature then became unnecessary. In front of Holyrood in the cobbled street are S-shaped brasses, marking the sanctuary line.
After I left the Abbey, I caught the 35 bus to the top of the hill at Montrose Terrace then walked down it to London Road to the KFC where I got some lunch to bring home. In for the day. Plan to do some reading and some straightening up in preparation for leaving this apartment on Thursday. Headed to Berwick-upon-Tweed, then to Kirriemuir for a stay in JM Barrie’s birthplace, then for a week at Covesea Lighthouse. After that, it’s a week’s trip over to Amsterdam and Brussels, then almost a week in London before we head to Dover and on to France. Can’t believe we are already at this point in the trip. It has all gone so fast.
After that, it was time for a fudge stop. Bought 2 varieties I will enjoy later. Then stopped back by The Old Children’s Bookshelf—one of my favorite stores. They have wonderful old editions of children’s favorites.
Walked down to towards Holyrood and into the Gallery gift shop where a tour guide lady was yelling at the tourists from India to get back on the bus. She was relentless and kept apologizing to everyone in the shop who just kept looking at her like she was crazy. The customers from India were mostly just ignoring her and going about their shopping. She got very frustrated and told one of the shopkeepers that this stop was just supposed to be a quick photo stop and that she had 79 other tourists waiting to come on the next trip that was now being delayed.
I also shopped for postcards in the Abbey Sanctuary gift shop next door. According to legend, the Abbey was founded as the monastery of the Holy Rood (Cross) by David I, King of Scots, following a miraculous intervention during a hunting expedition. The Strand which flanks the modern Palace entrance, once served as the route taken by multifarious commoners from the climbing curve of the Royal Mile beyond. The Abbey offered sanctuary to the pursued, in times when minor theft could warrant a hanging, and inflexible debt collectors would use violent means to intimidate their debtors.Sanctuary was a defined area, five miles in circumference, taking in most of Holyrood Park. Those in need of 'protection' applied to the Baille of the Abbey. This would extend their 24 hour period of safely indefinitely and allow them to venture into towns on Sunday without fear of apprehension. These 'tenants' were eventually accommodated by buildings erected around the Palace and Abbey, and thereafter called Abbey Lairds. I wondered if our apartment was on the lands used for this purpose.In 1880 a law was passed which meant that debtors could no longer be imprisoned. Sanctuary of this nature then became unnecessary. In front of Holyrood in the cobbled street are S-shaped brasses, marking the sanctuary line.
After I left the Abbey, I caught the 35 bus to the top of the hill at Montrose Terrace then walked down it to London Road to the KFC where I got some lunch to bring home. In for the day. Plan to do some reading and some straightening up in preparation for leaving this apartment on Thursday. Headed to Berwick-upon-Tweed, then to Kirriemuir for a stay in JM Barrie’s birthplace, then for a week at Covesea Lighthouse. After that, it’s a week’s trip over to Amsterdam and Brussels, then almost a week in London before we head to Dover and on to France. Can’t believe we are already at this point in the trip. It has all gone so fast.
***pictures from top: the glass where Burns inscribed his name and poem; pictures of the 17 tiny coffins found at Arthur's Seat, right behind our apartment; the witch's stone to protect you from witchcraft.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 27--Bookworm & Scottish TV
Decided against going to Holyrood today as it is Sunday and will probably be more crowded than it will be on Monday. So today I am thinking of a relaxing day of catching up on my reading. Started out with a pancake and hot chocolate breakfast. I bought these Scotch pancakes the other day at Sainsbury’s. I don’t know why America hasn’t thought of this yet. Or maybe they have and it’s just not in my cooking repertoire. I guess we do have frozen pancakes, but that always just makes it sound like they will come out soggy when reheated. These Scotch pancakes come just wrapped in cellophane and you can eat them cold or heat them up in the microwave. I had them hot with my Lyle’s Golden Syrup that I bought—just for the can but it is really good.
Good TV today and tonight. Princess Bridge is on, Crowdie and Cream (about life in the Scottish Hebrides in the 1930s), and, of course, X Factor with Simon Cowell. Have I told you that he is MUCH nicer over here? MUCH MUCH nicer. X Factor does auditions like in the States, but it can be individual or group singers. There are these two Harrod’s employees that were very good and a few others that I am certain will be in the finalists. It went from 200 to 50 last week. It is entertaining as the judges are all nice and helpful to the contestants.
And I so much love to watch Deal or No Deal over here—the host is so much better than ours AND instead of having silly models hold the suitcases (boxes over here), the people with the boxes are just regular people who stick together for weeks on end and get to know each other, hoping they will be the next one to get to go for the £250,000, so they are truly hoping for the one who IS up at the moment to win. Just saw a really nice fireman go home with only £10 and was really sad for him.
Heard a new expression today that I love: “That gave me the collywobbles.” Isn’t that just the most expressive word? I love it. Also heard two names I have never heard before, both Irish, I believe:
Saoirse pronounced seer-sha and Grainne pronounced graw-nya
Well, I read 3 ½ books today, so that is progress. I don’t think I have mentioned that I am participating in the bookcrossing.com website idea of leaving books “in the wild” after I have finished reading them. I have left 8 already and have 4 more to leave somewhere in Edinburgh before we leave this apartment on Thursday. The one I left on the bench at Ocean Terminal was picked up by a traveler from New Zealand! Here is what she wrote on the website:
Firstly I would like to thank Bookcrossing. Labyrinth was sitting on a couch in the middle of the Shopping mall where the Royal Brittania Ship is berthed. I was on a visit with my Father from New Zealand. So the book has now travelled some distance and has kept the long flying and stopovers entertained. I will deliver the book when finished to the departure lounge at Auckland Airport to help continue this books travels.
It’s so much fun to see where the books go.
No pictures today as they would only be pictures of me with my nose in a book. : )
Good TV today and tonight. Princess Bridge is on, Crowdie and Cream (about life in the Scottish Hebrides in the 1930s), and, of course, X Factor with Simon Cowell. Have I told you that he is MUCH nicer over here? MUCH MUCH nicer. X Factor does auditions like in the States, but it can be individual or group singers. There are these two Harrod’s employees that were very good and a few others that I am certain will be in the finalists. It went from 200 to 50 last week. It is entertaining as the judges are all nice and helpful to the contestants.
And I so much love to watch Deal or No Deal over here—the host is so much better than ours AND instead of having silly models hold the suitcases (boxes over here), the people with the boxes are just regular people who stick together for weeks on end and get to know each other, hoping they will be the next one to get to go for the £250,000, so they are truly hoping for the one who IS up at the moment to win. Just saw a really nice fireman go home with only £10 and was really sad for him.
Heard a new expression today that I love: “That gave me the collywobbles.” Isn’t that just the most expressive word? I love it. Also heard two names I have never heard before, both Irish, I believe:
Saoirse pronounced seer-sha and Grainne pronounced graw-nya
Well, I read 3 ½ books today, so that is progress. I don’t think I have mentioned that I am participating in the bookcrossing.com website idea of leaving books “in the wild” after I have finished reading them. I have left 8 already and have 4 more to leave somewhere in Edinburgh before we leave this apartment on Thursday. The one I left on the bench at Ocean Terminal was picked up by a traveler from New Zealand! Here is what she wrote on the website:
Firstly I would like to thank Bookcrossing. Labyrinth was sitting on a couch in the middle of the Shopping mall where the Royal Brittania Ship is berthed. I was on a visit with my Father from New Zealand. So the book has now travelled some distance and has kept the long flying and stopovers entertained. I will deliver the book when finished to the departure lounge at Auckland Airport to help continue this books travels.
It’s so much fun to see where the books go.
No pictures today as they would only be pictures of me with my nose in a book. : )
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Saturday, September 26--gorgeous Fall day
First thing today I headed out to catch bus # 26 into town to the Omni Centre. Passed by the Conan Doyle Pub and the Church of St. Paul and St. George. I love this church from the outside, and I haven't seen it in person, but it was renovated recently and I am of mixed feelings about it. I LOVE the architecture of the new design, but I have to wonder what the original interior looked like and how much of history was swept away in the updating. I will have to try to find pictures of the way it used to be.
Had breakfast at The Playfair then saw the movie “Away We Go.” Very funny, and very touching in parts—which I wasn’t expecting. Then I tired to get a table at one of the restaurants at the center, but there was a long wait, so I decided to catch the bus out to Ocean Terminal and eat at Potters. I still cannot manage to get on the correct bus coming back from Leith, though. I thought it was bus 35, but that one let me out at Holyrood and I walked home from there. I WILL eventually figure out which bus it is that comes to London Road from there.
Ray has Skype set up at home, so between times of trying to get the pool to turn back from its Irish green color, we have been Skypeing. He has run into several friends at home who sent me hellos. Ray said he had a harder time running at home since it was 85 degrees.
I am in love with Edinburgh today. The weather was absolutely amazing—sunny and crisp with a tinge of warmth in the cool breeze at times. You can catch a bus and be out at Leith in no time to see the beautiful shiny waters of the Firth of Forth. You can be walking in the city and at any moment the castle will pop up in surprising places. All around me are rolling hills, most prominently the majesty of Arthur’s Seat and the Salisbury Craigs in my own backyard. People flying kites that soar so high in the air just out back. Abbey and castle out my back window—and everywhere I go, for that matter. The city is so rich with history, so full of amazing stories of families who fought so hard for this land. And I am serious—you can’t go 10 feet most times without having a gorgeous chapel or cathedral or castle or abbey in site. I feel so at home here. So peaceful. I look out the kitchen window and see the lights from the windows in the other apartments—excuse me, flats—across the way, and I wonder about their stories, their childhoods, where they grew up. The stories their families told them of their pasts. And I hear the train pass over the bridge just to the north of us at the end of the street—its strange muted whistle blowing and the sound of braking and clacking on the rails.
Well, I will finish the other half of my fudge from last night and watch the specials on Robert Louis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle. Tomorrow I may go to Holyrood Abbey.
Ray has Skype set up at home, so between times of trying to get the pool to turn back from its Irish green color, we have been Skypeing. He has run into several friends at home who sent me hellos. Ray said he had a harder time running at home since it was 85 degrees.
I am in love with Edinburgh today. The weather was absolutely amazing—sunny and crisp with a tinge of warmth in the cool breeze at times. You can catch a bus and be out at Leith in no time to see the beautiful shiny waters of the Firth of Forth. You can be walking in the city and at any moment the castle will pop up in surprising places. All around me are rolling hills, most prominently the majesty of Arthur’s Seat and the Salisbury Craigs in my own backyard. People flying kites that soar so high in the air just out back. Abbey and castle out my back window—and everywhere I go, for that matter. The city is so rich with history, so full of amazing stories of families who fought so hard for this land. And I am serious—you can’t go 10 feet most times without having a gorgeous chapel or cathedral or castle or abbey in site. I feel so at home here. So peaceful. I look out the kitchen window and see the lights from the windows in the other apartments—excuse me, flats—across the way, and I wonder about their stories, their childhoods, where they grew up. The stories their families told them of their pasts. And I hear the train pass over the bridge just to the north of us at the end of the street—its strange muted whistle blowing and the sound of braking and clacking on the rails.
Well, I will finish the other half of my fudge from last night and watch the specials on Robert Louis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle. Tomorrow I may go to Holyrood Abbey.
***pictures from top: St. Paul & St. George's Church; renovated interior of the church; Conan Doyle Pub; gorgeous St. Anthony's Chapel in the sunset.
Friday, September 25, 2009
More pictures from the Museum
**from top: wooden water pipes; some of the beautiful crystal on display; an old footwarmer; Spillikins game; the Burgh Muir Stone.
Pictures from the Museum of Edinburgh
**from top: The actual National Covenant; Suffragette buttons from the early 1900s; picture of the 1909 Suffragette Procession down Princes Street; brooch demonstrating how women were thought of as delicate but in actuality are strong like the outer silver casing--this picture refuses to post any way other than sideways--go figure; the poster I mentioned.
Friday, September 25--Museum of Edinburgh & Fudge!
Going to start out today with a few things I keep forgetting to mention:
1) Ray & I had a funny time looking for something to wash dishes with the other day at Sainsbury’s. We call it dish soap in the States. It is called Washing Up Liquid here. But either way, they have all the bottles of everything that LOOKS like Washing Up Liquid/Dish Soap, all together on the same shelf with laundry detergent, hand cleaners, etc. We had to read the labels of everything to find what we needed.
2) The water faucets here are backwards. Hot is on the right and Cold is on the left. I can’t tell you how hard this is to get used to. I get it wrong every time and I’ve been here 5 months already! I know we are on the other side of the Earth, but does everything have to be backwards?
3) I love the towel warmers we have seen on past trips over here. There is nothing better than stepping out of the shower to a warm towel. We don’t happen to have one at this apartment and haven’t seen many on this trip. Evidently there were a lot of accidents with people getting burned and now everyone is afraid of having them.
4) What is it with the tub enclosures here? They AREN’T enclosing anything! The one in this apartment is a clear piece of plastic or glass thing that is only about 1 ½ feet wide. The showerhead sprays water to the other end of the tub—which is about 6 feet. Where do you think the water will go? All over the floor, that’s right. What is this all about? I don’t understand. We have stayed in several Travelodges that have the shower just part of the bathroom floor and the shower curtain stops about a foot above the floor. Evidently flooding the bathroom floor is not a problem over here.
Okay, through ranting now. : )
Today I took the 35 bus up to George IV Bridge and got off to go to The Elephant House for breakfast—scrambled eggs on toast and hot chocolate. I love this café—feels so homey. Then I walked back down Candlemakers Row to check again to see if Magdalen Chapel was open—and it was not!! I think I give up on it. Walked up Victoria Street then down North Bridge to Waterstones to see if they had Edinburgh Christmas cards—no. So I walked back up North Bridge then down Canongate to St. John’s Street and went under the arch to take a picture of the turreted building where Robert Burns and the other Freemasons held their meetings.
Next stop was the Museum of Edinburgh, which had a wealth of information and artifacts relating to the history of this city. Pottery, china, crystal, clothing, the actual National Covenant, & the bowl and collar of Greyfriar’s bobby. There was also a special exhibit of artifacts from the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Edinburgh. They had a great poster that I will post a copy of that I loved. On the night of April 19, 1911, the Women's movement urged women to be away from their homes as this was the night for taking the census. They said that if they weren't allowed to vote, they wouldn't allow themselves to be counted in the census.
The had examples of the old WOODEN water pipes made of elm that were used in Edinburgh until 1790. Old foot warmers, door, games, maps—which were my favorite part, I love old maps—and models of old Edinburgh. One was from 1822 and may show the area where our apartment is now. They also had some old games. One was a version of the Victorian game Spillikins--37 ivory pieces that you spill out then try to pick up one by one without touching the other pieces or making them move. Some peices were harder than others and gaveyou more points. Evidently the javelin was easiest. Kind of like our PickUp Stix. This one was called Jackstraws.
There was a huge stone called the Burgh Muir Stone used to seal bargains between horse traders. Each person involved put their thumb in the hole at the same time to seal the deal.
Stopped by the Fudge House for my daily dose of dark chocolate with walnuts—I can hear you laughing, but it is a fact that dark chocolate is healthy for you.
Anyway, came back to the apartment and then headed out for groceries at Sainbury’s and for a stop by KFC. Then it’s in for the night and watching TV and reading. Thinking of movies for the weekend—lots of new ones out. If you have seen any of these, let me know to help me weed out the bad ones: Away We Go, Surrogates, Creation, Soloist, Fame. Thanks. : )
***pictures from top: my walk as I leave the apartment--doesn't it look like I am leaving my home, the castle?; the turreted building where Robert Burns and the Freemasons met; Yummy fudge from the Fudge House; public primary school--in use as such today; new style of coin here.
1) Ray & I had a funny time looking for something to wash dishes with the other day at Sainsbury’s. We call it dish soap in the States. It is called Washing Up Liquid here. But either way, they have all the bottles of everything that LOOKS like Washing Up Liquid/Dish Soap, all together on the same shelf with laundry detergent, hand cleaners, etc. We had to read the labels of everything to find what we needed.
2) The water faucets here are backwards. Hot is on the right and Cold is on the left. I can’t tell you how hard this is to get used to. I get it wrong every time and I’ve been here 5 months already! I know we are on the other side of the Earth, but does everything have to be backwards?
3) I love the towel warmers we have seen on past trips over here. There is nothing better than stepping out of the shower to a warm towel. We don’t happen to have one at this apartment and haven’t seen many on this trip. Evidently there were a lot of accidents with people getting burned and now everyone is afraid of having them.
4) What is it with the tub enclosures here? They AREN’T enclosing anything! The one in this apartment is a clear piece of plastic or glass thing that is only about 1 ½ feet wide. The showerhead sprays water to the other end of the tub—which is about 6 feet. Where do you think the water will go? All over the floor, that’s right. What is this all about? I don’t understand. We have stayed in several Travelodges that have the shower just part of the bathroom floor and the shower curtain stops about a foot above the floor. Evidently flooding the bathroom floor is not a problem over here.
Okay, through ranting now. : )
Today I took the 35 bus up to George IV Bridge and got off to go to The Elephant House for breakfast—scrambled eggs on toast and hot chocolate. I love this café—feels so homey. Then I walked back down Candlemakers Row to check again to see if Magdalen Chapel was open—and it was not!! I think I give up on it. Walked up Victoria Street then down North Bridge to Waterstones to see if they had Edinburgh Christmas cards—no. So I walked back up North Bridge then down Canongate to St. John’s Street and went under the arch to take a picture of the turreted building where Robert Burns and the other Freemasons held their meetings.
Next stop was the Museum of Edinburgh, which had a wealth of information and artifacts relating to the history of this city. Pottery, china, crystal, clothing, the actual National Covenant, & the bowl and collar of Greyfriar’s bobby. There was also a special exhibit of artifacts from the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Edinburgh. They had a great poster that I will post a copy of that I loved. On the night of April 19, 1911, the Women's movement urged women to be away from their homes as this was the night for taking the census. They said that if they weren't allowed to vote, they wouldn't allow themselves to be counted in the census.
The had examples of the old WOODEN water pipes made of elm that were used in Edinburgh until 1790. Old foot warmers, door, games, maps—which were my favorite part, I love old maps—and models of old Edinburgh. One was from 1822 and may show the area where our apartment is now. They also had some old games. One was a version of the Victorian game Spillikins--37 ivory pieces that you spill out then try to pick up one by one without touching the other pieces or making them move. Some peices were harder than others and gaveyou more points. Evidently the javelin was easiest. Kind of like our PickUp Stix. This one was called Jackstraws.
There was a huge stone called the Burgh Muir Stone used to seal bargains between horse traders. Each person involved put their thumb in the hole at the same time to seal the deal.
Stopped by the Fudge House for my daily dose of dark chocolate with walnuts—I can hear you laughing, but it is a fact that dark chocolate is healthy for you.
Anyway, came back to the apartment and then headed out for groceries at Sainbury’s and for a stop by KFC. Then it’s in for the night and watching TV and reading. Thinking of movies for the weekend—lots of new ones out. If you have seen any of these, let me know to help me weed out the bad ones: Away We Go, Surrogates, Creation, Soloist, Fame. Thanks. : )
***pictures from top: my walk as I leave the apartment--doesn't it look like I am leaving my home, the castle?; the turreted building where Robert Burns and the Freemasons met; Yummy fudge from the Fudge House; public primary school--in use as such today; new style of coin here.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Just two more pics--well, actually, three
**a building on Canongate, trying to escape its restorations; Fall has arrived in Edinburgh; beautiful Autumn leaf in Holyrood Park.
Around Edinburgh
***from top: Indian in front of cigar store; tower of what I thought was a church but turned out to be a clinic--who knows what it used to be; castle from Candlemakers Row; St. Cuthbert in stained glass; David with his sling on way to meet Goliath--Tiffany stained glass from 1903.
St. Cuthbert's & Bow Well
from top: St. Cuthbert's Kirk; view of Castle from St. Cuthbert's graveyard; inside St. Cuthbert's; beautiful tile floor at entryway to St. Cuthbert's; Bow Well at Grassmarket.
Thursday, September 24--On my Own in Edinburgh--Labyrinth & LOTS of Walking
Well, this has been a day of MUCH walking. It was a day of dark clouds and threatening rain, but I perservered. First I went to Morrisons on the bus to have breakfast. Then I caught the 26 bus back to Abbeyhill and walked down and around to the Holyrood stop to catch the 35 bus. Got off at South Bridge and checked the mail and bought postcard stamps. Walked over to George IV Bridge—stopping on the way to buy a light book to read over the weekend at a thrift shop—then going to The Elephant House to drink a cup of hot chocolate in the back room looking out at the castle where JK Rowling wrote some of the Harry Potter books.
Back out and down the street to St. Giles cemetery to check out some of the older ones from the 16th century. Then I walked back out to George IV and down Bristo, left on Lothian, across Bristo square at the University of Edinburgh, right on Crichton and walked down to George Square where I found the Edinburgh Labyrinth. It was beautiful—made of stones with pebbles to walk upon. It is based on the Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth. I walked it slowly, reminding myself to slow my mind down, and it actually did relax me. And just as I finished and got to the center, the sun peeked out of the clouds for the first and only time today! I wish I had ones of these labyrinths in my backyard! I would walk it every day.
Retraced my steps back up to St. Giles then down Candlemaker Row to Cowgate (where they used to herd cattle thru the streets). Turned right to find the Magdalen Chapel and there it was, under the bridge, but the gate was locked!! I tried my best to unlock it but no good. It was supposed to be open from 9:30-4:00. Oh well, I walked on down Grassmarket to Kings Stable Road and turned in at St. Cuthbert’s cemetery. This is the old cemetery where Ray & I tried unsuccessfully to find the grave of one Jekyll the other day. The cemetery is overlooked by a watchtower erected after a spate of body-snatching by "resurrectionists". They would exhume fresh corpses to sell for £10 a piece to the medical school's anatomy department. Two residents, William Burke and William Hare, didn't even wait for people to die. They murdered students and the destitute then sold their bodies. A purse made of Burke's skin is held in the College of Surgeons as a grisly reminder of the fate awaiting anyone seeking unorthodox methods of upping the anatomy count.
The land lying immediately around the Church has been a place of Christian burial since the dawn of authemtic history, the brochure says. Only one stone—of Robert Pont—remains from earlier days. It is from 1606. The first intimation of a burying-ground was on a small hill known as the “Knowe” to the south-west of the church. Here grazed “nowt, horse and scheipe” until 1597 when a stone wall was built around it. In 1738, the walls were raised to 8 ft. because of graverobbing. There is also a tower that was built in 1740 to keep an eye on the graves. The practice of graverobbing ceased around 1835 due to a change in the law governing the donation of bodies to medical science. The only person I recognize on the list of graves is Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859), author of “Confessions of an Opium Eater.” No Jekyll on the list anywhere.
I walked up to the Church, known as “the Kirk below the Castle,” but there was a sign saying the church was closed for the morning. What was going on here?!?! Oh well, I turned and climbed the stairs to Lothian Road and walked down to Paper Tiger where I bought some birthday cards. Still no Halloween cards out. Walked back down King Stables Road and decided to try once more, ignoring the closed sign this time and just walking in. Ran into the guy who was opening up the gift shop and he said it had been closed and was about to open in 30 minutes, but that I could go on in if I wanted to. I sat in the quiet of the church for 30 minutes or so. This present church building, completed in 1894, is the 7th one on this site. It retains the steeple of the 18th century building and is noted for the beautiful marble decoration in the chancel and for its stained glass. It boasts one of the few genuine Tiffany windows in Scotland. St. Cuthbert, the 7th century Border Shepherd who became a monk is reputed to have pitched his tent in the sheltered hollow below Edinburgh Castle Rock. This is the church where Agatha Christie was married.
I bought some postcards and talked to the nice man again. I noticed the lovely tile flooring mosaic in the hallway and he was very impressed that I asked about it. He said most people don’t even notice it and he thinks it is very nice, too.
Walked—yes, my feet were getting tired by this time—back down Kings Stable Road thru Grassmarket. Ran across the Bow Well at the foot of West Bow, situated at the foot of Victoria Street. This was the first of the well heads built to supply water to the Grassmarket from the reservoir at Castle Hill (Now the Tartan Weaving Mill). It was designed by Robert Milne and was built in 1671.
While in the area, I went back by Magdalen Chapel again. Figured it couldn’t hurt. I’d had luck with my second try at St. Cuthbert’s. From a distance, I could see that the gate was now open, so I hurried my steps in excitement and went thru the gate—and found the heavy wooden doors locked. Believe me, I tried my best to get that door to open to no avail. Went across the street to what looked like another church with a tall tower, but it turned out to be a clinic with a huge sign on the door that said, “If you think you have Swine Flu, do NOT come in.” (There is a program here to provide Tamiflu to those who get the flu without exposing others in a doctor’s office. Very smart.) So I gave up and walked back up Candlemakers Row and turned left over George IV Bridge and right on the Royal Mile. Walked down to Bella Italia and got a table for one and order my salmon. Felt so good to just sit!!
After lunch, I walked down towards Holyrood, stopping at shops to look around. There was even an American Indian statue standing in front of the cigar store! I found that funny as I don’t believe there were ever Indians in Scotland unless I am mistaken. Ragamuffin, Heritage of Scotland—where a little old lady had just taken a fall into the store and was quite shaken. Her husband was being so very nice to her as she sat there almost in tears. I made her laugh by telling her my story of falling UP the Old Man of Storr. Historic Connections stop for postcards then into the Fudge House for a block of Chocolate with Walnuts fudge which I plan to have for dessert tonight. Yum. It had a sign out front saying that their family had been making fudge here since 1949. Every chunk of fudge is made by hand in their shop, and there were nearly thirty flavors to tempt me, from classic vanilla to rich dark chocolate. They had a sign saying that they use only the best ingredients – fresh cream and butter, caramelized sugar and natural flavorings. Double Yum!
Waited for the 35 bus at Canongate Kirk and noticed a building across the street that had been covered with a brick-red color of stucco and in one place way up high, it looked like the older façade of the building was trying to come back through.
Got off the bus before the railway bridge and walked home thru Holyrood Park, noticing the first of the changing of the leaves. So pretty. Altogether a very productive day.
Lots of pictures today!
***pictures from top: back room of Elephant House Cafe; Castle from back room of cafe; Edinburgh Labyrinth; Magdalen Chapel; Edinburgh Castle from Grassmarket.
Back out and down the street to St. Giles cemetery to check out some of the older ones from the 16th century. Then I walked back out to George IV and down Bristo, left on Lothian, across Bristo square at the University of Edinburgh, right on Crichton and walked down to George Square where I found the Edinburgh Labyrinth. It was beautiful—made of stones with pebbles to walk upon. It is based on the Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth. I walked it slowly, reminding myself to slow my mind down, and it actually did relax me. And just as I finished and got to the center, the sun peeked out of the clouds for the first and only time today! I wish I had ones of these labyrinths in my backyard! I would walk it every day.
Retraced my steps back up to St. Giles then down Candlemaker Row to Cowgate (where they used to herd cattle thru the streets). Turned right to find the Magdalen Chapel and there it was, under the bridge, but the gate was locked!! I tried my best to unlock it but no good. It was supposed to be open from 9:30-4:00. Oh well, I walked on down Grassmarket to Kings Stable Road and turned in at St. Cuthbert’s cemetery. This is the old cemetery where Ray & I tried unsuccessfully to find the grave of one Jekyll the other day. The cemetery is overlooked by a watchtower erected after a spate of body-snatching by "resurrectionists". They would exhume fresh corpses to sell for £10 a piece to the medical school's anatomy department. Two residents, William Burke and William Hare, didn't even wait for people to die. They murdered students and the destitute then sold their bodies. A purse made of Burke's skin is held in the College of Surgeons as a grisly reminder of the fate awaiting anyone seeking unorthodox methods of upping the anatomy count.
The land lying immediately around the Church has been a place of Christian burial since the dawn of authemtic history, the brochure says. Only one stone—of Robert Pont—remains from earlier days. It is from 1606. The first intimation of a burying-ground was on a small hill known as the “Knowe” to the south-west of the church. Here grazed “nowt, horse and scheipe” until 1597 when a stone wall was built around it. In 1738, the walls were raised to 8 ft. because of graverobbing. There is also a tower that was built in 1740 to keep an eye on the graves. The practice of graverobbing ceased around 1835 due to a change in the law governing the donation of bodies to medical science. The only person I recognize on the list of graves is Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859), author of “Confessions of an Opium Eater.” No Jekyll on the list anywhere.
I walked up to the Church, known as “the Kirk below the Castle,” but there was a sign saying the church was closed for the morning. What was going on here?!?! Oh well, I turned and climbed the stairs to Lothian Road and walked down to Paper Tiger where I bought some birthday cards. Still no Halloween cards out. Walked back down King Stables Road and decided to try once more, ignoring the closed sign this time and just walking in. Ran into the guy who was opening up the gift shop and he said it had been closed and was about to open in 30 minutes, but that I could go on in if I wanted to. I sat in the quiet of the church for 30 minutes or so. This present church building, completed in 1894, is the 7th one on this site. It retains the steeple of the 18th century building and is noted for the beautiful marble decoration in the chancel and for its stained glass. It boasts one of the few genuine Tiffany windows in Scotland. St. Cuthbert, the 7th century Border Shepherd who became a monk is reputed to have pitched his tent in the sheltered hollow below Edinburgh Castle Rock. This is the church where Agatha Christie was married.
I bought some postcards and talked to the nice man again. I noticed the lovely tile flooring mosaic in the hallway and he was very impressed that I asked about it. He said most people don’t even notice it and he thinks it is very nice, too.
Walked—yes, my feet were getting tired by this time—back down Kings Stable Road thru Grassmarket. Ran across the Bow Well at the foot of West Bow, situated at the foot of Victoria Street. This was the first of the well heads built to supply water to the Grassmarket from the reservoir at Castle Hill (Now the Tartan Weaving Mill). It was designed by Robert Milne and was built in 1671.
While in the area, I went back by Magdalen Chapel again. Figured it couldn’t hurt. I’d had luck with my second try at St. Cuthbert’s. From a distance, I could see that the gate was now open, so I hurried my steps in excitement and went thru the gate—and found the heavy wooden doors locked. Believe me, I tried my best to get that door to open to no avail. Went across the street to what looked like another church with a tall tower, but it turned out to be a clinic with a huge sign on the door that said, “If you think you have Swine Flu, do NOT come in.” (There is a program here to provide Tamiflu to those who get the flu without exposing others in a doctor’s office. Very smart.) So I gave up and walked back up Candlemakers Row and turned left over George IV Bridge and right on the Royal Mile. Walked down to Bella Italia and got a table for one and order my salmon. Felt so good to just sit!!
After lunch, I walked down towards Holyrood, stopping at shops to look around. There was even an American Indian statue standing in front of the cigar store! I found that funny as I don’t believe there were ever Indians in Scotland unless I am mistaken. Ragamuffin, Heritage of Scotland—where a little old lady had just taken a fall into the store and was quite shaken. Her husband was being so very nice to her as she sat there almost in tears. I made her laugh by telling her my story of falling UP the Old Man of Storr. Historic Connections stop for postcards then into the Fudge House for a block of Chocolate with Walnuts fudge which I plan to have for dessert tonight. Yum. It had a sign out front saying that their family had been making fudge here since 1949. Every chunk of fudge is made by hand in their shop, and there were nearly thirty flavors to tempt me, from classic vanilla to rich dark chocolate. They had a sign saying that they use only the best ingredients – fresh cream and butter, caramelized sugar and natural flavorings. Double Yum!
Waited for the 35 bus at Canongate Kirk and noticed a building across the street that had been covered with a brick-red color of stucco and in one place way up high, it looked like the older façade of the building was trying to come back through.
Got off the bus before the railway bridge and walked home thru Holyrood Park, noticing the first of the changing of the leaves. So pretty. Altogether a very productive day.
Lots of pictures today!
***pictures from top: back room of Elephant House Cafe; Castle from back room of cafe; Edinburgh Labyrinth; Magdalen Chapel; Edinburgh Castle from Grassmarket.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday, September 23--World's End Pub
After getting Ray a room in London so that he doesn’t have to spend the night in the airport, we went to get groceries and breakfast at Morrisons. Saw the cutest fish sticks that Lincoln would love—they look like fish and have peas for eyes!!!
Ray had to pack, unpack, and repack several times to get it balanced out right. Then we went to the Royal Mile to the World’s End Pub for dinner. I love the low ceiling and the dark wood and stone walls. Very cozy and full of character. Yummy salmon for me, clansman burger for Ray, and we tried a great dark ale—Dark Island—maybe my favorite yet. We let our waiter, Fintan, choose for us and it was a great choice. Will have to remember it. I wanted to buy a cool T-shirt with the pub sign logo on it, but the only shirt they carry is one with the name on the front and the name of 10 other pubs on back.
This is the pub on the edge of Old Edinburgh. Right here were the gates across the Royal Mile—Netherbow Port. It was part of the Flodden Wall that was built around the city to protect it from English attack. The poor couldn’t leave the city because they couldn’t afford to pay the fee to get back in. Heads of executed prisoners from the Old Tolbooth prison were displayed on spires here to deter would-be criminals. There are brass cobbles in the street to show where the gates were.
Ray had to pack, unpack, and repack several times to get it balanced out right. Then we went to the Royal Mile to the World’s End Pub for dinner. I love the low ceiling and the dark wood and stone walls. Very cozy and full of character. Yummy salmon for me, clansman burger for Ray, and we tried a great dark ale—Dark Island—maybe my favorite yet. We let our waiter, Fintan, choose for us and it was a great choice. Will have to remember it. I wanted to buy a cool T-shirt with the pub sign logo on it, but the only shirt they carry is one with the name on the front and the name of 10 other pubs on back.
This is the pub on the edge of Old Edinburgh. Right here were the gates across the Royal Mile—Netherbow Port. It was part of the Flodden Wall that was built around the city to protect it from English attack. The poor couldn’t leave the city because they couldn’t afford to pay the fee to get back in. Heads of executed prisoners from the Old Tolbooth prison were displayed on spires here to deter would-be criminals. There are brass cobbles in the street to show where the gates were.
The World's End was the last place 2 girls were seen back in October of 1977. Before this, Edinburgh was thought to be a safe city--if you don't cound the VERY olden days, that is. There were over 500 suspects in the murders of the girls, whose bodies were found nearby. I just watched a TV program where Ian Rankin stated that he was one of these suspects as he, unwittingly, went to the police to ask how they would go about investigating a murder he was writing about. Talk about bad timing.
Across from where we caught the bus to go into town, there is what looks like an old train station. It has a post on top of one of the tall towers that seems to have what looks like a crown on it. Being that this building is so close to Holyrood Palace, we wondered if it might have once been used for the Queen when she came to town.
Bus to our stop then walked back home thru Holyrood Park with Arthur’s Seat standing 823 feet high, an extinct volcano. The winds are up and the trees had a cool whishy sound as the wind tossed the branches around. Sad to see Ray go, but he will be back soon. He encouraged me to get out and do things I wouldn’t do if he were here. He says I have a hard time deciding what I want to do because my first instinct is always to try to make others happy, so I will do this. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I can get to the labyrinth at the University of Edinburgh to walk it. May do the Museum of Edinburgh and a chapel or two to see the stained glass. We’ll see.
***pictures from top: World's End Pub sign; fish sticks Lincoln would love; “train station” that we figured was once used by the Queen; inside World’s End Pub; Royal Mile.
Bus to our stop then walked back home thru Holyrood Park with Arthur’s Seat standing 823 feet high, an extinct volcano. The winds are up and the trees had a cool whishy sound as the wind tossed the branches around. Sad to see Ray go, but he will be back soon. He encouraged me to get out and do things I wouldn’t do if he were here. He says I have a hard time deciding what I want to do because my first instinct is always to try to make others happy, so I will do this. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I can get to the labyrinth at the University of Edinburgh to walk it. May do the Museum of Edinburgh and a chapel or two to see the stained glass. We’ll see.
***pictures from top: World's End Pub sign; fish sticks Lincoln would love; “train station” that we figured was once used by the Queen; inside World’s End Pub; Royal Mile.
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