Greetings Travelers
In the video above we are checking out some of the sights of Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh.
On this particular visit, I was heading to Civirinos slice bar on Forest Road . This place is a New York-style pizza slice bar that sells some of the best pizza I have ever eaten. I had a job interview here at 12 o'clock in the afternoon after which the owner let me choose a slice of pizza to check out for free.
I decided to go for their Detroit slice which just looked to good to be true.Just look at that thing,its a thick Detroit base with cheese, tomato, double-decker pepperoni, and a honey chili drizzle. These slices cost £6.50 which I feel is a little pricey this made me even more excited that it was free, even if I don't get the job I got free pizza!
I kinda feel like this pizza has spoiled me now, like if I ever see pepperoni on a pizza that's not charred and cupped from the fire in the oven Im gonna be disappointed. Also for any of you thinking it's swimming in grease that's actually the honey chili drizzle which I underestimated. It lit up my mouth like the 4th of July and I didn't have a drink on hand, lesson learned this stuff is like a slice of fire.
Forest Road is an interesting part of the city, heading north along the street for a few minutes we come to The National Museum of Scotland and Greyfriars Kirkyard.If we head South we find ourselves on the Meadows. This small part of the city is home to dozens of different high-quality restaurants, it's hard to know where to go, you are truly spoiled for choice.
Before heading in the direction of the National Museum and Greyfriars Kirkyard I decide to wander around The Meadows. This open green space has a very impressive cherry blossom-lined pathway that is particularly beautiful at this time of year.
Far of in the distance, we can see a hill known as Arthurs Seat towering over the landscape.
As I finish walking the length of the cherry blossom-lined pathway we come back to the entrance of The Meadows where we see some interesting artwork.
Our next stop of the day is The National Museum Of Scotland, a place I haven't been to since before the pandemic. The museum originated in 1780 and was originally called "The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland". In 1851 this collection of antiquities and archeological artifacts passed into the hands of the public and became known as "The National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland".
The museum's collection consists of countless artifacts representing Scottish history, international cultures, natural and physical sciences, and decorative art for Scotland.
As is the case with any large museum in any large city it would be impossible to cover the entirety of the National Museum in one post.I could easily make a 3+ hour-long video of this place. In the video above I have highlighted some of the exhibits I found interesting.
One of the most noteworthy items at the entrance to the museum is this Millenium clock. This work of art was installed in 1999, its design is inspired by a medieval cathedral.
The designs and figurines inside it represent the best and worst of the 20th century. Constructed from a combination of wood, glass, and metal, five master artisans contributed their skills to making the clock: Tim Stead (furniture maker), Eduard Besudsky (kinetic sculpture) Annica Sandström (glass artist), Jürgen Tübbecke (clockmaker) and Maggy Lenert (illustrator).
After walking around the museum for a couple of hours we had built up a bit of an appetite and decided it was time to grab some dinner. I should make a note of saying even tho we have been to this labyrinthinely huge museum a few times before we struggled to find the exit from the 3rd floor. I wonder if many tourists end up getting lost here, the scale of the place is insane.
When we do finally make it out of the warm environment of the museum out onto the cold wet Edinburgh streets, I breathe a sigh of relief and feel incredibly refreshed by the afternoon raindrops.
Walking back towards the meadows along Forest Road we notice a sign for a Malaysian restaurant named Nanyang.
By Edinburgh standards, I thought the prices in this restaurant were very fair and would highly recommend the place to someone who finds themselves in this neck of the woods looking for good Asian cuisine.
I decided to try their standard chicken curry which cost £12.95 and was served in a portion that could easily feed 2 people. The curry consisted of chicken, cashew nuts, potatoes, and green beans.
My dad decided to try a sweet and sour king prawn dish which was also served in a portion large enough to share. This dish cost £13.95.
I guess it's worth noting that the curry doesn't come with a side dish, and rice is extra, I got a portion of egg fried rice which cost £3.50.
I find the best beer to accompany Asian food is Tsing Tao , a bottle of this was £4.00
The total for 2 people including drinks was just over £41 which again I feel is very good value for this city. It's also the first time in a long time that I have had a Fox's glacier mint.
Onwards to our next destination, Greyfriars Kirkyard.
This place has many a scary tale to tell but out of all the spooky and chilling stories rises a rather heartwarming account, that of "Greyfriars Bobby"
Bobby was the name of a Skye Terrier who spent 14 years guarding the grave of his master John Gray.
John Gray is thought to have been a night watchman for the Edinburgh Police. When he was laid to rest in the Kirkyard Bobby wouldn't leave the graveside. At first, he was regularly evicted from the graveyard at night but in time the caretaker of the church and his wife took pity on the dog and built him and shelter and fed him. He was even awarded the key to the city by the Lord Provost Sir William Chambers.
On this visit to Greyfriars, I went inside the church for the first time.I didn't take any photographs but I did shoot some footage which you can see in the video. There is a very interesting little museum inside.The church itself was founded in 1598. The name comes from the Observantine Franciscans or "Grey Friars" who arrived in Edinburgh from the Netherlands in the mid-15th century and were granted land for a Friary at the south-western edge of the city.
Each time I visit this place there is a portion of the cemetery which is locked of to the public. This area is known as "The Covenanters Prison" and is thought to be among the most haunted sites in all of Scotland and the UK. The reason its not open to the public is due to an alarming number of incidents involving violent poltergeist activity. People get scratched,punched,kicked, faint or vomit due to the angry spirits which haunt this place. If you want to go in you can do so as part of one of many haunted Edinburgh tours but you do so at your own risk and I would bet you need to sign some sort of waiver if you do.Maybe one day ill be brave enough to see what lies behind these ominous-looking gates.
Beside the gates you see a small plaque which tells the story of the Covenanters.
"THE COVENANTERS' PRISON
Behind these gates lies part of the southern section of Greyfriars Kirkyard which was used in 1679 as a prison for over one thousand supporters of the National Covenant who had been defeated by Government forces at the battle of Bothwell Brig on 22 June. For over four months these men were held here without any shelter, each man being allowed 4 ounces of bread a day. Kindly citizens were sometimes able to give them more food.
Some of the prisoners died here, some were tried and executed for treason, some escaped, and some were freed after signing a bond of loyalty to the Crown. All those who were persecuted and died for their support of the National Covenant in the reigns of Charles II and James VII are commemorated by the Martyrs' Memorial on the north-eastern wall of the kirkyard. The Covenant, which was first signed in Greyfriars Kirk in 1638, promised to defend Presbyterianism from intervention by the Crown.
In November 1679 the remaining 257 men, who had been sentenced to transportation overseas, were taken to Leith and placed on board a ship bound for the American colonies; nearly all were drowned when this ship was wrecked in the Orkney islands (where there is a monument in their
memory), but 48 of the prisoners survived.
The section of the kirkyard used to imprison the Covenanters lay outside the existing south wall, and included the area now covered by buildings on Forrest Row. The area behind the gate was laid out for burials in 1705 and contains many fine monuments, but these did not exist at the time of the prison.
This plaque has been provided by the Greyfriars Kirkyard Trust with the support of the Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association. "
Another infamous part of the kirkyard is the tomb of George McKensize
George Mackenzie was born in Dundee in 1636, and was made Scotland’s Lord Advocate in 1677, he was responsible for the imprisonment of 1,200 Covenanters.
It's the restless spirit of this man who is thought to be mostly responsible for the paranormal activity in the Covenanters Prison. His ghost has been spotted wandering that part of the kirkyard. Sometime in the 1990s a homeless many broke into this tomb and fell through into the crypt below.It is thought that is one of the things that angered the spirit when the violent poltergeist activity intensified.
Then in 2004 two teenagers broke into the crypt and used a penknife to cut of the skull of Mackensise's corpse. They then proceeded to use the skull as a sort of hand puppet until members of the public spotted them and contacted the police.They were the first people in over 100 years to be charged with the ancient crime of "violation of sepulchre" – disturbing a dead person.
Its no wonder this guys spirit is so restless, take a look at the top of the mausoleum.This looks straight out of a horror movie set.
I don't know what this thing is , perhaps it was once the face of the deceased which has been worn away by 400 years of Edinburgh weather and is now a terrifying and unsettling sight , eternally gazing with its ominous eyes out over the kirkyard. It gives me the chills standing in front of this place.
A strange thing happened as I was photographing a mausoleum near the Mackenzie tomb.I took this photograph and my camera froze on this image. It's the mausoleum of Clement Litill (1527-1580) the founder of Edinburgh University Library. Even when I tried to switch the camera of the image wouldn't leave the viewfinder. I had to take the batteries out to reset the camera. Fearing it was the work of the vengeful Lord Mackensize I promptly left the Kirkyard!
As we head back to the bus station we decide to see what's playing in the cinema at the Banshees Labyrinth.
This place is found not too far from the Kirkyard on Niddry Street. Its one of Scotland's oldest and most haunted pubs.Here it's Halloween 24/7.I love this place and its spooky-themed cocktails.No trip to the city is complete without a visit this incredibly unique spot.
A couple of shots of the underground part of the labyrinth taken last October while I was showing a Hammer Horror Dracula Movie in the Cinema
The cinema is free , they show 3 movies each day starting at 5pm weekdays and 7pm at weekends. On this particular day the 5pm showing was Finding Nemo. We decided we didn't want to watch a Disney/Pixar production in a haunted cinema and kept heading toward the bus station
Above Princess Street mall,on what is most likely the busiest street in all of Scotland we find this place called "The Secret Gin Garden"
This seems like the least secretive place in all of the country but it is a good place to get a bite to eat or a drink before getting back on your bus or train and heading home.
The beer-battered fish and chips in this place are outstanding and cost only £11.95 which is great value for the city, especially after the cost of living crisis price hike's. A pint of Heverlee Belgian Beer is £6 which is a little pricey but the open-air venue is much preferred to any of the many overcrowded noisey pubs.A highly recommended spot to stop and watch city life go by.
Well, that's all folks hopefully you have enjoyed this little virtual tour of some of the sights and sounds of Scotland's capital city. There is still a lot more to show and tell so stay tuned for more in the coming weeks :D.
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