This is a recount of my venture into the Land of the Scotts. Sometimes I get the feeling that it was meant to be... I travelled to Scotland as I had an issue in Sweden with my visa and the migration board would not consider my application fully unless I was out of the Country. As Australia was a long way away however the board in Sweden were understanding when I politely convinced them not to make me go all the way back; hence the trip to the UK, funnily enough my family was originally from Scotland and after 6 months in Sweden I actually felt like I was going home.
I stayed in a pod Hostel called 'Code' on Rose street which runs parallel to George Street in the new town and is a short 15 minute walk to the heart of the old town (the Royal Mile). I stayed there for a week, the Staff were very friendly and hospitable plus I made some great friends whilst I was there.
This gave me a chance to see what Edinburgh had to offer and also tour some of the Scottish Highlands, Edinburgh feels like an old city and some of the tourist attractions such as the Mary Kings Close delve into this steeped history. By following some of the stories around the cities main streets and the historical developments of the town centre its easy to understand why there are so many novels and movies with storylines based on this place.
The Castle hill has always been a place of power and the city was built around it due to its natural advantage given to it by the terrain for being a stronghold; You can see the castle from most parts of the city. The only times the castle had been defeated in siege were due to running out of supplies or the water supply being cut off and therefore the personnel in the castle were forced to leave.
Edinburgh Castle is home to the oldest standing buildings in the city with the oldest being St Margaret's Chapel, built in the 12th Century by king David the first, it is still used today for intimate weddings mostly by military personnel who still work within the castle walls.
It is thought that Scotland was the inspiration for some of the ideas behind the 'Game of Thrones' series of novels by George R.R. Martin with the idea that the highlands are the north and 'beyond the wall' as well as the many clans of Scotland which fought during the last few ages. The idea for the 'Red Wedding' was believed to be inspired by the Black Dinner hosted within the castle and led to the slaughter of significant noblemen of the Douglas Clan after the head of a black bull was served symbolising that death was about to follow according to Scottish legend.
Other significant places in Edinburgh include the Greyfriar's Graveyard whereby the names for many characters in Harry Potter were thought to have been inspired. This Graveyard is next to the private school thought to be the inspiration to Hogwarts. Its easy to see why with the dramatic architecture and four main houses within the school grounds.
In the movie Cloud Atlas Sixsmith walks down towards the Scott Monument in one of the final scenes to a beautiful view. Robert Frobisher narrates the scene with a paragraph from a letter at this point in the movie
"Sixsmith. I climb the steps of the Scot monument every morning and all becomes clear. Wish I could make you see this brightness. Don't worry, all is well. All is so perfectly, damnably well. I understand now that boundaries between noise and sound are conventions..."
"...All boundaries are conventions, waiting to be transcended. One may transcend any convention if only one can first conceive of doing so. Moments like this, I can feel your heart beating as clearly as I feel my own, and I know that separation is an illusion. My life extends far beyond the limitations of me."
The architecture in Edinburgh ranged from the classic and dark of the Old Town to the Contemporary and modern of the New Town, The Royal Bank of Scotland has many of the grandest buildings in the city as well as some newer buildings as shown below.
Edinburgh is an incredible city and Scotland a beautiful part of the world - I'll be sure to share my experiences of the Scottish Highlands in another post, this was an incredible experience to see all the places that were inspiration for the stories I loved during my childhood. Definitely a place to see if you haven't been yet, steeped in history. So tell me, do you prefer older cities with some character or the sleek new cities full of modern buildings? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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