We left our comfortable Manchester hotel – surprising how nice these Holiday Inn Express places have become since we first started these trips! – to catch a flight to Manchester. We laughed about our luxury bus, a double-decker with plush seats and a kitchen, to take us for about a 15-minute ride to the airport. We had been crammed with our luggage on two smaller coaches for our previous journeys. Go figure. I have learned to just adjust on these trips and go with it.
The decision had been made last year to fly to Edinburgh rather than a long bus ride (six hours at least) to cram as much as we could in our first visit to Scotland. Some of the students, unfortunately, had to check a second bag they stowed away on our British Airways flight. The FlightBe staff stuck to its rules, and we also had a very thorough security check, no doubt because of the Manchester bombing last year. The UK version of TSA was very serious about the luggage and body checks. I was pulled aside for a very thorough pat down and wanding, and Jan’s carryon bag was totally reviewed because of a cans of prepared chicken. I had to vouch for her!
The gate system here was different, too. We had to wait in a crowded lounge area until our flight was about ready to leave. I have seen this at different airports in Europe, but not to this extent. Anyway, the flight was easy and the ride from the Edinburgh airport to the Grassmarket Hotel was easy.
The hotel is right off the Royal Mile, a really cute boutique place. It is two buildings connected, so we had to drag some luggage up and down stairs. A tiny elevator, too, much smaller than any of ours on campus We will have to plan our departure from here carefully on Friday morning.
We started off with climbing a ton of steps to reach the Edinburgh Castle, which looms over the city. It sits on volcanic rock and has been a fortress, a royal residence, military garrison and a prison. It dates back to prehistoric times. It has been one of the most besieged castles in all of Europe. On this sunny brilliant (a word we here all the time in the UK, but it was so appropriate today) we could see for miles.
We only had an hour, not nearly enough time to see it all. I managed to check out two museums of Scottish military forces, Scotland’s crown jewels, the Great Hall, the prison and the royal apartments. It was here that Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her son, James. His father, Lord Darnley was assassinated, and she was shortly thereafter deposed, leaving her infant son to be king. Mary was taken to England, never to return.
We embarked then on a walking tour with Allan, a garrulous fun man in a kilt, who told stories and debunked legends as he took us from the castle to much of the Royal Mile. He pointed out the famous closes that spin off from the main road and are intriguing.
The streets we walked with him have an old, ancient feel to them. We passed a former massive church that is now home to the famous Fringe Festival. Another, St. Giles, was a Catholic church that we will visit when we have our free day on Thursday,
Two famous writers – Robert Burns and J.K. Rowling – loom large here. We heard more about Rowling – Allan does not care for Burns! – including where she wrote her first Harry Potter book in a café and the many possible inspirations for settings in the book, including Hogwarts. We’ll find as many as we can.
It was fun to find out men’s kilts take 8 yards of fabric, and I knew the plaids pertained to your family and heritage. Kilts were selling for 500 or 600 pounds at various stores – with a free jacket.
Lots of cashmere and knit shops. We didn’t see as many bakeries or cafes on the Royal Mile. Again, lots of homeless and street people asking for help.
We ended the night with a great Italian dinner at a restaurant right down the street from our hotel. Allan pointed out a place with Scottish music. We might check it out tomorrow to experience that!