Edinburgh Castle and Much More

No trip to Edinburgh would be complete without spending time on Castle Rock, which has dominated the city for centuries.  Though there is evidence of humans living here for 3,000 years, it was in the 600s that the Angles invaded and called it "Edinburgh." It became Scotland's main castle in the middle ages and by the time King James VI was born here (in 1566 to Mary Queen of Scots) it was mostly a military garrison as the royal family preferred Holyrood Palace (down the hill at the other end of the Royal Mile.) The castle is obviously a major visitor attraction, but a garrison of soldiers are still stationed here.

The entry fee to the Castle comes with a nice overview tour:

Highlights include the Royal Palace portion of the complex with the Great Hall (interesting hammer-beam ceiling).....

                        

and the Crown Jewels (more impressive for their age than their beauty).  From the 1500s, they were hidden away during the time when Scotland's parliament was dissolved in 1707 and when Cromwell destroyed England's Crown Jewels.  Sir Walter Scott comes to the rescue in 1818, when he was part of a royal commission to find them.

I loved tiny St. Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building in Edinburgh build around 1130 by King David I in honor of his mother.

 

The Scottish National War Memorial was quite moving (the names of all Scots who have died in the military since WWI are recorded in books displayed in a large chapel - no pictures allowed). The views of Edinburgh from the Castle Hill were fantastic. (Can you see the Firth of Forth in the distance?)

After the Castle, we spent an hour in the sweet little National Gallery of Scotland with a small but impressive collection of European masterpieces as well as a nice display of works by Scottish artists.
I'm not sure why, but this painting by Henry Raeburn (dubbed The Skating Minister) is one of the gallery's most famous paintings:

 Rather hungry by now, we made our way to the Elephant House Cafe, the coffee house near Edinburgh University where J.K. Rowling is said to have begun writing the Harry Potter books.

I was a little skeptical, but after sitting in the back room looking out the window at Edinburgh Castle, I can believe it:

Next stop: the Museum of Scotland, a rather large new (1998) building complex that would take days to explore. We concentrated on three areas: 1. some of the ancient archaeological finds, like the 12th century "Lewis Chessmen" made from walrus ivory:

and the amazing bronze sculptures by Scottish artist Eduardo Paolozzi that display the museums collection of ancient necklaces, bracelets and brooches.

2. the Industry and Empire exhibits about the railway engineering, shipbuilding and textile industries (these are business students) that explain how Scotland became the 'workshop of the world' in the 17-1800s:

3. And the more recent Art and Industry exhibits, showing how artists, designers and inventors have used new materials and methods to create new everyday objects from lighthouses to computers to furniture and tableware.

There were more great views of the city from the terrace on top of the museum. On our way back to the hotel we stopped by the old Edinburgh University buildings (built between 1789-1827 and originally called the New College because it replaced a collection of old, dilapidated buildings) - now the University's law school and some administrative offices.  Seemed appropriate to get a picture of students in the quad:

We ended the day with a group dinner at the World's End Pub for a traditional Scottish meal: an appetizer of haggis with neeps and tatties (sheep organ and oatmeal sausage, mashed rutabaga and potatoes) - which actually tasted quite good with the whiskey sauce gravy - and Scottish salmon for the main course.

A long day filled with lots of good things....