Edinburgh

Unfortunately we've come to Edinburgh just for one day and didn't have enough time to truly feel the unique atmosphere of this old city. Early in the morning we were already waiting for the train to Edinburgh at the foggy dark station of Berwick.

Berwick Station

The day was just perfect to go to the capital of Scotland — grey, soggy and mysteriously poetic. It took us just an hour by a very comfortable fast train cutting through the fog to get to Edinburgh . I remember the first impression of it — the somber gothic needle of Scott Monument looking like a dark fire of Inquisition ghostly rising through the mist — the very mysterious, imposing and gloomy atmosphere like the medieval history itself.

Scott Monument

This feeling didn't disappear but deepened as we climbed up the hill to get inside of the grand Edinburgh Castle. It's fantastic: the Castle that dates from XII century survived through the time almost untouched. Even though different alterations and buildings had been added to its unique ensemble up till the XX century it represents the whole unit. Here inside these high & thick castle walls separated from the rest of the world on the top of extinct volcano you transfer in time and appear to be in the middle ages.

The Castle

Dark stone constructions of the living rooms and soldier barracks with low ceilings and narrow passages, the oldest building of the small simple Chapel of St. Margaret with beautiful arch stain-glasses in the windows — its only decoration, the Palace where in the tiny obscure room on wooden sweaty bed Mary of Scotland gave birth to the king Jacob and where regalia of Scottish Kingdom — symbol of independency & pride of Scotland are brought back from England to be displayed, dismal vaults of military prison with marks of victims who suffered their endless days & grievous end there — that all restores the time of court and conspiracy, numerous war battles and pressure of Catholic Inquisition, time of short lives, severe diseases, beautiful dresses, low sanitary level even in palaces, time of hot temper and evil minds of those who wanted to get the power or to survive in any mater.

The Castle

Only the Grand Hall of Scottish Parliament with high wooden vaults & a huge fireplace and newer and cleaner looking Commandant House with large Flemish windows that serves as the castle regiment officer's dinning hall now gives and idea of lighter air of independence in thought and belief of the Reformist era.

As we exited from the Castle without knowing it we found ourselves at the famous Royal Mile — main pedestrian area of Edinburgh . And of course one of the first buildings we passed by was the Scotch Whisky Center, a museum and entertaining center devoted to the history and making process of the traditional Scottish drink. As most of us don't drink and the entrance fee was quite high we've decided to leave the visit to this center till the better time.

The Royal Mile goes along 4 ancient streets of the city up to the Holyrood Palace . The look of the old homes breathes with the air of other epoch. All of them look dark with time, high and impregnable like the continuing walls of the castle.

Building at the Royal Mile

Seems that you just walking in the full sized three dimensional museum of medieval and reformist time, that inside there is no one living but just settings to display. Actually this is partly true with quite a few of the Royal Mile homes being museums of old times, like the Gladstones Land (merchant's house of the XVII cent.), the Lady Stair's House (museum of Scottish poets and writers Burns, Scott & Stevenson), the Parliament Building, the John Knox's House (the oldest building in the city of the XV cent.), the People's Story museum

The Museum Of Edinburgh

and the Palace of Holyrood House (museum of the Royal palace since 1529 and the functioning Queen residence in Scotland).

The Palace of Holyrood House

Unfortunately because of the lack of time we were not able to get inside any of these historical museums (that we'll definitely do next time!). In spite of the gloomy uninhabited appearance numerous shops with warm lights and welcoming sellers in the ground floors of the buildings create more living image of this street. Many of them offer Scottish traditional costumes pre-made or to tail with all the accessories like the fur bad and a dagger. Sasha would love to buy himself one of those or a quilt but it turned out to be a very expensive pleasure. So we learned that to be dressed properly Scottish it's a little fortune to spend.

On the way to the Holyrood Palace we've visited St. Giles' Cathedral, one of the main churches of Edinburgh that dates from the XV century. In the architecture of it great Gothic influence feels especially in the interior. The most interesting in design is the Thistle Chapel that is a XX century addition to the Cathedral devoted to the Scotland 's Order of the Thistle. Exquisite wood carving of the benches that restores the gothic style and splendid decoration of the rib of dome makes this chapel worthy the Royal family members presence when they come to Edinburgh . We were amazed with the beauty of it!

Thistle Chapel

The day we arrived to the city was August 12 — one of the days of the world well-known theater street festival taking place in Edinburgh for three weeks in August beginning of September. Part of the Royal Mile was closed for cars and on each square meter an actor, acrobat, clown or musician used to perform. It was a lot of fun — bright colors, tricks, action, crowds. Our favorite performance was the bag-pipe band of 4 musicians playing modern and traditional music pieces with this national music instrument. Their skill was fantastic! But in a little while all the noise, colors, people of the street makes you tired and we were happy to come to the quite part of Edinburgh at the feet of natural mountain plateau as we learned latter named Arthur's Seat.

Dynamic Earth

Dynamic Earth is the interactive children's center of earth studies. It stands right at the bottom of the mountain and has a great architecture of a transparent tent made of glass and white metal. From the terrace of this impressive construction we saw a great view of the mountain plateau and decided to try to get up there. A crazy idea as we didn't have special shoes and almost slipped several times going up the earth hill but we made it!

Arthur's Seat Plateau

We walked up the hill for about half an hour and all this time we could watch the changes of a thrilling picture: wind blue hordes of clouds over the city and each time we got into one of them the view of Edinburgh under us disappeared in white mist and in a little while appeared partly through the cloud with foggy patches and in a minute it was absolutely clear again but not for long.

Dasha at the Plateau

As we reached the top of the plateau we've heard voices and then saw rows of folding chairs with blankets and a little tent over. A lady on the pass explained us a play “King Arthur” is about to start and we're welcome to join. What a temptation, what a chance! But we knew we had to go back as our train was supposed to leave in an hour and how sad it was! As we continued to walk we noticed actors in the footlight. They all were in old costumes of Shakespeare's plays standing on different levels of these natural rocks on the dark sky background. The wind blowing, clouds rushing through the sky and all this severe empty stones around with few shadowy figures as if ghosts coming from the past in the bright light created an unforgettable effect. I was so sorry we couldn't stay and watch it — it mast had been a great performance and so typical for this old city where history becomes alive.

Walking to the train station to leave along narrow grave streets saying good-bye to the old dark houses hiding their tops in the mist it became clear to me how only in this very city such a mysterious and bright, gloomy and fairy, honest and sharp inspiration could transform into a magnificent, attractive, spirited book of Harry Potter the wizard boy who overcomes the same problems of growing in the Hogwarts magic school as the regular boy in any other school of the real world. Being here it's easy to imagine J.K. Rolling sitting in one of the cafes of Edinburgh looking at these ancient buildings each one of them keeping their own secrets and transferring these images into her own story.

Edinburgh

Now Edinburgh has become not only the city of great past and wonderful cultural present but also the place where the new magic world is alive and exists out of time limits.

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Picture Gallery - Edinburgh