The Lost Tracks of Edinburgh

Part of the 'work' I'm doing here made it necessary that I meet with the designers of the acoustic simulation software I'm using. Originally this was going to involve tracking them down in Denmark, but later I found out that they were actually teaching a course on the software in Edinburgh right after I arrived. After a little wheeling and dealing, I got various people to pay for my trip, and our first foray into exploring Great Britain began.

Edinburgh's grass verges appreciate the effort

It was about the same cost to take a flight, but since we had plenty of time and a desire to see the countryside, Laura and I opted to take a train to Scotland. Despite enjoying Scots (apparently 'Scotch' is not an okay adjective anymore) history and having a slew of Scottish ancestors, I had never been there and was excited to see it. The train ride up was beautiful, allowing nice views of Newcastle and the surrounding countryside.

While I was cooped up in a seminar room all day, Laura got to do some exploring (completely unfair, as she'd been there before anyway). Although to be fair my seminar room, which was on the top floor of a snazzy hotel, had an incredible view of Edinburgh castle and the North Sea.

Contemplating haggis and other serious matters

The first day when I got out of class, we checked out the National Gallery of Scotland. Like all major UK cities, this has the advantage (if you're not paying UK taxes) of being free. It also has some really beautiful landscapes of the highlands by the Scottish masters (assuming you're an art-ignorant simpleton such as I and like landscapes better than portraits). As usual, it contained some obscure painting that Laura was excited to see, but the gallery containing it was closed. I suppose that is the price you pay for knowing about art.

Afterward, we feasted at Deacon Brodie's tavern, a must-eat stop in the city. It's named for the seemingly upstanding citizen upon whom Robert Louis Stephenson based his novel Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde. Crossing off another of my lifetime to-do list items, I had some haggis. Haggis, if you're not up on your offal-based ethnic foods, is the Scottish national dish, consisting of the heart, lungs, and liver of a sheep, all boiled in its own stomach. I came prepared to be grossed out, but actually liked it quite a bit. It tastes like spicy hamburger, all ground up beyond recognition - just the way I like my sheep organs...

The castle walls prove impervious to jumping-over

The second day, we headed straight to the castle to tour it as fully as we could in what little daylight remained (Cambridge is already pretty far north, but Scotland gets even less sunshine). The castle is a wonderful old monument to Scottish history and mentality. After the hike up to the gate, we tried to take in the view as long as we could until the darkness set in fully. I'm always on the lookout for cities that are on the water but also have mountains next to them - some people have told me this is geographically impossible, but Edinburgh comes close. In addition to its lovely view of the harbor and the craggy castle that dominates its skyline, it is surrounded by ranges of hills on the mainland (some small-minded people in the UK would call them mountains, but they've all been cramped together on this tiny island for so long that we can't really hold that against them), and on a clear day you can see Ben Lomond across the bay.

My only famous ancestor of note - Robert the Bruce - was featured heavily in the exhibits inside the castle. In reality, he was nothing like the simpering coward shown in Braveheart, but was pretty dislikable for other reasons (he once agreed to a peaceful meeting with his rivals in a church, where he proceeded to kill them). Come to think of it, probably most 14th century Celtic clan leaders were not exactly the sort you'd want teaching Sunday School...

Some hoodlums took a very nice picture...before STEALING OUR CAMERA...just kidding

You can see the Scottish Honours (sort of like the crown jewels), which many Scots gave their lives to keep away from English aggressors. You can read about the stone of destiny, on which the Scottish monarchs were crowned. Further up, the chapel contains a memorial to the Scottish units that fought in "The Great War" and WWII. Even recent Scottish history possesses a certain mystique that I don't think exists as much in the new world or even in England. War, hono(u)r, heritage, and bloodshed form a strong part of the Scottish identity, from Rob Roy to Sean Connery.

Edinburgh retains that greyish, stone, 'hard' feeling that I felt in Prague, but here it feels more natural, as though it were a part of the national character. Plus, there is more green space incorporated into the city, not to mention the fabulous land- and sea-scapes that border the city on every side. A 4-day visit wasn't nearly enough; I really want to go back and see the highlands
as well.

Final score: 8.0/10.0