Victoria Terrace. Edinburgh

September 13, 2018

The plan was to reach a street near the Royal Mile where there are all kinds of shops and then find a simple restaurant for lunch. Walking along the crowded streets we spied a small place with a name something like Maud Mcgilicutty's Tea Room. What could be more Scottish!

We stopped. Had an excellent lunch. Listened to music on their radio by Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons and the Doors and Sam Cooke. What could be more Scottish!

We complimented the owner, noted a symbol hanging from the counter and asked if she was from Turkey...she smiled and said that she was from Istanbul and wanted to take her kids to Disneyland in Florida.

What could be more Scottish!

And so it began.

Churches and massive cathedrals in Europe in Europe are faced with a conundrum. Do they charge admission for the hoards of tourists to see their magnificent, though "money-pit" structures....or do they "suggest" a "donation"? Such is the case of St. Giles...the principle church of the Church of Scotland.

They "suggested" a 5 pound "donation." And, like some cathedrals...they "require" a 2 pound fee for photos. They then give you a sticker for your coat. I happily "gave a donation" and paid a fee and felt quite legal as I snapped away at the beauty of the church.

But deep within one of the many side chapels of the cathedral....in the most beautiful of the chapels....they stationed personnel to bust anyone who took pictures without the 2 pound sticker.

It would be so much easier if they would just charge everyone a 5 pound entry fee and move on. But I paid and enjoyed the sights of the magnificent chapel....like the pulpit with carvings all around its base. The one above is from the Beatitudes....."I was a stranger and you took me in."

I imagine these cathedrals were lit by candles in their day....and modern lighting brings out the magnificence of the architectural details.

It was a gray, brisk day in Edinburgh. We'd seen plenty of gray and windy days....and a few sunny days. Much of Scotland is built with stone. I believe Aberdeen is called the gray city or silver or some such city. Edinburgh is the same. Stone. Gray. (Sorry....Grey is the British spelling) Soot and pollution have turned much of it even darker. So is it any wonder that a street like Victoria Street and Victoria Terrace are loved for their vivid colors.

I admire and marvel at the Harry Potter series but have not read the cultural phenomenon that is the book series. But we walked past this restaurant and it claimed to be the home of Harry Potter. So, I googled it....and indeed, The Elephant House is where JK Rowling sat and wrote much of her first book....or something like that.

It would take an awful of cappuccinos to write those things....though I suppose one could easily stay awake to continue writing.

There is a region of Edinburgh called the Greyfriars District just off the Royal Mile...and when shops and restaurant weren't shouting and celebrating Harry Potter....they were proclaiming their allegiance to "Greyfriars Bobby." A legendary small terrier who lived around there in the 1800's and is immortalized in children's books (by numerous authors) and 1961 & 2005 films. They even have a granite headstone for the dog in the Greyfriars Kirkyard (Churchyard). People commemorate his life and death by placing sticks instead of flowers on the tomb. (You can't make this stuff up.)

The Kirk and Kirkyard graves are the most haunting I have ever seen. We wandered the graveyard for a half hour.

Harry Potter and Greyfriars Bobby in the same Edinburgh neighborhood.....a pop culture "twofer."

(Our nearby Istanbul/Scottish inspired Tea Room)

I might suggest that you simply walk through Edinburgh and take pictures of the street and neighborhood signs that are mounted on old (and grey) buildings and walls.

The Greyfriars Kirkyard is filled with hundreds of tombs and grave markers that would bring a smile to the face of Vincent Price. (Kids under 50...ask your parents about that reference.)

But amidst all the grey....stood a doorway that seemed to shout out "Scarlet & Gray" and I couldn't resist the opportunity.

We only got a small taste of Edinburgh on the first of our two days here. I hope to see the Livingstone Monument in this city....it has a special place in my heart. Perhaps we'll see the castle or just wander. This is a magnificent, spooky and fascinating city.