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impulsereaderAfter an additional three hours of jet lag occurring in the middle of the night, I got up on Day 2 with some vague plan of breakfast, the Surgeons’ Hall Museum - for their Conan Doyle exhibit - and then ‘something outside’. Well, after a bleary shower I realized - the Sun was out! So I hightailed it out the door and tried to make it up Calton Hill to take advantage of it.
Calton was my first thought because the second time I got lost the day before I happened to stumble across the entrance. Yup, it appears that it is a pet hill as it is contained by walls and has an entrance. So, I can prove that the sun was in fact brilliant. See below.
However; by the time I reached the top of Calton it had dimmed somewhat, and it was significantly colder at that elevation. I did a pretty quick circuit then made an escape to breakfast.
The Portuguese Cannon against the National Monument - The National Monument was originally meant to be a reproduction of the Parthenon in Athens, a memorial to the Scottish dead in the Napoleonic wars. It was never finished but has come to be regarded with affection as it stands.
A view of Edinburgh Castle
The sky was doing this very odd thing now - a prelude to continuing periodic rain that day, I would imagine.
A view of Arthur’s seat
Nelson’s Monument
oh right, it was raining again...
and this crow took off a split second before I was ready
A view of - Edinburgh - but really just the roadworks. It is sort of mind boggling the sheer yardage of street which is just completely shut down.
and on my way down, this lovely surprise
Now explain to me what would be wrong with having these beautiful lamp posts situated throughout the whole of your beautifully historic city? Is this really too much to ask?
I ordered the ‘kili breakfast’ at Kilimanjaro Coffee and had a latte since it’s a coffee house. Both were excellent.
I next visited the Surgeons’ Hall Museum. I was disappointed in their Arthur Conan Doyle exhibit as it pretty much consisted of a four-minute-ish video of Conan Doyle speaking about Holmes with a cameo mention of his ‘stupid friend’ Dr. Watson.
This visit was a bit odd, as the entrance to the actual college is well marked, but when I approached ‘Reception as instructed’ was sent 'out the back way, turn to the left, #9 is the entrance’. Oooookay...then - and proceeding as instructed - again - found that of course #9 is the entrance, lady. When was the last time you were out here?
It continued oddly as I climbed some narrow stairways, following the signs.
And then I got cut off. Sorry, guys, they don’t allow photography on ethical grounds. The guy in line behind me tried to dispute this, bizarrely. Dude, if a museum doesn’t allow photography they aren’t going to make an exception for you. It doesn’t matter why - you aren’t special. Due to his argument, though, I learned that this specific museum banns photos because they have human remains on display, hence the ethics issue. I’m not sure I agree with this, presumably the remains were donated to science so you should really be allowed to do what you like with them - all rights signed away as it were. In any case, I apologize for the lack of photos, but do google the museum if you’re interested, they seem to have quite a bit of info online.
The museum is quite interesting, despite the ACD exhibit being a bit of a bomb. They do try, putting out some relevant items to Bell, one of ACD’s inspirations, it’s just thin and sort of an obvious ‘trying to get more people in’ sort of thing. I don’t think it’s working, as it is a very small museum and everyone else just started on the regular collection while I ran right to ACD to avoid the congestion this caused. This means I got the one chair situated in front of the small tv screen continuously showing the ACD clip for the duration.
I skipped the second floor which purportedly covers more ‘modern’ surgical methods and just toured the main collection. Dr. Joseph Lister is featured heavily at the moment, on one particular video clip he speaks about searching for a way to keep postoperative infections to a minimum.
Conclusion - a good visit for £5. It is a relatively small but definitely not stingy museum. There is a lot of information here for anyone even mildly interested in the history of medicine.
Next I managed to conquer - approximately ¾ of one gallery of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. I really want to go back and finish the top floor, though I have no real interest in the more modern galleries. They don’t allow photos either, but the building itself is simply unbelievable. I cannot do it justice, but here is some idea.
The fact that James I and VI ended up becoming King of England, Ireland and Scotland is so eternally interesting. Both he and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, were anointed monarch while still an infant. She was imprisoned for years and eventually executed by Elizabeth I, from whom he inherited his rule of England and Ireland. He chose to make himself amenable to Elizabeth, but there is evidence that after he ascended the throne he made efforts to rehabilitate his mother’s reputation. James was so clearly playing the long game - but who taught him to do this? He became King of Scots roughly at roughly one year of age. When he took on England and Ireland as well he had 36 years of experience - he was 37 years old. He endured four regency governments. Did any other monarch manage this? James’s tutor George Buchanan reportedly had great influence over him. It’s really a very interesting story, and I suppose there is probably a good book out there somewhere which would enlighten me on these points. Adding it to the list...
And some additional images from the day.
Calton was my first thought because the second time I got lost the day before I happened to stumble across the entrance. Yup, it appears that it is a pet hill as it is contained by walls and has an entrance. So, I can prove that the sun was in fact brilliant. See below.
However; by the time I reached the top of Calton it had dimmed somewhat, and it was significantly colder at that elevation. I did a pretty quick circuit then made an escape to breakfast.
The Portuguese Cannon against the National Monument - The National Monument was originally meant to be a reproduction of the Parthenon in Athens, a memorial to the Scottish dead in the Napoleonic wars. It was never finished but has come to be regarded with affection as it stands.
A view of Edinburgh Castle
The sky was doing this very odd thing now - a prelude to continuing periodic rain that day, I would imagine.
A view of Arthur’s seat
Nelson’s Monument
oh right, it was raining again...
and this crow took off a split second before I was ready
A view of - Edinburgh - but really just the roadworks. It is sort of mind boggling the sheer yardage of street which is just completely shut down.
and on my way down, this lovely surprise
Now explain to me what would be wrong with having these beautiful lamp posts situated throughout the whole of your beautifully historic city? Is this really too much to ask?
I ordered the ‘kili breakfast’ at Kilimanjaro Coffee and had a latte since it’s a coffee house. Both were excellent.
I next visited the Surgeons’ Hall Museum. I was disappointed in their Arthur Conan Doyle exhibit as it pretty much consisted of a four-minute-ish video of Conan Doyle speaking about Holmes with a cameo mention of his ‘stupid friend’ Dr. Watson.
This visit was a bit odd, as the entrance to the actual college is well marked, but when I approached ‘Reception as instructed’ was sent 'out the back way, turn to the left, #9 is the entrance’. Oooookay...then - and proceeding as instructed - again - found that of course #9 is the entrance, lady. When was the last time you were out here?
It continued oddly as I climbed some narrow stairways, following the signs.
And then I got cut off. Sorry, guys, they don’t allow photography on ethical grounds. The guy in line behind me tried to dispute this, bizarrely. Dude, if a museum doesn’t allow photography they aren’t going to make an exception for you. It doesn’t matter why - you aren’t special. Due to his argument, though, I learned that this specific museum banns photos because they have human remains on display, hence the ethics issue. I’m not sure I agree with this, presumably the remains were donated to science so you should really be allowed to do what you like with them - all rights signed away as it were. In any case, I apologize for the lack of photos, but do google the museum if you’re interested, they seem to have quite a bit of info online.
The museum is quite interesting, despite the ACD exhibit being a bit of a bomb. They do try, putting out some relevant items to Bell, one of ACD’s inspirations, it’s just thin and sort of an obvious ‘trying to get more people in’ sort of thing. I don’t think it’s working, as it is a very small museum and everyone else just started on the regular collection while I ran right to ACD to avoid the congestion this caused. This means I got the one chair situated in front of the small tv screen continuously showing the ACD clip for the duration.
I skipped the second floor which purportedly covers more ‘modern’ surgical methods and just toured the main collection. Dr. Joseph Lister is featured heavily at the moment, on one particular video clip he speaks about searching for a way to keep postoperative infections to a minimum.
Conclusion - a good visit for £5. It is a relatively small but definitely not stingy museum. There is a lot of information here for anyone even mildly interested in the history of medicine.
Next I managed to conquer - approximately ¾ of one gallery of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. I really want to go back and finish the top floor, though I have no real interest in the more modern galleries. They don’t allow photos either, but the building itself is simply unbelievable. I cannot do it justice, but here is some idea.
The fact that James I and VI ended up becoming King of England, Ireland and Scotland is so eternally interesting. Both he and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, were anointed monarch while still an infant. She was imprisoned for years and eventually executed by Elizabeth I, from whom he inherited his rule of England and Ireland. He chose to make himself amenable to Elizabeth, but there is evidence that after he ascended the throne he made efforts to rehabilitate his mother’s reputation. James was so clearly playing the long game - but who taught him to do this? He became King of Scots roughly at roughly one year of age. When he took on England and Ireland as well he had 36 years of experience - he was 37 years old. He endured four regency governments. Did any other monarch manage this? James’s tutor George Buchanan reportedly had great influence over him. It’s really a very interesting story, and I suppose there is probably a good book out there somewhere which would enlighten me on these points. Adding it to the list...
And some additional images from the day.
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no subject
Date: 2012-04-08 11:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-09 05:09 am (UTC)I remember you asked for recommendations; I'd say a trip down the Royal Mile is a great way to see Old Edinburgh. Starting near the Castle side, the Writers' Museum is fun if you're into Scottish literature (Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott); a small museum and you have to pay, but I think is quite worthwhile. Right next door is Gladstone's Land, which used to be a tenement building in the 17th century owned by this guy William Gledstane, and is now a museum dedicated to life in the Old Town in that period; it's a real hidden gem: not many people go there, but it's one of my favourites. Again, I think you have to pay.
Continuing down the Mile, beyond George IV Bridge** is St. Giles Cathedral, which you you admired in your first post.
**As an aside, on George VI Bridge is The Outsider, a fun, unpretentious restaurant. It has two tables in the back with views of the Castle; ask for one of them specifically if you want to be seated there. Another good place for restaurants is the Grassmarket, which is accessible from George IV Bridge via Victoria Street (while going down there, you'll see the infamous Khushi's of the sign feud fame; there used to be an auto-rickshaw outside that restaurant when I used to go, so watch out for it. In the Grassmarket, you should be spoiled for choice, though I'd recommend the French restaurant, Petit Paris.
Much further down the Mile (about 10-15 minutes of walking at a moderate pace from St. Giles Cathedral), opposite the John Knox House is the Fudge Kitchen, which had simply the most divine fudge that Edinburgh is famous for. Watch out for the 3 for 5 deal they've got; it's sooo tempting! They let you sample before buying, too. :) (The fudge also makes a great gift for people back home, though if you plan on doing this, buy the gift fudge on the last day as this is fresh fudge, not the subpar stuff that's meant to last years and years, and only tends to last about a week before becoming hard.)
A bit further down again, just before the People's Story Museum is Cadenhead's Whisky Shop (on the right side of the road), which belongs to Edinburgh's oldest independent bottler, and has a good range of whiskies, which makes a great present if anyone you know is a fan of whiskies. I believe they run tastings as well.
Beyond the People's Story Museum on the left-hand-side of the road is the Canongate Kirk, the church where the second British royal wedding of last year took place: the Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips married her husband there. Interestingly, this is the place where the Queen and Royal family worship when they are in residence in Edinburgh.
And finally, right at the end of the Mile is Holyrood Palace, which was built as homage to the beautiful Renaissance palaces in France. It's a beautiful palace, full of history and intrigue - Mary, Queen of Scots' secretary was murdered in front of her by her (very jealous, possible mad) second husband, Henry, Lord Darnley while she was pregnant with James VI! It also had the Queen's Galleries, which host thematic selections of art from the Royal Collection; I believe you have to pay a separate fee for the Galleries than the Palace.
And that's it! I hope you find this useful, if you do manage to go.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 07:31 pm (UTC)I had been to Cadenhead's already and they were very helpful and informative. I wish they still exported to the US so I could buy birthday presents and such.
I'm afraid I would only be lynched for bringing back fudge for work presents...but perhaps I'll stop in for a small portion for home use anyway.
The Writers Museum was on my maybe list, but Gladstone's Land sounds interesting so perhaps I'll stop in both. I'm really impressed by how many museums feature free admission here. I'm always a bit embarrassed at how much Chicago museums tend to charge for entry.
Thanks so much for the inside info! I spotted yet another Kushi's on Leith Walk the other day, and passed the one where I spotted the sign - confirmed on Broughton Rd. - I wanted to take more pics, but after a brilliantly sunny day it was pouring down rain and I didn't have an umbrella to shelter the camera. They have a great sign too, something about them loving Scotland and Scotland loving Punjabi food in return. Perhaps I'll be by again, though tomorrow is my last day...