AN ABBREVIATED TOUR OF EDINBURGH

We have arrived in Edinburgh on the cusp of the Edinburgh International Festival, a three week celebration of the arts that takes place in various theatres, concert halls, and smaller venues around the city.  All is in preparation, and Edinburgh will look her best on opening day...at least if the two persons working on this display have anything to say about it.

Yes...he is seeking perfection flower by flower, and it is gorgeous.  At this point in time the gardeners are replacing flowers beyond their prime, and plucking droopy petals that have seen better days.

  

I know that pipers are ubiquitous at any time of year in Edinburgh--or Scotland, for that matter--but perhaps a bit more so when Festival-goers are pouring in.

Our day began with a guided tour of Edinburgh--led by a delightful young lady who commutes 30-45 minutes into the city each day to do what she loves best.  And, she's good at it.  I'm not even going to try to remember every historical building and tale that she told, But, I will remember the skies--very cloudy, partly cloudy, sunny...and then back again.  I'll remember the elaborate and beautiful carvings that set each building apart from the next. And I'll definitely remember the hustle and bustle as we ended our formal tour near the beginning of the Royal Mile, where all was in preparation at Edinburgh Castle for next week's Royal Military Edinburgh Tattoo.  The Tattoo is a definite Bucket List item...

We did get this close--the Castle esplanade where the ceremony will take place.  Over 200,000 people attend the Tattoo each year during its run, with about a third of them from outside the UK. You can see a portion of the grandstand to the left of the photo.  Whereas, there are drums and pipes and fifes galore on the esplanade during the Tattoo, what I remember most from the TV version I saw years ago, was the spotlighted lone piper standing on the high wall of the castle. The esplanade was completely dark, as he began piping "Amazing Grace" note by mournful note.  Nothing can touch your heart like a bagpipe.  I sat in my living room, tears running down my face...I can't imagine the emotion I'd feel being right here.

There is, in addition to the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe--a sassy, slightly irreverent, and non-curated accompaniment to the more staid Festival itself.  According to its web-site, anyone can participate in the Fringe Festival.  There is, quite proudly, no vetting.  If you can find a venue that will accept you and whatever you might offer, you're in.  Most egalitarian.  If not a wee bit naughty...

On a slightly different note...but, perhaps, no less touristy, welcome to the industry known as Greyfriars Bobby. We didn't have an opportunity to go into the pub, but we did meet the sweet little guy.  You may remember the story...

Greyfriars Bobby was the sweet little Skye Terrier whose owner, John Gray, died.  I don't know if it was a sudden death, or whether John lingered.  What I do know is that Bobby was devastated and spent the last fourteen years of his life lying on or beside John Gray's grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard. And today, is buried not far from his owner.  (Or guardian, as we would say today.)

It is also very sweet that even today, nearly 150 years after the fact, people leave little items for Greyfriars Bobby very near his grave.  Thus, the shoe for chewing and the sticks for chasing.  I so hope he enjoys them up there in his little doggy heaven.  Or, hopefully, in regular heaven.

And, now we've come to Deacon Brodie's Tavern, which was packed to the rafters during our late-ish lunch. There is (as you might guess) a tale about Deacon Brodie--namely, that he is the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde."  To wit: Deacon Brodie was a highly respected businessman in Edinburgh in the mid-1700s.  He was a cabinet-maker, and because of his stellar reputation gained entry to many of the richest households in the city. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to anyone, he also had five mistresses, a number of children and a nasty gambling habit.  Mr. Brodie was in need of money.  A lot of money.

To that end, Deacon Brodie, when building cabinets in someone's home, made wax molds of the locks  he happened across.  He then made keys to fit those locks, and when the timing was right, let himself in, opened said locks, and stole money and treasures.  Not a lot--just enough to satisfy his needs and maybe a bit more.  Thus the sign above.  Sadly, Deacon Brodie was hanged for his sins with 40,000 people in attendance.  I find it highly unlikely that 40,000 people actually attended that event, but no more unlikely  than the additional story which suggests that he might have survived the hanging due to a deal he cut with the hangman himself.

Oh--the Jeckyll and Hyde tie-in.  Robert Louis Stevenson was apparently fascinated with the story of Brodie, who was such a good and respectable man, but deep down, scoundrel. A real scoundrel. 

And that was our first day in Edinburgh.