Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Still More Edinburgh


Monday we covered yet more of old Edinburgh, beginning with the Robert Louis Stevenson house on Heriot, the Real Mary King Close, more of Royal Mile toward Canongate, and then an ascent of Arthur's Seat, overlooking it all.


Vicki at (very) distant cousin Robert Louis
Stevenson's house on Heriot; the relationship
accounts perhaps for her literary and travel
interests













I was never in to individual philosophers; but if
I were, David Hume would be my favorite; alas,
this is not how he probably dressed









Ladystairs, now the Edinburgh Writers' Museum











A close, in Edinburgh, is one of the many alleys
that led from Royal Mile back down the hill to
the Forth (the open sewer of Edinburgh till it
was filled in in the 18th century); a close
would be lined in buildings/tenements, many
10-12 stories owing to the slope of the hill.
We toured one of the older ones, under the
present city hall, the Real Mary King Close,
which goes well back into the 15th century.
The tour was commercial and cheesy,
complete with ghost stories, gore, and very
bad jokes, but the environs were interesting.
Pictured is another, older close.





















Home of John Knox, the Presbyterian firebrand and
Reformation leader; not a guy you'd want to have a
drink with












Home of "Invisible Hand" Adam Smith, patron
saint of free-market fundamentalists; just
purchased by Edinburgh U Grad School of
Business, to be turned in to a musem (seriously);
I can't believe they had not already done this













The very old toll-house near Canongate, with its
clock and tower, where lots of famous people
were jailed, tortured, disappeared










Vicki adds:

Edinburgh, Scotland September 1, 2009


Mark and I left Rebecca's for Tokyo one year ago today. We have packed so much into this year that it seems much longer. We are enjoying Edinburgh and the festival. August is definitely the best time to be here though everything is crowded. But it feels more exciting than overwhelming. I am sure Mark will post pictures of the Tatoo (which was wonderful) and the the Book Festival. Our commute to town takes 40 minutes each way plus walking 15 minutes to the bus stop. Cities are hard to tour from campgrounds. Edinburgh is putting in a new tram so the roads are torn up which makes bus travel very difficult. Also only the sightseeing busses are allowed to drive on the Royal Mile—if you ever come here one of those passes including the castles would definitely be worth it.

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