Braveheart

Edinburgh is pronounced Edinburrrrr because it is cold here.   That's what my tour guide said.  Luckily for me - it is sunny and not raining.  What a beautiful city.  I was quite surprised by the Edinburgh skyline - there is an amazing castle, palace, cathedral and tower right outside my hotel room window.  A beautiful park at the base of the hills completes the view.  As I opened my window , a bagpiper started to play "Scotland The Brave".  There could not have been a more idyllic experience!

View of Edinburgh from my hotel window.

The Edinburgh castle is on one side of the old city, and the palace is on the other side.  They are connected by the Royal Mile.  Greg and I walked the Royal Mile and took in the views, the shops and the restaurants.

A small part of the big castle.

The Royal Mile.

We toured the castle, including the prison.  They held many prisoners in a very dark, cramped dungeon.  It felt eerie walking through.

Castle dungeon.

Prisoners slept shoulder to shoulder...

...with other prisoners in hammocks above them.

We went to a traditional Scottish dinner with Highland dancers, bagpipers, fiddlers and accordion.  It was a very authentic night - there was a lot of plaid and a lot of kilts! 

MacZanner and MacPiper.

After the dinner, our hosts piped in a haggis.  It was on a large platter complete with a huge rack of antlers.  The MC recited the poem by Robby Burns "Ode to a Haggis".  It was a huge procession and it felt like a religious ceremony.

Haggis looks like a big sausage.



Our MC reciting poetry to the haggis.

I ate the haggis!  We were told not to believe all the rumors you hear about the Scottish delicacy.  As the MC said  "Some people think that Haggis is brains, eyeballs,  kidneys, liver, intestines etc.  That is….baloney!"  Haggis is lamb stomach, oatmeal, herbs and spices, so he said.  It tasted like spicy meatloaf and I enjoyed it.  It was served with mashed potato and turnip.

It doesn't look too bad.

I might as well try it.

Preparing myself for the legendary horrible taste.

Haggis isn't so bad after all!

My second day in Edinburgh involved a bus trip to Rosslyn Chapel of "The DaVinci Code" fame. 

Our transport to Rosslyn Chapel used tartan MacBus.

There is no rose line, no crypt with ancient records, and the St. Clair family does not believe they are related to Jesus.  Dan Brown hasn't even visited Rosslyn Chapel.  They used to get one thousand visitors a year.  Now they get 1000 visitors a day.

Regardless of Dan Brown's creative writing, Rosslyn Chapel is a beautiful chapel.  There is a legend that something of major historical significance is buried under the floor.  A large stone arrow is carved in the stone ceiling and it points down to mark a spot on the floor.  People say they feel warm or tingling when they stand on the spot.  I felt nothing.  That doesn't mean I don't believe that something could be down there!

The St. Clair family had the chapel built hundreds of years ago to help ensure their family members get into heaven.  As was the custom, they paid priests to pray for them around the clock.  The current family members won't let anyone dig up "the spot".  I think it is very cool of the St. Clair's to hold their ground.  The world always needs a good mystery.

The filming of " The DaVinci Code" did happen at the chapel.  The set designer put a star of David above the stairs to the lower chapel and when he removed it, it left a white circle.  This is now referred to as the star of Hollywood.

In the 1950's someone covered the entire chapel (walls, ceilings, pillars, stone carvings, statues - everything!) with cement.  It dulled the details and is ruining the chapel.  The intent was to help preserve the chapel, but unfortunately water is trapped under the cement and the sandstone is deteriorating rapidly.   A massive restoration is underway.

Massive restoration at Rosslyn Chapel - no cameras were allowed inside.

Scotland's beauty blew me away.  Due to the lack of historical accuracy in Dan Brown's book, and in the movie "Braveheart",  I figure I owe it to myself to return to Scotland and spend more time here.  Of all the cities so far on my UK trip - Edinburgh has been the most amazing!



View of Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth waterway from the castle.