Jon In England: They’ll stone ya when you’re at the breakfast table

They’ll stone ya when you are young and able

They’ll stone ya when you’re tryin’ to make a buck

They’ll stone ya and then they’ll say, “good luck"

¬Bob Dylan

7/12/10

Woke up, had breakfast and went on a three hour free walking tour recommended by the hostel. The tour guide was incredible, had a lot of charisma, and best of all picked me up at the hostel. Our first stop was the City Chambers built on a very steep slope (in fact most of the building is not visible from the main entrance). We learned about the history of the four tribes who inhabited Scotland (Vikings, Celts, Scots, Britons) and how they were united under William Wallace to overthrow English rule. We wandered down the Royal Mile and saw the merkat building, St Giles cathedral and the heart of hibernia all while learning there place in Scottish history along the way. Next we saw the Writer's Museum where we learned about Scotland's 3 most famous writers: Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island), and Robert Burns (Auld Lang Syne). I really looked out with an incredible tour guide he knew so much about the city's often gruesome history. Next we saw Edinburgh Castle which rests atop a volcanic cliff, we learned of the few successful sieges and how the castle houses the second oldest crown jewels in the world and the stone of destiny (more later).

Later we ended up in Grassmarket (where I saw the world cup last night) famous for being the historic selling point of hay and crops but also more interestingly as a den of sin in the heart of the city. Some of the more interesting stories included the one on Burke and Hare and Maggie Dickinson. We stopped for a break and I tried an Irn Bru-the most popular Scottish soft drink which outsells coke and pepsi in Scotland and is an orange creamsicle-like soda alleged to have the ability to cure hangovers. Next we strolled through Greyfriar's Cemetery home of many famous graves as well as massive pits for victims of the plague. The Cemetery was located right behind the Greyfriars Cathedral where the National Covenant declaring independence from England was drafted in 1638 and happens to be one of the first churches ever to have an organ (the place really did have amazing acoustics). The history lesson on Edinburgh's gruesome past continued as I heard tales of grave-robbers selling bodies to the anatomy department of Edinburgh University (a huge problem), some graves even had cast iron locks completely covering them that were hundreds of years old. Otherwise if you couldn't afford such a lock you had to take turns watching the grave all night-which is where the term graveyard shift comes from. Eventually gaverobbing became obsolete when a law was passed that said if you could not afford a burial your body was donated to the school. From the graveyard you can also see the George Harriot school which served as the inspiration for Hogwarts and is visible from the Elephant Room which is where JK Rowling penned the first two Harry Potter books. Some other famous graves included the original editor of Encyclopedia Britanica, many of the Covenanters who declared independence from England, and Auld Jock (who the pie shop from last night was named after) a very famous nightwatchman who kept out many graverobbers, and the only grave for an animal-that of greyfriars bobby Auld Jock's dog who sat by his masters grave for 14 years protecting it from potential robbers. There's even a pub named after the dog and a statue for him at the cemetery's entrance.

We headed towards Nor Loch a former sewage pit that today has been converted to the city's largest park along the way passing the home of Deacon Brodie (who served as the inspiration for the protagonist in Jekyll and hide). After we strolled through the park we finally sat down and were told the story of the Stone of Destiny (which I highly suggest you read) and the tour was over. Really an absolutely incredible tour I couldn't believe it was free and was more than happy to tip.

I decided to go visit some of the free museums that we had passed earlier on the tour. First, I went to the National Scottish Gallery which boasted many great works from different eras and painters(Boticelli, Raphael, Degas) that you would expect in any European museum. But what I'll remember it most for is its bathroom. By far the greatest one I've used throughout Europe and worth the visit to the Scottish gallery by itself alone, but the nice paintings along the way were a great bonus. The gallery was great too and has the largest collection of Scottish art in the world (naturally). Afterwards, I head to the Elephant Room where I have a small pot of Assam Tea. I can see how someone could right a book here. I had to rush because my next stop was closing soon but the place is well decorated with hundred of elephant tchotchkes. Next I headed to the National museum of Scotland where among other things I saw a great exhibit on the history of means of communication (from horseback and morse code to satellite phones), an awesome exhibit on all the ways recorded music has been played over time, and best of all the oldest complete chess set in the world. From the museum I picked up my bags at the hostel and headed to platform 11 at Waverly train station in Edinburgh to catch the train to King's Cross in London.