We started the day with a tour of Edinburgh Castle, entering the castle with the first group of tourists. It’s good that we did this, because the castle area was starting to get crowded. The castle is built as a fortress on Castle rock above the city. A huge cannon powerful enough to knock down city walls was on display along with several of more normal size. To control the castle was to control the kingdom, and the castle has witnessed many sieges.
I was especially interested in the chapel for St. Margaret, also referred to as Meg. To control the castle was to hold the keys to the kingdom. The castle has changed hands many times. In 1314 it was retaken from the English in a daring night raid by Thomas Randolph, nephew of Robert, the Bruce. The views of Edinburgh from various places in the castle were interesting.
From the castle we went to the Queen’s Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II spends a week in residence here at the beginning of summer each year, as she carries out the range of official engagements and ceremonies. It was interesting to visit the dining room, banquet hall, bedrooms, and studies and to stroll through the lovely gardens. We each had our own private tour guide using audio speakers that explained each room, so we could move at our own rate. There are many woven tapestries, opulent ceilings, and paintings. The Queen’s crown was on display – during World War II, it was hidden below a medieval latrine closet to prevent the enemy from finding it. The castle was for defense and the palace was for comfort.
Reformers: Martin Luther, John Knox, John Calvin. The Geneva conference provided the blueprint for reformed Protestant society.
The Catholics, trained in Greek and Hebrew, wanted to be the only one to explain the Bible. The Reformers made Bibles available to the populous and challenged the Catholic Church’s claim to be the only interpreter of Scripture.
We visited the 15th century house where John Knox, an ordained Catholic priest who realized the shortcomings of the Catholic church of that time and was drawn to the ideas of the Reformed religion. He became the leader of the Scottish Reformation and founder of the Presbyterian Church, and in lived in this house for a short time before he died. Mary, Queen of Scots, opposed John Knox.
“John Knox is able in one hour to put more life in us than 500 trumpets continually blaring in our ears.”
As has been common the last few days, various types of entertainers were doing some sort of entertainment to try to collect money from tourists. Today we passed a man playing a harp, a man dressed as a monk and sitting like part of a statue, and a lady spinning yarn and singing — she put words into her song about people who take photos but don’t leave money!
St. Giles Cathedral was the next stop on our walking tour. Like many other cathedrals, we admired the arched ceiling, the ornate carved wood and the stained glass windows, Most enjoyable of all was a 30-member gowned boy’s choir, whose beautiful voices, especially the high soprano voices of young boys, reverberated through the great cathedral. We had shakes for lunch and then went back to hear the Boys’ early afternoon concert!
Patrick told the story of a man named Brady, who was a locksmith by day and a thief at night. He made a second key for himself, so he could easily enter to steal. He was caught, found guilty, and executed. (He evidently needed to steal to support his gambling habit and his 2 mistresses and 5 children.) Another Dr, Jekyl and Mr. Hyde story!
The bus driver drove us around the city and Patrick explained what we were seeing. A busy but great day – again!
Notes:
England was Lutheran and Scotland was Calvinist.
When water was unclean, beer was safer to drink than water.
The Church of Fourth Bridge (strange name for a church
Yum Yum Kurdish Kebob House
A “Proper” Hamburger
Statues of people – pigeons standing on their heads
“Follow the stair
Turn right at every door
But tall folks should beware
The Caldoneans used to be lower.”
1517 date of Reformation in Europe
Edinburgh was called the Athens of the North because of coal smoke.
Open windows in apartment buildings in Edinburgh show no air conditioners.
A public clock near a railroad station has always been 5 minutes fast