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    • TravelerZum Testspiel nach Dunfermline
      Day 5

      Dean Village

      June 25, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

      Nach Dean Village zu gehen, war ein Tipp aus dem Hotel: es würde dort aussehen, wie in Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling hätte sich hier die Inspiration bei ihrem Edinburgh-Aufenthalt geholt. Pitoresk und einen Besuch wert auf jeden Fall - mitten in der Stadt gelegen.Read more

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    • Chris in the UK
      Day 23

      I hated Edinburgh Castle

      September 18, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

      Let the record forever show: I hated Edinburgh Castle so much.

      I hate feeling like a mere corpuscle in a larger tourist body, coralled into a small area, plugged into a money extraction machine, and then dazzled with ticky tacky and glimglam. Does my hating it mean other people should hate it too? No.

      But does the fact that other people have a special connection to this place mean that I have to feel special too? No.

      I didn't feel special here. I felt absolutely unspecial. And after walking the block after block of the Royal Mile, and seeing the same ethnic themed shops (Fudge, Cashmere Tartan, Whiskey, Keyrings, Fudge Cashmere Tartan, Whiskey, Keyrings, Fudge, Cashmere Tartan, Whiskey, Keyrings, etc) I felt bludgeoned by the time I got to the seething shoal of tourists at the gates of Edinburgh Castle. Ugh. I hated it SO much.

      And I've noticed something happening with the way Scottishness intersects with Australianness. Many white Australians feel that Scottish ancestry somehow exonerates them from the white supremacy of Australia. They feel that Scottishness marks them as colonised people. As a result, the Scottish aesthetic has become deeply alluring to whites. Did Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile interrupt or challenge that nexus between whiteness and Scottishness? Not in the slightest. In fact the crowd was as replete with bigots as it was with progressives, and we were all equally enchanted.

      What is it about stone that promises authenticity? I would say that Edinburgh Castle is proof that stone can be synthetic too. I hated it. And I refuse to dismiss my insights as the curmudgeonly condescension of some spoiled narcissist; the tourist industry can be a complete shit sometimes.

      So let's draw a perimeter around that locus of capitalist infestation and mythopoetic bigotry and let me share with you some of the joys of an Edinburgh day. Because when Stuart and I were out of the river of tourist desperation, we both found the place properly enchanting, and not in a McDisneyland way, but because of its intelligence, its style, its coherence, its manners, its pace, its beauty.

      Our day started at a laundrette where Leith local Alison took two giant bags of washing from us and told us she would have them washed, dried, and folded by midday for twenty five pounds. She was all smiles and reassurance. A coffee and pain-au-chocolat underneath Penhaligon's Perfumery and we were ready to walk to the Royal Mile.

      Our journey took us straight to the Scottish National Gallery. We have a queer connection to this place: the best exhibition we have ever seen at the Art Gallery of New South Wales was "Treasures of the Scottish Galleries," when great paintings (Like John Singer Sargent's "Lady Agnew") came to Australia. It was astonishing how much we enjoyed that exhibition, so we had a fair idea that we would like Lady Agnew's home base.

      And the Scottish National Gallery is perfectly sized, perfectly staffed, perfectly curated. I don't see how the experience could have been improved upon. Stuart and I restricted ourselves to the early moderns - a passion for us both - and saw some Titian, some Raphael, and some lesser known artists. I was excited to see work by Hubert Robert ("Robert des Ruines") with one of his rococo ruin paintings after reading Susan Stewart's "The Ruins Lesson." Another coffee on the Royal Mile before...

      [this account of Edinburgh Castle has been redacted for obscenity]

      ...by which time we were exhausted. We picked up our washing and went back to the flat, ready to cry or collapse. My feet were killing me.

      Stuart and I made peace with each other and the unhappy visit to Edinburgh Castle, and went to buy some Eau de Parfum from Aesop - it smells so sexy on Stuart. This happens in same-sex couples a lot, you know, you try to buy a perfume for yourself and it turns out to work brilliantly on your partner's skin chemistry. This happened with Versace Pour Homme, too.

      We sat at Caffe Nero next to two Trans women, a man who looked like Santiago Cabrera, and a dog breed ending in -doodle, and I wiped down the table the Wet Wipes I carry everywhere, then stole some sugar and came home. We had a Waitrose Quiche for dindins and then watched an episode of Sandman on my mobile phone because our landlord didn't provide a television.

      I finished the night making art, taking paracetamol, and wondering if I had been too hard on Edinburgh Castle.

      I hadn't. It sucked.      Read more

    • Sojourn Britannia
      Day 23

      Waters of Leith and Arthur's Seat

      September 18, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

      We said today was going to be a lay day, and we almost made it. To be sure, we did lay in for a while, no alarms, no hurry. And we did have a slow brekky in our apartment at Patirot Hall in Stockbridge. But come 11 of the clock, the siren call for espresso coffee made its way to us both, so we did a little hop skip and jump up to a local Starbucks, of all places, for a morning tea.

      We then decided to head down to an area where there is one of Scotland's finest public schools. On the way, we did a bit of tourist shopping in a gallery, which was fun. The school is a co-ed boarding house, and although it looks like the set for Hogwarts, it has never played any part in the Potter films.

      Fettes it is called, and it is very famous, probably the most famous private school in all of Scotland. We looked through its heavy iron gates and photographed it and I wondered just how much it would cost per term to send your child to such an imposing school, one that was fouded in 1870. One former headmaster when suggested that "Fettes was the Eton of the north", quipped back that "Eton was the Fettes of the south". Regardless of such claims, as an architectural marvel, it is an amazing building to gaze on.

      We walked back to our apartment along the Waters of Leith walkway, a lovely leafy walk along the river. However, despite our sore feet from yesterday, we ended up going too far and had to doube back somewhat. It was okay, just one of those things, and we both handled it with relative equanimity.

      A further rest at home for an hour then saw us take the car and drive to Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano in the heart of Edinburgh, where some, though not most, people believe Arthur had Camelot or at least, fought battles up this way. It's a good two hours to the top (at least), and there was no way we were going to put our bodies through that, so instead, we settled for a small climb, maybe a 1/5 of the the climb to Arthur's seat, to the ruin of St Anthony's Chapel, a 15th century chapel that stands there overlooking the pond below and the city in the expanse, and hearkens back many centuries to the 1400s. It was beautiful in its ruination and it was a truly lovely feeling to be up there with it and looking out over the city in the coolness of the breeze.

      Tonight, we returned to a pizza place where we ate on our first night, Franco Manca's. Wonderful authentic pizza, dreamy waiters, and garlic breads and rosemary breads to die for. We are relaxed and feeling better. It was good to mostly stop today. For tomorrow, we move on.      Read more

    • Chris in the UK
      Day 23

      Okey Dokey

      September 18, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

      Day 24 of my induction into the cult of Waitrose. Today it was their Ginger Nut Biscuits. I am starting to get scared of what happens when I return to Australia and I can't go to Waitrose anymore. Am I supposed to go to Coles and pretend that this is living? That isn't living. *sob*

      I'm starting to sound like I'm from Stockbridge. In fact, Stockbridge has been a bit of a problem. I think I was basing my opinions about Edinburgh on this particular suburb. On Sunday Stockbridge really fanned out its tail. White yuppie couples with designer dogs queuing at the fromagerie and boulangerie for the most exquisite and overpriced morsels. I'm sure they're all progressive at heart, but its a luxury progressivism, a boutique progressivism.

      I felt all too implicated as I neglected a beggar, wandering with the other middle-aged well-offs to struggle with my choice of Viennoiserie. And wasn't it me who dragged poor Stuart into an artisanal craft shop to buy a bunch of exquisitely cool crap on Visa card? It was. The things I hate about Edinburgh are things I hate about myself: comfort, insincerity, insulation.

      (But Edinburgh Castle still sucks.)

      Out of TimeFocusEnergy, we got the car out and drove to the nearby Holyrood Park, a little oasis of crag in a Georgian sandstone wonderland. We took the short stroll up to St Anthony's Chapel and felt that joy one always feels in a ruin: even stone must bow before time's sovereignty. And I think it was good that we started the day reading an article by Stan Grant called "After Queen Elizabeth II's death, Indigenous Australia can't be expected to shut up. Our sorry business is without end," because it was a reminder that all these medieval stones are not bastions of civilisation in a sea of barbarity; it's always tempting to mistake the preciousness of ruins for signs of greatness.

      It was a joy to drive through the poorer (ie the normal) parts of Edinburgh too, away from the Stockbridge fantasia. We saw that not everyone here is a hipster. That little drive out of the postcode felt like waking up from a hallucinogen.

      We go to Glasgow tomorrow, and I know I say this a lot, but we have not had enough time here. The Glaswegian hotel clerk gave us a passive aggressive "Okey Dokey" which sounded like code for "You senseless idiots," but then again we did get a sincere "Okey Dokey" yesterday from Alison from Leith, so we've seen the yin and the yang of that idiom ... and the yin and yang of Edinburgh too.      Read more

    • Sojourn Britannia
      Day 22

      Edinburgh

      September 17, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

      We both slept well after a less than relaxing introduction to the city of Edinburgh, what with our washing and all that. But Edinburgh is not about washing, despite its immediacy and importance.

      Today, we planned two things. We ended up doing three, and completely overdid it, both becoming tired, tetchy and very out of sorts. We settled, but it took some hours to get there. Tomorrow is a lay day, and boy do we need it. Nothing planned at all. We'll just stop.

      We had a 12.30pm tour of Edinburgh Castle booked, so that meant we had some hours to kill before the tour. We also had to get back to the laundrette before it closed at 4pm till the day after the Queen's funeral, by which time we'll be in Glasgow. So, time meant everything and we had to be careful. Stress number one.

      We walked into the city from our apartment in Stockbridge. I don't know whether this was wise, because Chris' sore foot starting acting up about ten minutes into the walk. His limp became more and more pronounced and I knew that he would not last on it all day. As for me, I have a perennial sore foot due to the use of orthotics and I can't last a whole day either. Stress number two.

      Once coffee-ed, we decided we would go to the Scottish National Gallery, there to look at their early works. This was a great decision. We both enjoyed it immensely and got to see the work of many masters and of course, Scotland's beloved Monarch of the Glen.

      I was taken by a work by Vermeer based on the biblical story of Mary and Martha. I also loved a portrait of Achilles in despair at the death of his lover Patroclus, a rare rendering of same sex love in the art world of the time. And finally, I was quite taken by a painting by Raphael in 1506-07 of the Holy Family and a Plam Tree, where Joseph is unusually given some prominence. Raphael painted it in the round, which format Chris uses very frequently in his art, and for which I learned a new term today. A painting painted in a circle is a tondo. A national gallery like this is a special place and is worth more than one visit, but alas, we were on the clock. A lovely morning.

      After the gallery, we walked past the towering Scott monument, reputed to be the largest, tallest monument to a writer in the world. The Scots love Sir Walter Scott. He promoted the romantic ideal that we have of Scotland today more than anyone.

      Thence up the hill to the Royal Mile. This 1.8km stretch of road has a history of kings and queens processing up and down it for all manner of important occasions. Today however, it is a throng of people walking past touristy shops and inns. It's famous, but it's not great. It starts at the base of Edinburgh Castle and ends at the monarch's offical royal residence in Scotland, Holyrood House. I would have enjoyed going through Holyrood, but it was closed due to the Queen's passing.

      Chris and I decided we would not finish the Royal Mile so turned around and put our backs into the incline having seen about twenty minutes of it on the decline. Our stress levels were by this time pretty high. Literally thousands of people surrounding us, our feet in pain, tired and sore, and a bit over it frankly, we ducked into the Deacon's House Cafe to sup on good coffee, a shortbread and some lemon drizzle cake, and to give our feet a rest before the challenge of the castle.

      Finally, it was off to Edinburgh Castle, a castle more prominent in the city than probably any other castle in any other city in the world. It sits, perched atop an extinct volcanic escarpment and has views over the city in 360° and out to sea. It is monstrously big. It's a bit like a fancy wedding cake, with layer upon layer just going up and up.

      We had also booked a guided tour of the castle that down loads onto your phone. Problem was that the app downloaded onto my phone in a few seconds flat, but not onto Chris'. Oh my goodness. He tried and tried, and the damn thing would not download. It sat infuriatingly at about 4.1% for about ten minutes. Chris had had enough. He needed time out, so went off through the castle just to look at things. I went off and did my own thing for about an hour and then met up with him again.

      I saw the Scottish crown jewels, the crown and two sceptres, and a scabbard I think. I also saw the Stone of Scone, called the Coronation Stone down south, upon which all Kings and Queens are crowned. It sits in a special cavity underneath St Edward's Chair, which we saw in Westminster Abbey and upon which King Charles III will be crowned in due course. I saw the Great Hall, and a war memorial. I saw the canons pointed out out over the city, I saw the history of the Stuarts and Mary Queen of Scots, and I saw the inside of the gift shop at which I bought a tea towel and a fridge magnet. Very warrior-like of me, don't you think.

      We walked back to the laundrette, quite a jaunt, our feet on fire and falling off our legs, collected the laundry from a very helpful and cheery Scottish woman who said 'okey dokey' in her lovely accent, which despite all, did make me happy. We returned home, and set out for a local drink and a coffee.

      It was one of those days you have when travelling. The Gallery and the Castle were both wonderful places to visit. I will never forget them. But right now, we're happy to stay in tonight, drink some wine, eat some chocolate, and have nothing planned at all for tomorrow.      Read more

    • TravelerScozia 2023🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✨
      Day 4

      Giardini botanici reali

      August 15, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      Dopo aver finito il tour abbiamo cercato la fermata degli autobus per dirigerci ai giardini botanici.
      Quando siamo arrivate abbiamo pranzato al sacco con un'ape che ci girava attorno 🤣 alla fine è entrata nella confezione di un tramezzino di una ragazza infatti lei continuava a fissare la confezione perché doveva buttarla, ma l'ape aveva deciso di fare casuccia lì dentro 😂 alla fine ci è riuscita 😂
      Dopo pranzo io e Arianna ci siamo prese un caffè che è stato messo in una tazza di carta simil Starbucks con un tappo che era poggiato ma che non si chiudeva effettivamente, infatti sia io che Arianna ci siamo sporcate di caffè a un certo punto 😂
      I giardini in ogni caso sono belli e ben curati, era pieno di giardinieri che curavano il verde per renderlo ben presentabile
      Alla fine abbiamo avuto seri problemi ad uscire, c'erano tante porte che portavano a un cancello chiuso e, come sempre, era accanto a noi e non ce ne eravamo rese conto 😂      Read more

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    • TravelerScozia 2023🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✨
      Day 4

      Inverleith park

      August 15, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      Proprio accanto ai giardini botanici c'è questo parchetto molto più piccolino ma altrettanto grazioso:
      Partiamo dall'entrata che aveva il cancello aperto e dall'altro lato era aperta 😂
      Era un posto perfetto per fare sport, c'erano dei campetti di calcio, di tennis e per il golf
      Ci ho fatto un sacco di foto ed era molto rilassante 😁      Read more

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    • TravelerScozia 2023🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✨
      Day 4

      Dean village

      August 15, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      Raggiungere il Dean village è stato un parto, stavo quasi per piangere dalla disperazione 😭
      Era TUTTO in salita, TUTTO! E infatti le gambe non me le sentivo più e ancora adesso non me le sento più 😭
      La fatica è valsa la pena? Sì, anche se il villaggio è minuscolo, roba di fare solo la foto 😂
      Si dice che questo villaggio abbia ispirato la Rowling per creare Hogsmeade      Read more

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    • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
      Day 58

      Edinburgh Day 2

      August 15, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      Today I went to grab breakfast with Nik and David and I just got a little cinnamon bun. You know, again, when people said the UK is expensive (deja vu from Switzerland), I didn’t think it would be true but it’s ‘spenny’ as hellll! Like everything is literally double the price as back at home, it’s kinda crazy. But I try to put my mind aside from that fact cuz I’m on vacation anyways! After the cinnamon bun, we walked over to Calton Hill which is much smaller compared to Arthur’s Seat. The view was still very nice though, and there were some monument thingies at the top! We hung around there for a while, and then took a very very lengthy walk down towards Leith which is kind of like the seaside area of Edinburgh. The streets were lined with lots of cute shops, café’s, and restaurants. We walked along the shoreline for a while until we found the beach, which was a bit of a sad beach, but was still water! Interestingly, a lot of that area was quite industrial, which was very different than the old town part of Edinburgh that I’d been used to seeing. After that, we took a bus back to the old town, and went to grab some lunch at a japanese restaurant. I got japanese curry because suddenly im obsessed with the dish. It was delicious. Then, we went back to the hostel to rest up for a bit. I went to meet Caimen and Ryan in the lounge for a little while. After, me, Caimen, and Nik went to go watch the highly acclaimed Fringe show “A Young Man Dressed As A Gorilla Dressed As An Old Man Sits Rocking In A Rocking Chair For Fifty-Six Minutes And Then Leaves… 14” that we’d heard about when talking to one of the hostel workers in the kitchen. It only happens once every 2 years. This honestly was the beating heart of the Edinburgh trip, and became what I was most excited for ever since I’d heard about it. It was just so mysterious. We’d got there and the line was long, we came 15 minutes early too! But unfortunately we didn’t make the cut, only about a quarter of the line made it in. I was devastated. But I couldn’t let that bring me down. We went to an Irish pub to watch an Irish comedy show instead which was good. Then we went back to the hostel where I ate some more of my spaghetti and we had some pre’s before going out to another another comedy show with our little group. We bravely sat in the very front row this time which is so intimidating because they’ll always pick on you in the front. We went to a bar and then a club and then the night ended with nachos. What a way to end Edinburgh!Read more

    • TravelerScotland 23
      Day 2

      FIRST DAY IN SCOTLAND

      September 11, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      We arrived! We didn't expect the room to be ready at Nira Caledonia, our hotel, and it wasn't. So, we explored a bit at the Waters of Leath Walkway and had lunch. After lunch we did a hop on hop off bus tour of the city. We hopped off at the university district and tool a short walk to the Vennel View point for a view of the castle. and stopped in this great pub for dinner. and an cool dessert shop for a chocolate dipping experience! Dinner was haggis for me and fish and chips for Sharon.Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    New Town, Ciutat Nova dEdimburg, Ciudad nueva de Edimburgo, Edinburgheko Hiri Berria, Baile Ùr Dhùn Èideann, העיר החדשה של אדינבורו, エディンバラ新市街, Cidade Nova de Edimburgo, Новый город, New Toun, 愛丁堡新城

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