edinburgh II - dreamy

my second day in edinburgh and my last day over the pond was dreamy in two ways – 1) it was near-unreal fantastic being enchanted by that age-worn, ebullient city; and 2) the travelweariness had finally and firmly settled into my bones. the happy haze that surrounded me was both wonder and exhaustion.

i woke up early and strolled through the princes street gardens, so uncrowded and warm with color and vegetation. look, there was a clock made entirely of flowers!:

then i spent an hour in the scottish national gallery, and fell in love with a new van gogh. i loved how luxe the museum felt - the deep red walls covered with masterpieces.
then it was time to climb the narrow spiral staircase to the top of the sir walter scott memorial.

there were four different landings and the views were sensational! the sun popped out for the first time in days as i stood perched on those ledges, in delicious awe.

in the foreground is waverly station, edinburgh’s train station that is literally right in the middle of the city.
in the background are the famous crags of salisbury – more on them later.

in front and below the castle is the national gallery, where i had just gawked at art.


as i was marveling at the vistas, music was swimming in the air – on one side of the monument a bagpiper puffed away (you saw him in the picture above) and on the other side a jazzy brass band crooned and slid. what a oddly delightful cacophony! the world around me was noisy in the brightest way, and all of edinburgh was under my feet! i loved it.
i headed back to the royal mile to go inside st. giles cathedral:

there i found a much less dissonant symphony of sound: a baroque quartet was playing a free concert under the arches and between the stained glass. the colors in st. giles were almost psychedelic. i just loved the way everything looked – the shades and hues and angles and textures. lush and full and passionate.

outside the cathedral the royal mile continued to pulse with outdoor performers and creative advertisements for indoor performances. i wish i had all the crazy costumes i saw documented. people come up with neat ideas, and i love how in edinburgh in august, they go all out.

i thought the first unicycle juggler was pretty neato, but then this other guy stole the thunder with flames.

check out that banjoist’s passion for the music!

costumes and an opera singer: she was actually astonishingly talented!
i hopped onto my open-top bus and cruised to the crags of salisbury on the outskirts of town just as it began to rain:

they call this path up the side of the cliffs the “radical road.” i was so tired. but the views were pretty rad.

that building in the foreground is where the queen stays when she comes to edinburgh: hollyrood palace.

self-timer from a rock. yes, i know i am amazing at getting those shots!

stormy last overlook of the city – settled a somehow pleasant melancholy in my heart as i stood on top of a scottish cliff realizing that my epic adventure was so very nearly over.

i gathered my backpack at the hostel, and walked back across the royal mile to waverly station. as i waited to cross a road, i was stopped dead in my tracks by a crystalline moment, an age-worthy slice of time. it was as if i could see myself from above in the waves of sights, sounds, smells … just me on an edinburgh corner, surrounded in bagpipe music, a heavy backpack, and the sting of the very last page of a chapter of life. everything whizzed by in a blur, but me in the bubble of myself was strikingly clear and my travels were summed up in a feeling of triumph and sweet exhaustion and i sucked all my senses in as i walked slowly down to the train station.

train to galway, walk to bus terminal, bus to the airport, plane to dublin, sleep on a bench in the dublin airport, plane to new york city, bus to manhattan, subway to the upper east side, walk across the street into the arms of my brother. i was ready to be back, awakened from the good, good dream.

edinburgh I - impulses

edinburgh is bewitching, and the minute i said goodbye to beez on the street corner and headed for my hostel in the shadow of the castle on the hill, i was under its spell. i was so excited to see the city that i quickly checked in and changed my clothes and hit the streets. this afternoon and evening in edinburgh was full of impulse turned brilliant decisions.

i saw a sign in the hostel for tickets for the open top bus and thought, what the heck, i’ll get a quick overview of the city. i bought one, hopped outside and onto one of these:

to see lots of enchanting views under stormy, gloomy skies, like this:

and then i quickly chose to meander up streets like this:

until i got here:

and man oh man, the royal mile was alive. i came to edinburgh right in the thick of the edinburgh international festival, which attracts roughly 1 million visitors every year from around the globe. there are all kinds of theater, art, dance, music and comedy performances going on the entire month of august, and best of all for a broke traveler, there is a constant and fantastic stream of street performers doing their thing along the royal mile.

i saw jugglers, comedians, musicians, magicians and people with all kinds of weird but remarkable skills among the shopping stands and cathedrals and cobblestones and history and deep feeling of scotland. the city was pulsing with energy and art and excitement. of course there was a lot of bagpiping going on, and the occasional random costumed person:

there were hoards and hoards of people, all filled with the same brand of thrill and magic that i felt. as evening approached, i noticed a general movement of the crowds up the royal mile toward edinburgh castle. as i followed them i realized they were on their way to the edinburgh military tattoo – the crowing jewel of the festival: a opening-ceremonies-esque display of music, dancing and spectacle.

i had heard about the tattoo but the tickets were so expensive online, and so i figured it was way out of my plans. but, i decided to ask the scalpers on the corner how much they were selling their tickets for, just out of curiosity. 30 pounds. half of what i found online. i hesitated for 10 seconds and then, completely on impulse with a tickle down my spine, i said, “i’ll take it.” and i followed the crowds to the castle.






instantly it was worth every penny!
i walked into the esplanade between the grandstands set up on the castle mount and was completely dazzled and enamored. the castle was lit up with torches; people were buzzing with excitement all around; the views of the city were hazy and dreamy and glimmering. i found my seat among a big group of belgian tourists and sighed such a happy sigh.













the show was spectacular. i can’t tell you emphatically enough how spectacular it was! maybe i cried. maybe i wanted to sob. it was electric. and i couldn’t stop taking pictures!

the bagpipers came out of the castle over the moat in the mist under the indigo sky and i oohed and ahhed with people from all over the planet, just me as an island in the middle of thrill and spectacle. there were marching bands from all over the world, actors and dancers, and at the end we all got to take part by singing together. as per some tradition, we held hands and bounced our arms up and down to the music. the ripple of movement through the grandstand was such a delightful sensation. we were all connected. one of my favourite things was watching the bleachers sparkle as camera flashes went off – it was a constant sparkle from that castle mount that glorious night!

one of the coolest things was watching the castle change with different lighting for different acts/numbers. i kept wowing to myself.

at the very end all of the performers came out together and the noise was powerful and euphoric. that’s when my tears came. the finale after all that sound was a lone piper on top of the castle, then complete dark while the announcer said “scotland, the brave” in a booming voice, and then – fireworks. ahhhhhhh!!!

so can you tell i definitely think my impulse ticket buying was a good idea? i floated back to the hostel, exhausted but ecstatic.

serendipity in edinburgh!!!