Halloween in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Close
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Edinburgh, Scotland: October 30- November 2

We had a bit of trouble getting to Scotland. I thought my plan was foolproof, but a conglomeration of unfortunate events including my putting us on the wrong train, and us not being able to find the Easyjet desk- once again disputing the ‘easy’ part- put us at the check-in counter two minutes after our check-in to Edinburgh closed. Even though our plane did not leave for another 45 minutes, we were not allowed to check in and therefore had to basically buy another ticket to Edinburgh for later that day. I was distraught! My keen travel senses had failed me! So we were forced to hang out in Gatwick for hours and resorted to paying an arm, leg, and small left toe for internet access, eat lunch at McDonalds (including the most disgusting Coke I have ever put in my mouth- and shockingly it came out of a bottle not the McDonalds fountain), and fester in the shops until our gate was announced. We finally decided that we were not meant to be on that plane for some reason unbeknownst to us, and I resigned to improve my mood by blaming chance and thought briefly of the film Sliding Doors.

watched our poor guide grunt and grabble with a rogue tire for half an hour, while we ate Haribo gummi bears and gummi sours, saying ‘someone should really help him…’ yet unable to pull myself away from gummi goodness.

High Street
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One lesson you will learn while traveling is how to be patient. Hurry up and wait, is the general formula, and although maddening, it has its perks. This is when you meet interesting people, when you read the best books, when you have the best daydreams. I have discovered over the course of my life that I am not a patient person naturally. Actually, I am very impatient, I cannot stand to be bored or put off. As it is a personality flaw, I don’t think that will ever change, but I have learned how to deal with my impatience and learned not to let it make me miserable by realizing that patience and a desire to control things in your life go hand in hand, and when you learn you do not have control over everything it helps you understand how to be patient- with people, situations, and airport layovers.  In the meantime you learn new things you may have never learned otherwise such as to never order a Coke-Cola in England.

High Street
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Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities in the world (well, so far). I have now been three times, and each time it gets more interesting and more beautiful. The city consists of two halves, the old part with High Street or the Royal Mile, and the newer part with Prince’s Street. High Street is a stretch that extends from Hollyrood House- where the Queen of England stays when she visits the city-to Edinburgh Castle that rests at the top of an imposing cliff overlooking the valley and the rest of the city. High Street does not look like it has changed much in 400 years. It is a wide cobblestone street, with brownstones and shop fronts, whiskey distilleries, tartan tailors, and cathedrals lining each side. Small arched doorways lead to narrow closes that spread from the more bustling area like branches on a family tree. I find Edinburgh romantic and savage compared to the modern mix of London.

Halloween Piper
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The first night we went into the old part of town and had dinner and drinks at a pub, it was excellent, I forced Rayshell to try haggis, and I was over the moon because I found a decent cider beer. French cider or cidre, is much different and leans more toward the alcoholic version of American cider, rather than the more beer-like cider I prefer. We trod through a misty cold and decided to turn in a bit early to prepare for a long day of sightseeing.

The next day was Halloween and dawned beautiful and cloudless, but the furnace must have broken in the basement of Scotland because it was freezing. We went up to the castle to take the tour, and the wind cut us to shreds. It was so cold, I really didn’t know if we were going to be able to make it through the entire tour, and being at the highest point in the city didn’t help our case. So we soldiered through and were excited for a break when we could run into the Stewart Castle and look at the exhibits. It is rich with displays and the Scottish crown jewels, although less extravagant then the English, still impressive. They were cruder in design and embellishment but suit the personality of Scotland. There are also some rooms of the castle that are similar to how they were when the castle was inhabited. Although there is no furniture, you can imagine the great wooden furniture that filled the halls and the families and important figures of history that sat around it.

Stewart Castle
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We went back to the hotel to thaw out and put on more clothes for a witchery walking tour we signed up for that night. If we had become human popsicles during the day, I feared what may happen when the sun went down, so I put on half the clothes in my suitcase. I managed two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks and stockings, two shirts and a sweater, a coat, scarf, and gloves. Rayshell had bought a plaid blanket earlier in the afternoon and decided to bring it along as well and wear it over her head gypsy style to cut the wind. We headed out again, fingers crossed that we wouldn’t become human popsicles in the night and headed for old town once again.

Faith and Halloween
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The tour began at Mercat Cross, a large square on High Street where they used to punish, and execute criminals. A monument is now in place of the cross, but the name has remained. We were segmented into groups, and we got a delightful and wicked guide ironically named Faith. She had cropped white hair, black lipstick, a long black cloak and a fun sense of humor. We followed her into the closes and dark corners of high street and heard her weave tails of ghosts, possession, and murder (and in a Scottish accent murrrderrrerrr sounds even graver, pun very intended). The tour then went into the Edinburgh vaults that are old catacomb-like areas under the streets and bridges of old town where people would live, thieve, and die in darkness. There were some areas of the vaults that were cold and gave you a distinct chill up the back of your neck, part of it because of how enclosed and damp they are but also because of something else, what that something else is I can’t really say. It feels like a heaviness, which sits and stirs uncomfortably in the room, making it a bit hard to breathe. Maybe a bit like claustrophobia, but an interesting part of the tour is when we went from a notorious part of the vault to a chamber that immediately felt lighter, and somehow refreshing. Right after I noticed the difference, our guide told us the room we had walked into was a room known for good and playful spirits and the others cannot enter. I don’t really know what to believe or not. Of course I didn’t see anything, but I felt a distinct difference, even before she said anything. odd…

Rayshell the Freezing
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One of the most interesting parts of the tour was at the end when we went to a pub with some of the other tour members for a drink, and our guide answered questions and gave personal accounts of her experiences in the vaults and on the tours. She had some stories that gave you goose bumps on your scalp! It was a really fun way to spend Halloween, and I would highly recommend a tour of this nature that mixes history and mystery in a city like Edinburgh.

We rang in November by waking up early and hopping on a mini tour bus and traipsing our way up into the highlands. We spent the day winding through the crags and rocky slopes listening to tales of more history and woe. We made photo stops, pit stops, and stops that included petting a hair coo (highland cow for those of you with your mind in the gutter), and at one such stop blew a tire and watched our poor guide grunt and grabble with a rogue tire for half an hour, while we ate Haribo gummi bears and gummi sours, saying ‘someone should really help him…’ yet unable to pull myself away from gummi goodness. Our destination was Loch Ness, and because it was winter and daylight was in short supply, we didn’t have time to go out on the lake, but the sun was shining, and the lake was beautiful. There were no sightings of Nessie, but I did see a couple of really large swans- same neck you know… But the sun took pity on me, and I got some amazing pictures. You would think that driving around in a mini-van for 10 hours would get old, but I can’t convey how an area that looks so wild and uncultivated is so entrancing.

Edinburgh Castle
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After our trip, I was surprised to find I was really happy to return to France, my small room, my things, my work. A normalcy had sneaked up on me that first month in France, and I hadn’t realized it was there until I left. My bed was actually comfortable, as squeaky and small as ever, but comfortable. I appreciated my time away, but I also appreciated coming back to a place I now feel comfortable and known... funny how things change.