Edinburgh

I visited the Edinburgh Castle, the town’s most popular tourist site.  I had been forewarned by two French men that the castle was mediocre.  My hostel sat in the castle’s shadow; I saw this beaming edifice every day from all over the city.  There was no way I was leaving Edinburgh without going inside.  

I should’ve listened to the French men, but I couldn’t justify not visiting the castle.  The castle was divided into several exhibits.  One in particular focused on Scotland’s role in major wars throughout history.   Panels that detailed the Scots’ war efforts were informative but somewhat dull.  Facts and lists of statistics can only hold a visitor’s interest for so long.  Museums need captivating writers, or else tourists will merely look at the pictures and learn very little, except maybe that the queen wore pretty dresses.  

Despite being mildly disappointed, I explored the entire castle to eke out every last pence-worth of this £16 experience.  I consider my efforts a mild success, although I rarely envisioned myself in a medieval castle except when I visited the former prisoner’s barracks.  The musty room was furnished with ragged hammocks.  Clothes lines dangled under the weight of damp uniforms.  A soundtrack on repeat played out a dialogue between an English-speaking prisoner and a Frenchman who groaned from some malady.  I was briefly transported to the glory days when the castle was used for deterring unwanted visitors rather than inviting them in for a look around.  For the rest of my trip I felt I was in a tourist zoo, replete with field-trip-going students and the occasional screaming toddler.  

The highlights of the castle were the Crown Jewels of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny.  A gold crown, scepter, and sword were the centerpiece of many a royal coronation, and now they are on display at the Edinburgh Castle.  They are guarded by two thin, unarmed employees who entertained themselves by chatting about a French guy they could not comprehend.  Even if you managed to get past the first level of security, this was, after all, a heavily fortified castle.

Despite being an unremarkably-looking rock, the Stone of Destiny has a tumultuous past.  With a history spanning over 700 years, its origins are foggy and even mystical, but it was certainly used as a symbol during Scottish coronations until King John Balliol used it for this purpose one final time in Scotland during his enthronement in 1292.  Four years later, King Edward I of England fancied himself this symbolic slab, so he took it back home and stored it under the throne in Westminster Abbey.  For the next seven centuries, the British housed the Stone of Destiny and last used the stone for the inauguration of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

England’s thievery enraged the Scots.  The British Empire had long developed a penchant for taking things that don’t belong to them.  They absorbed Scotland into her kingdom, but this little piece of hardened land was one chunk too many.  Although it was only a rock, this act of thievery symbolized England’s lack of respect for Scotland.  So in 1950, four Scottish students hatched a plan to pilfer the Stone from Westminster Abbey and return it to its rightful home.  

A few days before Christmas, the four students drove from Glasgow to London.  The next day Gavin Vernon and Alan Stuart studied the watchmen’s shifts.  During the night, the two men along with Ian Hamilton snuck into the Poet’s Corner.  They reached King Edward’s tomb and his old throne.  The stone was nestled under the seat.  When the students attempted to remove the heavy stone, it fell to the floor and smashed into two fragments. They bundled the larger chunk inside a coat and dragged it outside and down the stairs. Hamilton carried the smaller piece and loaded it into the trunk of Kay Matheson’s car.  Matheson drove off, and Hamilton lugged the heaviest half into another getaway car.  The rear of the car sagged under the load of the Stone of Destiny.  

After a close encounter with a policeman near the Abbey, the students feared the authorities were alerted, so they ditched the biggest slab in a field.  For the first time in four hundred years, the border between England and Scotland was closed.  Two weeks later, the students reconvened with the two pieces of the stone, and they hired a stonemason to reattach them.  

In April the following year, the Stone of Destiny was discovered intact at Arbroath Abbey, where it is believed the Chancellor of Scotland composed the nation’s declaration of independence in 1320.  In 1952, one year before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the Stone of Destiny was returned to Westminster Abbey.  

All of the students confessed, but none of them were imprisoned for their actions.  Due to the publicity of the event, I’m sure England was worried that if penalties were enacted, then the nation’s relationship with Scotland would become even more strained.  The heist ignited the nationalist movement in post-war Scotland and rekindled the nation’s desire for independence from the United Kingdom.  Finally in 1996, the Stone of Destiny was welcomed home after being gone for seven hundred years.  After the homecoming parade down the Royal Mile, now the Stone resides in the Edinburgh Castle.      

After touring the castle, I had visited all of Edinburgh’s major haunts.  The weather was beautiful, but rain seemed a possibility.  I went back to the National Museum of Scotland to continue reading about life in the 1800s while I waited for the ominous clouds to pass.  

I learned about the blossoming wealth of Edinburgh and Glasgow during the Industrial Age that brought prosperity but also tuberculosis and other rampantly spreading diseases.  Edinburgh used to be somewhat of a cesspool.  Residents would chuck their waste out the window and shout, “Gardez l’eau!” which is French for, “Look out for the water!” but really means, “I’m throwing shit out my window!”  Since the Scottish can barely pronounce English let alone French, the word “l’eau” came out as loo.  So that’s why Britain and her colonies have a funny synonym for the bathroom.  

The museum was very pleasant once more, and I was sad to leave it.  I wanted to seize the day and maximize my experience because this was my last day in Scotland. When I left London, I was eager to escape the metropolis, but I was reluctant to leave Edinburgh.  During my brief visit, I have really forged a connection with this city.  As I strolled through a park lined with trees wearing pink leaves, I thought, “I could live here,” and I truly believe that.  

Maybe I am getting ahead of myself.  I have a tendency to fall head over heels for women I barely know.  I must become enamored with cities in a similar fashion.

Although rain is frequently forecasted and the annoying sounds of bagpipe music are inescapable, Edinburgh has an atmosphere of other-worldliness and intellect.  The birthplace of famous writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Sir Walter Scott, the city’s literary history is embodied in the gothic rocket ship on Princes Street. 

A statue of David Hume stands on the Royal Mile.  Students rub his golden toe for good luck on upcoming exams. 

His lingering presence reminds visitors that great thinkers sprang from this soil, and now their ghosts haunt the graveyards that inspire great writers of today like J.K. Rowling, who perused the cemeteries in search for memorable character names.  A man named Thomas Riddle died in 1806 and was buried in Edinburgh.  Now strangers visit his grave because a fictional character in a popular fantasy series bears his name.  

The marriage of the past and the present——markedly represented by the clear distinction of Old Town and New Town——is what makes Edinburgh such a unique place to visit.  The New Town has its Georgian architecture, the attached apartment buildings that curve along  the cobble-stone streets.  

There are modern, less-appealing buildings on the main drag.  Despite the concentration of commercialized chains, Edinburgh is not overwhelmed with recognizable capitalistic enterprises.  Even the New Town has clung onto many remnants of the past.  

Across the bridge, the Old Town has retained its medieval layout.  The fortress is perched atop Castle Rock, the site of an extinct volcano.  The Royal Mile slopes downward to the Holyrood Palace.  Along the way, narrow alleys called closes verge sideways from the main artery and lead down the hill.  

The closes open up into a concentration of pubs in the Grassmarket, or into Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, where Bobby the Skye Terrier guarded the grave of his owner John Gray for fourteen years.  Due to his diligent service, Bobby was buried just outside the graveyard, and a statue was erected in his honor.  

Every building and every graveyard seems to have an intriguing story behind it.  This quality is especially a bonus since much of Edinburgh’s backyard looks like Hogwarts.    

A few days earlier I met an American woman working in a fudge shop on the Royal Mile.  As she spoke with the customers before me, I was surprised by her accent, so I asked what brought her to Scotland.  She said she stumbled upon the university here and spoke with an advisor who was able to enroll her for a master’s program.  She fell in love with the campus, which she hadn’t planned on visiting.  Her immediate adoration quelled my anxiety.  Apparently, Edinburgh has a hypnotic effect on many of those who visit.  

          

The Scottish Referendum

Upon my friend Maria’s advice, I went on this free walking tour of Edinburgh to gain some insight into the city. 

The tour guide’s name is Sabela, an energetic Spanish woman who spoke English with a mixture of Spanish and Scottish accents.  She doesn’t get paid by her company, she said.  Instead, she relies on tips from the tourists.  The guy who started this company called Sandeman Tours noticed he was overpaying for tours that weren’t so worthwhile, so he came up with a new idea.  Now, you see the product, and you can determine its worth.  If your tour sucks, you can dish out just a few pounds, but if your guide makes your day wonderful, you can give a little extra, just as you would over-tip a waitress you admire.

Sabela absolutely beamed with enthusiasm, which I find impressive because I’m sure she’s given this tour dozens of times.  It seems she’s conquered the monotony of the endless regurgitation of facts, as she wonderfully recounted tales of Scotland’s past.

Many, many years ago, when the Earth’s make-up was vastly different from today, Scotland and England were detached until they rammed into each other and formed the mountains that would later be known as the Highlands.

Fast-forwarding into the future, Scotland resisted the Romans for the most part, but they were always fighting against the English. The Scots instituted a monarchy, and the torch was always passed on to the successor as planned.  Then, one day, a child-less king was thrown off his horse, and he fell off a cliff and died.  As a result of his death and the lack of a true heir, there were thirteen candidates qualified to reign, but the Scots could not think of a fair way to elect a new leader.  I would’ve suggested a fight to the death a la Hunger Games, or, at the least, a vote. 

Sabela told us that Scottish history, particularly this chapter, heavily influenced A Game of Thrones.  Undramatically, the Scots opted for a bizarre solution:  they asked their English neighbors to choose a king for them.  The King of England wisely chose the weakest candidate so that he could more easily swindle him and his countrymen. 

Before embarking on my trip, I was uncertain how countries like Scotland operated under the United Kingdom, as it seems the British are the ones who established the rules.  Scotland is kind of a separate country, although it still retains its umbilical cord to its motherland.  Scotland obviously isn’t a state like New York is to the USA.  The country even has a separate flag, a separate identity, and they print their own version of the pound.  Scotland has all the makings of its own nation, yet it remains under the jurisdiction of the UK.

King James of Scotland became the first Scotsman to sit upon the English throne.  His coronation unified the two lands, and ever since they’ve been tied together.  This year of 2014, however, Scotland has a referendum of independence:  a chance to vote to become its own country. 

Later that evening at The Elephant House, I met a Scotsman named Will, who adamantly wants Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom. 

 

I met my friend Maria at the café, and the two of us sat at a large circular table.  Will was on the other side, absorbed in a novel.  Will has a thick head of white-hair, but his face is devoid of wrinkles.  His facial features were deceptive and anachronistic, as though only fragments of his body aged.  I could imagine him sitting in this coffee shop decades before reading a book sitting with the same posture and wearing the same youthful grin.  I can only hope to age so well. 

After I had eaten another helping of haggis, the waiter needed the table for a large party, so he ushered the three of us to an empty table nearby and bestowed cookies upon us to reward us for our courteous gesture.  Will set his book upon the table and introduced himself to Maria and me.  Our proximity led to an intimate discussion of Scottish politics that began when Maria asked Will about the referendum.          

“This is not about politics or economics,” he said.  “Our desire is ideological.”

This man could talk endlessly, and quite well.  I could tell he has been mulling over these thoughts for years, and his words were very polished as though he ranted about his Scottish utopia to many ear-lenders before me.  Nonetheless, I was eager to soak up his words as I gradually grew accustomed to his thick accent.  Eventually my ears clearly perceived his syllables as recognizable strings of English.  Since Maria’s primary language is Spanish, interpreting English through thick accents is like slurping a frozen milkshake through a straw.  Comprehension comes slowly, and only a few words at a time.  Sometimes I had to “translate” his Scottish English into a more basic and easily understood form. 

Will would stride onward with his passionate rant and pause when he ran out of steam.  I don’t know if he realized how much time had passed since he started speaking, but he implored us to respond.  Since I was not well-versed in Scottish history, I was ill-prepared with questions and still recovering from the awe of listening.  Nothing I could say was of equal caliber to his thoughts on the subject, and, besides, I am not often a quick thinker. I require time to reflect and subconsciously ruminate on previous discussions to pluck out relevant questions and further areas to explore.  Will’s face flushed, and I could tell he was uncomfortable with the silence.  During the gaps in the conversation, Maria would often smile and then turn toward me.

“What did he say?” she would ask quietly. 

And so I would repeat and summarize. 

Since the Scots live in such harsh conditions given the temperamental weather, they can readily adapt to new changes, and they care deeply about their neighbors. 

“I don’t want to use the word socialism,” Will said, pointing to me, “because I know the Americans don’t care for that word...”

If he were in charge of the new Scotland, ideally, they wouldn’t be so capitalistic.  They would share the wealth because, for years, they were not fairly represented in Parliament.  By the United Kingdom’s standards, Scotland seems wealthy, but the numbers may seem fudged because London accrues so many riches to negate poverty elsewhere in the four countries of which the nation is comprised. 

“Imagine that Canada claimed the U.S. and said, ‘Now you are part of Canada.’ How would you feel?” Will asked me.

“I wouldn’t mind,” I said.  “I like Canada.”

Looking back on this moment, I wish I hadn’t offered such a playful and joking response.  Clearly, this wasn’t what Will wanted to hear, and my comment briefly tarnished the serious tone of the conversation.  In my defense, at the time I was ignorantly scorning my home country.  My anti-American angst stemmed from my disgust with our obese population and our shallow popular culture that is poisoning the rest of the world.  Europe has old buildings and intellectuals, I thought at the time.  And we have Duck Dynasty.  Canada, at least, was fitter, and their air is cleaner. 

To make me understand the British take-over of Scotland, Will offered me another metaphor:  “Say I was a beggar, and you were a millionaire,” he pointed to me again.  “Together, we would both be half-millionaires, but really I’m poor and you’re rich.” 

His example was meant to stand in for Scotland and England.  If Scotland is to secede, they may become poorer because the country relies a lot on the wealth of England.  Scotland, however, is by no means a poor country.  Edinburgh is a financial hub for banking.  Scotland has plenty of oil and gas reserves, and, if all else fails, they can scrape by on whiskey exports.  Despite its potential for autonomy, some believe that Scotland’s economy would suffer after severing ties with the United Kingdom.  They would have to abandon the pound in exchange for the weaker euro.  But as Will mentioned before, many Scots are more concerned with nationalistic pride than with commercial profits.  Even so, Will has several solutions to improve his homeland should they be given autonomous rule.

“To build a great nation,” he began, “You need a few things.  You need a solid education system so that the youth can get jobs rather than waste the nation’s welfare getting into trouble.  You need infrastructure.”

Apparently, Scotland doesn’t have many roads to reach its northern areas.  Speaking from experience, many of the roads that meander through the Highlands are one-lane highways meant to be shared by traffic traveling in opposing directions.  Both Edinburgh and Glasgow are in the southern part of the nation, where most of the residents live.  Much of the country consists of islands and isles, and many of its small towns do not flourish because they are not heavily trafficked areas.  The natural terrain both attracts and dissuades visitors from venturing far north into Scotland. 

During travel writer Bill Bryson’s trek through the United Kingdom from London to John o’Groats, he comments on the barren landscape: 

“You really are on the edge of a great deal of emptiness when you reach the far north of Scotland.  Only twenty-seven thousand people live in the whole of Caithness, an area considerably larger than most English counties.  More than half of that population is accounted for by just two towns, Thurso and Wick, and none of it by John o’Groats, since John o’Groats isn’t a community at all but just a place to stop and buy postcards and ice cream.”

Another mountainous country, Switzerland is an ideal model to learn from if Scotland is given the opportunity to create their own country.  According to Will, before Switzerland really established their nation, they researched countries like America and Britain to create an idyllic setting.  Despite its mountainous terrain, Switzerland is easily navigated.  And, of course, the Swiss understand how to manage money.

I assume that Will meant Scotland may have a similar opportunity to tour the world and learn how to build a great nation.  If the referendum proves successful, I would nominate Will for the job, a sort of student/tourist who analyzes the cogs that keep nations running. 

But if the referendum doesn’t work out, the tour guide Sabela told me the Scots can still look forward to their future.  In a few million years, Scotland is destined to detach from England.  As they drift out to sea, finally the Scots will have their independence.