Edinburgh: A city that unites two kingdoms

After exploring England for a week and a half, Faeth and I took a train to its northern neighbor, Scotland. Scotland has technically been a part of the United Kingdom since the 1600s, but it is still distinctly Scotland, with a strong Scottish history, heritage and set of traditions. As soon as we stepped off the train, we felt like we were in Scotland, and it felt good.

The first day, we went on a walking tour of this sprawling city, a city that felt more like a town than the 850,000-person metropolis it is. We started at the Royal Mile, the main street in the Old Town section of the city. The street runs from Edinburgh Castle, home of the old Scottish kings, at the top to Holyrood Palace, the current royal family’s summer home, at the bottom. We couldn’t go into that palace since the queen was there while we were, but we did get to see the lovely gardens. We also saw the Scottish Parliament Building, St. Giles’ Cathedral, the University of Edinburgh and one of only two churches in the world that housed a carving of an angel playing the bagpipes. Along the way, we learned how Robert Louis Stevenson was inspired to write his short horror Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde after hearing of a two-faced Scottish locksmith, and we tried the unofficial drink of Scotland, Irn Bru, a carbonated soft-drink that tastes like bubblegum soda (it’s really good!).

This is one of Edinburgh's many churches. Because Scottish people aren't as religious as they used to be, yet they want to preserve the city's heritage, many churches have been converted for other uses, such as night clubs.

 

That evening, we noticed giant cliffs rising on the edge of the city and decided to go check them out. Edinburgh was built on seven hills: Cartlon Hill, Corstorphine Hill, Craiglockhart Hill, Braid Hill, Blackford Hill, Arthur’s Seat and Castle Rock. I’m not really sure which one we hiked, but I think it was Arthur’s Hill. It took us about two hours to wind our way around the base and scramble to the top, but the view of Edinburgh was worth it: you could see the city stretch out in every direction, the Atlantic Ocean pooling into an estuary and the green land beyond.

Faeth scaled the top of the cliff but I was too nervous to follow!

The next day, we visited Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh Castle was built in the 12^th century by David I of Scotland. Built on Castle Rock, part of an extinct volcano, the castle is considered one of the most important castles in the Kingdom of Scotland, with a history that includes the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 1300s and the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Perhaps one the castle’s greatest distinctions is that it was the birthplace of King James I of England (also known as King James VI of Scotland), the son of Mary Queen of Scots and eventual unifier of England and Scotland in 1603.

The front gate of Edinburgh Castle

When we arrived at the castle, we couldn’t see the usual striking outline since it was hidden behind a temporary auditorium constructed for Edinburgh’s annual Military Tattoo. The gray sheet metal rising overhead on both sides sort of ruined the sense of ancient majesty I’m sure the castle usually inspires. Yet it was still really fun to explore the old buildings inside. Most of them dated around the 16^th century, but we also visited St. Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest surviving building, which was constructed in the 1100s. We also got to see the Honours of Scotland (their version of the Crown Jewels), which aren’t used anymore since all the British monarchs use England’s Crown Jewels. Overall, the castle was a bit underwhelming, not nearly as fun as Dover Castle or even the Tower of London. The Great Hall wasn’t that great and the royal apartments were just empty rooms. I always imagine castles as gigantic fortresses when really they’re just a cluster of buildings behind a wall.

I think the most interesting part of our tour was learning about Scotland’s rich history, especially its contentious relations with England. For centuries, these two peoples hated each other, or at the very least disliked each other enough to start several wars. Yet in 1603, all that changed when James I united the two kingdoms, and the peoples have lived in (relative) peace for 400 years. Maybe there’s a lesson in there for us: If two different countries with different customs and histories can blend together, maybe other groups of people can, too. There’s so much fighting and contention across the globe, yet at the end of the day, most people value the same things. If the Scots and the Brits can figure out a peaceful solution to their quarrels, maybe the rest of the world can too.