Tuesday, 29th of July, 2025
History of Scotland Within Stone Walls
Compared to yesterday, we are in for a full day of exploration. On the itinerary is a museum, a castle, and a church, with sprinkles of sights thrown on top. Thankfully, we have both had a restful sleep, and intend to start the day with some caffeine. In Old Town Edinburgh, we find a hole in the wall coffee/deli shop, order a couple of cappuccinos with chocolate on top, and sit on a couple of stools looking out to a street. We sip our drinks and people watch as visitors trickle into main thoroughfares. As we near the bottom of our cups, we move onwards to stretch our legs, and take in the morning sun.
At the National Museum of Scotland , if you enter on the ground floor, you can experience a magical metamorphosis as you go through the different floors. From a relatively dark entrance with some ancient Egyptian artifacts, the museum then changes into a chamber of light as we climb into the main atrium. The interior architecture within the Grand Gallery beautifully connects the various floors of the museum. However, my goal is to soon make our way up even higher in the building, up to the rooftop. Hidden within the History of Scotland section of the museum is an elevator that takes visitors to the rooftop garden (note, only one elevator in the museum takes you up to the roof). Luckily, we have bright and lovely weather so we can take in the panoramic views of Edinbugh, gaze over towards Aurthur’s Seat, take in sights of Edinburgh’s Castle, and enjoy a couple of moments sketching the steeple of St. Giles.
Equally entrancing are the Lewis Chess pieces found on the first floor (used as inspiration for Wizard’s chest in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone) with its intricate, interlaced carvings on the back, and their intense facial expressions glaring back at us. According to the National Museum of Scotland, these pieces roughly date to the 12th-13th centuries, originating from Norway, but were found on the Isles of Lewis in Scotland. Only a handful of these pieces are on display, as the rest are in the British Museum. Yet, they provide a taste of a once majestic set. We continue to view art from the past, including from the age of Mary, Queen of Scots, and then make a U-turn to backtrack to the science exhibits as they have fascinating, interactive pieces. On display are a variety of inventions: mills used for tartan weaving, a model steam train showing the engine in action, and a robot to program as it crosses what looks like a Dance Dance Revolution dance floor.
As lunchtime approaches, we leave this institution of wonders to make our way towards Edinburgh Castle. To paint the picture, Edinburgh Castle is not a singular building, but a series of structures built on the remains of an extinct volcano. Since this is a busy season, I booked our tickets ahead of time with our Historic Scotland Membership, and booked us for Afternoon Tea (including food) inside the Castle. The Castle’s prominence grows as we approach, though it is temporarily interrupted as we walk through stadium seating on the grounds, most likely for summer concerts and for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Still, walking through the grounds past the gates, the stone walls rising to our left make the view out to the city below breathtaking. We scale the hill towards its highest point - St. Margaret’s Chapel. St. Margaret’s Chapel is actually the oldest surviving building on Castle Rock dating back to the 12th century. Though, since it is a bit of a tight squeeze, we exit the chapel after a few minutes, and gaze towards one of the lower overlooks, where a cannon is ceremonially fired at 13:00 to mark the time for the city.
Our afternoon tea reservation is at 13:30, so I decide to sketch some of the structures as Ramón wanders nearby to view the outside of The Scottish National War Memorial. A couple, Roger and Anne, remark on my drawing saying that it is a spectacular way to capture memories, both for us and for future generations. As we talk, we learn that they are from Linlithgow (where we plan to visit tomorrow), but since we are staying in Leith, they highly suggest we visit the Royal Yacht Britannia at some point durring our stay. I mention that I thought it would just be a royal boat. However, they insist that it is something more. We note the suggestion and bid adieu as we both part ways to our next destinations.
What I have not mentioned as of yet is how loud and bustling the outside spaces of Edinburgh Castle are. Perhaps not shocking, yet, this is vital to note as we are happily surprised to enter into such a calm, soothing space hidden within such an active zone. Afternoon Tea felt more like a spa experience with classical piano music in the background, mixed in with some fun banter with our waiter, Olli. We learn about life in Edinburgh as a young person, how to best approach our selection of tiered tastings and tea, and how to drink gin without being overpowered by its taste (the secret is having lemonade as the mixer instead of tonic). To be honest, the berry tea is the star of my lunch, with the scones and savouries in a close second. As the calm and ease of our Afternoon Tea comes to an end, we are revitalised and ready to go back out into the castle and continue exploring the grounds.
The people we have met so far today has made the day fabulous. Yet, little did I know that we were about to encounter a familiar face here. The Great Hall is where we are now standing; I stare above at the beautiful wooden ceilings, and then at the armoury displayed around the hall. As my eyes make their way around the room, I see who I believe to be one of my favorite professors from university. He slowly makes his way towards the exit, and I call out his name… it is him! Long story short, this is the professor that got me into Art History and the reason I have studied abroad in Italy. I am filled with delight as we intersect here, introducing him to my husband, as we have a quick chit chat. Eventually, we part ways after a few minutes, and go on to explore the Scottish National War Memorial and Royal Palace. As I am reading the different labels explaining royal history, I appreciate that on this leg of the trip I am reading A People’s History of Scotland, by Chris Bambery. The stories recounted in the book enhance my visits to these historical sites, including Edinburgh Castle, and enrich my understanding of Scottish history. As we feel that we have explored enough of the castle, and the shop, we begin our trek out of the castle down to our next location.
As if the clouds knew that we were clear of the castle, descending the hill, the heavens open and my glasses are speckled with raindrops in a matter of minutes. We attempt to weave through a mall for some protection on our way to our next destination, but honestly, it only saved us from the downpour for a few minutes. We exit the building and happily make our way into the dry St. Mary’s Catholic Church for mass. As an aside, there are few Catholic Churches in the city, since the main religion here is the Church of Scotland. However, I have to admit that I was surprised at the difficulty in finding any Catholic Churches, as some labeled as “Catholic” ended up being Protestant churches, or had links to night clubs, but I digress. Mass provided a moment to reflect, relax, and wonder how many Hebrew names are pronounced differently here than in the United States. In my reflection, I look towards the painted wooden angels, stained glass windows, and Stations of the Cross and think about how incredible it is that Christians are learning the same stories, yet display them in unique fashions around the world.
We could not linger long in the church after mass as the church was closing, which is all right. Since it is roughly 19:00, it is a great time for us to go and find some dinner. Across the complex intersection, we make our way towards the main theatre in town. We take a chance on a place next door called The Theatre Royal Bar, and take a seat in the back. The decor throughout the bar is a theatre kid’s fantasy as almost all of the wall space is framed with theatre posters signed by the cast. Ramón and I discuss our favorite shows over some whiskey along with our meals, Balmoral Chicken and Shepherd’s Pie. We find it astounding that at 21:00, as we savour bites of toffee pudding, the sun still shines on the forest outside the windows. Despite this being different from our norm, we welcome the change as it provides a romantic end to the day as we watch the sun start to dip on the horizon on our bus ride home.
Stay tuned for the next blog as we explore Linlithgow, the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots.
