On Sunday September 22nd we would have an eye full of amazing sights to see but first, coffee!
The Black Sheep was just around the corner from our apartment and we started our mornings there.
Edinburgh has so much history and so much to see. We saw as much as we could in our 2 full days there. I’ll have a few posts to cover everything. Our apartment was positioned well for getting around Edinburgh. We made our way across the Mound and up many stairs to reach the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle. The Mound is the elevated walkway above Princess Gardens that you can see in the distance. On the Mound you walk past the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy. It was another day of overcast weather with little or no sunshine.
Josh and Laura had tickets for the Castle and my plan was to head down to Grassmarket and see what I could see, solo. Back in 2004 we toured the castle with our daughter, Katie, so I didn’t need to spend the money to see it again. This was Josh and Laura’s first trip to Scotland so the Castle was a priority. When they completed their Castle tour we would meet up. Greg spent this day in bed working on getting better.
I left Josh and Laura at the entrance to the castle and headed down two separate flights of stairs to get to the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh.
I spent my time this morning below the castle.
If I was to visit Edinburgh again, I would choose lodging in the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh.
Walking along King’s Stables Road I entered the cemetery adjacent to The Parish Church of St. Cuthbert.
Looking up from St. Cuthbert I had a different view of the castle.
From here I went into the church and was greeted kindly and given a brochure with some history of the church. I asked if I could take photos and was granted enthusiastic permission. Information I’m sharing is from the brochure.
Tradition tells us that the Celtic missionary, Cuthbert, preached from this spot in the 7th century and established the first church here. Since then there have been at least seven buildings on the same site. By the late 19th century the people of St. Cuthbert’s wanted to rebuild their 18th century “God-box”, a very plain building. In 1894 the present building designed by architect Hippolyte Blanc, was opened and has been in constant use ever since.
The Apse: In 1906 the Minister of the day, Dr. James Macgregor, celebrated 50 years of ministry. To commemorate this occasion Dr. Macgregor commissioned the alabaster frieze on the wall of the apse. It features Jesus and His disciples and the design is based on The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. From left to right the characters are Bartholomew, James the Less, Andrew, Judas, Peter, John, Jesus, James, Thomas, Philip, Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon.
To the left of the apse is the pulpit. It is thought that the earliest church was probably built on the spot where the pulpit stands today. Under the pulpit is the foundation stone of the building along with a time capsule containing documents and artefacts of the 1890’s, including photographs, coins, newspapers, and copies of the Minister’s sermons.
The Communion Table is made from alabaster and marble, mostly Italian, green and Egyptian. The middle of the Communion Table shows the cross of St. Cuthbert which can be seen in the decor in other parts of the building.
The Exalted Christ with His angels on either side of Him was the first of the murals painted by Robert Hope RSA. In 1928 Professor Gerald E. Moira of Edinburgh College of Art painted the four apostles. Then in 1933 the angels on the spandrels at either side of the chancel area were painted by John Duncan RSA, RSW. The angels are seen worshipping God in two different ways. The one on the left is quietly praying to the spirit within, while on the right, the angel with raised hands and head worships joyfully, radiantly!
The windows on the left of the church depict stories from the Old Testament and on the right the New Testament. Upstairs on the North side you will see a young David, sling in hand, going out to meet the giant Goliath. This window was created by Tiffany of New York in 1903 and is one of only five Tiffany windows in Britain.
When I was done at St. Cuthbert’s I strolled back to Grassmarket to wait for Josh and Laura.
I waited at the White Hart Inn, Edinburgh’s most ancient tavern.
Follow in the footsteps of Oliver Cromwell, William Wordsworth and Robert Burns by enjoying a tankard of fine ale or one of our world-famous whiskies. Founded in 1516, The White Hart is named after the rarest of all Highland creatures, which can be spotted sometimes no more than once in a century. It was used as a heraldic symbol in the 14th century by King Richard II, and for almost five hundred years has welcomed travellers through these doors.
The food choices here were not hitting the spot for us so when Josh and Laura met up with me after their castle experience we found a table at the Fiddler’s Arms.
This image above is from The Fiddler’s Arms webpage. You can see what a sunny day would look like in the shadow of the castle. Below is what the atmosphere was like when we were here.
After lunch we popped into a couple of shops, took some photos and then we got an Uber to take us to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church to enjoy evensong which was due to begin at 3:30 on this Sunday. That will have to be another post.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 