Walking tour of Edinburgh

To get myself acquainted with the city, I found a free walking tour that looked interesting. The meeting place for the tour was at Starbucks. (Yes, you can get your Starbucks fix no matter where you are in the world.) I'm going to do my best to describe these pictures, some of them I took just because I liked the architecture.

Alexander The Great, training his horse

The other day when John and I were walking around, we saw people spitting on this heart. During the tour, the tour guide told us that this is where the tax booth used to stand. The residence of Edinburgh will not step on the heart and they spit on it. Just like they did with the booth.

Mercat Cross, where proclamations where announced.

The tour guide told us there is were people were publicly punished for petty crimes. He said that you would have your ear nailed to the wall and for a day, people could come yell, spit, or even throw their rubbish buckets at you. At the end of the day, you would be set free and forgiven of your crime. But if you couldn't take it and tore yourself away, you would forever be labeled a thief.

St. Giles Cathedral

St. Giles Cathedral

St. Giles Cathedral

David Hume

Even though he was around during the 1700's, he thought it looked good to have his statue done while he was in a toga. 

People who go to the University think it's good luck to rub the toe of the monument. 

The Writer's Museum

Writer's Museum

Security System

Stairs are an old "security system". There is a trip step, so if anyone tries to sneak in, someone will hear then trip

Fringe Office

Fringe Office

Maggie Dickson or Half Hangit Maggie was a local celebrity. She was married to a pirate who one day, never returned. Since she was married she could not have a job and was kicked out of her home. An inn keeper took pity on her and gave her a job. Maggie fell in love with the inn keepers son and became pregnant. She hid the pregnancy  had the baby premature, then the baby died. She was found out, then sentenced to hang. They announced her dead, and sent her off to be buried  However, she wasn't dead. She opened her casket and was still alive. So because she had been hung until "death" she was forgiven of her crime and was able to get a job and marry the inn keepers son. 

The tour guide told us they she would go to the gallows and offer people who were about to get hung a shot of whiskey. Telling them, "Don't worry, I've been where you are, and it turned out okay for me."

View of city

Greyfriar's Cemetery

Famous People there. (Notice the McGonagall) 

This is the window of The Elephant House looking over Greyfriar's.

The jail connected to Greyfriar's

It was gated up and you couldn't walk around. They are trying to preserve it as much as they can. They really were open air jail cells. Not fun during the winter months.

Cemetery Chapel

Greyfriar was a man who was a cop who worked the "graveyard shift'. The men who worked this shift were allowed a dog as a companion. Most of the men had big ferocious dogs. But Greyfriar had a Skye Terrier and named him Bobby. Greyfriar died two years after getting the dog, but the dog continued to sit by his masters grave until he died himself. 

Bobby also has a pub named after him and a statue was erected in his honor.

Pub

Bobby statue

The Elephant House. This the coffee house were J.K. Rowling wrote the first 2 Harry Potter books.

The Elephant House

Paralympics

Garden's for the Olympics

View of Edinburgh Castle from the castle gardens

Cool little bagpipe band I came across after the walking tour.

Another picture of the gardens. I thought the rows of benches was neat.

This was the Sir Walter Scott monument. It has 287 steps to the top. (I ran out of time to do this) 

It's the largest monument for an author in the world. 

Late lunch. The walking tour started at 11:00 a.m. and lasted for 3 hours. When it was done I was starving. I got a small sandwich and it was delicious! One of the interesting things while I was in Edinburgh, was that most restaurants had a two prices for all their menu items. A price for eating in and a price for carry out. Of course it was much cheaper to get your food and go.

I noticed the whole pig in the window after I got my food and left.