Edinburgh Days 3 and 4

As Day 2 in Edinburgh was spent at my “Memory and Memorialisation in the PRC” conference, I will skip to Days 3 and 4 of my trip, which featured Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh Castle, and the Royal Mile.

On Day 3, after a full day of networking at my conference, I was ready to hit the town and play tourist again. The morning started off wonderfully. My friend Vicky had taken the train up from Oxford to crash with me in the Gil Dun Guest House, and we traipsed down to the dining room for a complimentary Scottish breakfast, complete with a generous portion of haggis.

One of the tastiest breakfasts in my recent memory.

Haggis is a must-try if you go to Scotland, as it is the national dish. For those eaters who are less adventurous, I will say that it is a type of sausage. Stop reading here. For the more adventurous, I will disclose a full description. Haggis is a type of savory pudding (it is the black sausage disk above) that contains a sheep’s “pluck,” or the sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs. It is traditionally encased in the sheep’s stomach. Another fun trivia fact is that haggis has been banned in the US since the early 1970s due to the sheep’s lung.

View of King Arthur’s Seat

So anyway, it was a delicious breakfast. After fueling up for the day, Vicky and I set off to Arthur’s Seat, within convenient walking distance of the guest house. Arthur’s Seat is actually an extinct volcano that sits at the very center of Edinburgh, and forms the majority of Holyrood Park. It is a bit of a hike to reach the top, but provides a stunning vista of the entire city from all angles – the Royal Mile, the Edinburgh Castle, and the sea. The location is the subject of quite a bit of mystery, and it is often mentioned as a possible location for King Arthur’s legendary castle Camelot.

View of the harbor from the summit

After the breathtaking views from the summit, Vicky and I walked down the path through Holyrood Park to the far end of the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile winds through the center of the Old Town of Edinburgh, with the Palace of Holyrood at one end and the Castle of Edinburgh at the other. The Palace of Holyrood is the official residence of the British monarch and royals, although they rarely stay here. Vicky and I were satisfied with viewing the outside of the palace grounds, as entrance cost a tidy sum. The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland, and thus is included on the Palace of Holyrood’s architecture (the current royal coat of arms for the United Kingdom includes the unicorn for Scotland and the lion for England).

A bit of the beautiful architectural detail on Holyrood Castle, featuring the Scottish unicorn. Notice that the shield has an English lion on it. 

Near the Palace of Holyrood is the Scottish Parliament. Vicky and I perused the exterior, then stopped for lunch at a tasty local fast food joint, Pork, that had excellent barbecue pork sandwiches, perfect for a chilly October day. Then, the Royal Mile pretty much became tourist central, with plenty of cheery vendors. Actually, many of the vendors were exchange students from countries such as Russia and Spain working part-time in the shops. After stocking up on gifts for friends and family, Vicky and I continued up the street towards Edinburgh Castle, only to find that…it would close in half an hour! Rather than panic-buy tickets, we decided to leisurely spend some time snapping photos (Vicky’s main goal) and save the castle for another day (my main goal).

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After our photo splurge, we slowly made our way back down the Royal Mile and stopped for coffee. We gradually meandered to a church, where there was a fantastic organ concert we were able to attend. From there, we went to a Scottish pub for dinner with a new friend Vicky had made from the Netherlands.

After several full days, I overslept, so my Day 4 started rather late. After stopping in at Starbucks (it’s a tradition of mine – I visit a Starbucks everywhere I travel when possible to a) view the similarities and differences and b) buy a collector’s mug), I moseyed over to Edinburgh Castle, where I spent the rest of the afternoon. The oldest part of the castle is St. Margaret’s Chapel, built in the 12th century. I also explored the Scottish National War Memorial and the Scottish War Museum located inside, and discovered that a lot of Scottish military organization was inspired by…the Swedish. Apparently, many Scots fought for the Swedes during the Thirty Years’ War. Regarding Scottish royal history…well, I remember embarrassingly little except for Mary Queen of Scots and her son, James – he was James VI of Scotland, and also became King James I of England in 1603 after his cousin Elizabeth died. England and Scotland were still governed separately at this point. James I’s son, King Charles I, was the last monarch to stay in the castle (although he mostly resided in England), and he was faced with civil war in Scotland, etc., etc.

Scottish unicorn and flag with English lion and flag inside the castle

Edinburgh Castle also boasts some absolutely spectacular views of the city, which I was able to witness at dusk. After winding my way back through the Royal Mile, which was also quite spectacular at dusk, I stopped for my last meal of the trip: fish n’chips.

Edinburgh 2018, Day One

Now that I’m quarantined and can’t really travel anywhere, I figured it would be the perfect time for me to reminisce about all my past adventures that I have faithfully cataloged in photo form. First stop: Edinburgh, Scotland in October 2018.

One piece of advice for getting as much bang for your buck as possible in graduate school? Find conferences in really cool places so that you can receive at least partial funding for traveling there. My initial reason for traveling to Edinburgh was, I kid you not, to participate in a conference titled “Memory and Memorialisation in the PRC” – which happens to be exactly what I study.

View from the plane after landing

After applying and being accepted to the conference (yay!), I booked my flights and flew across the pond one crisp October day. Upon arriving at the Edinburgh Airport early in the morning, my initial impressions were: 1) all of the signs in the airport were bilingual – in English and Chinese; 2) Scottish English sounded very different than British English and I had to strain my ears to understand my taxi driver; and 3) there were no Union Jacks in sight.

I had booked a room at the Gil Dun Guest House (near Arthur’s Seat), which I would highly recommend – terrific service, great location, and complimentary breakfasts. Once I had gotten settled in my room, I took a well-deserved nap before venturing out into the city.

Not a bad welcome to the city!

Although I was tempted to sleep more, I fortunately had two friends in town to keep me accountable and ensure I was ready to hit the town. Rebecca (and subsequently her husband, Tom) was a fanatic of everything Harry Potter and had mapped out a route for us accordingly. I had not known this beforehand, but apparently Edinburgh is the birthplace of Harry Potter. (There are even Harry Potter tours in town!) Our first stop, therefore, was the Elephant House, a cute cafe where Rowling had written much of the material for the first several Harry Potter books. Out of the cafe window, you can see Edinburgh Castle and Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, allegedly the inspiration for Godric’s Hollow. After drinking coffee and eating cake at the Elephant House, we stopped to see the nearby Greyfriar’s Bobby – the statue of a famous Edinburgh terrier. In the 19th century, Bobby apparently dutifully guarded the grave of his owner for 14 years, and his story became quite well-known due to his undying (no pun intended) loyalty. For tourists, rubbing Bobby’s nose is good luck (but please don’t do this now!).

The statue of Greyfriar’s Bobby

Next, Rebecca took us to Diagon Alley – umm, I mean, Victoria Street. The winding street with colorfully painted store facades made it easy to see how J.K. Rowling received her inspiration. The three of us stopped in a few appropriately themed shops, including one where we could try on robes, flick wands, and fantasize about having received our Hogwarts letters (alas, mine has still not arrived).

Victoria Street, a.k.a. Diagon Alley

Our next stop was the National Museum of Scotland. The architecture of the place is absolutely stunning, particularly the entryway. Unfortunately, I did not get to see Dolly the sheep, but I would highly recommend the exhibit on Scottish national history.

The gorgeous lobby of the National Museum of Scotland

Last stop for me for the day was the University of Edinburgh, where my conference was taking place.It is the fifth oldest university in the English-speaking world and was founded in 1582, serving an important intellectual center during the European Enlightenment. Economist Adam Smith and philosopher David Hume both hail from Edinburgh (and have their own commemorative statues on the Royal Mile, which I’ll discuss in a later post). Another little-known fact about the University of Edinburgh I learned that was relevant to my studies is that it was the alma mater of the first Chinese student to graduate from a European University – Dr. Wong Fung, who graduated from its medical school in 1857. After his graduation, he disseminated the knowledge he had learned to doctors in Hong Kong, which saw a marked increase in Western medical knowledge afterwards. 

Part of the University of Edinburgh campus

Delhi, Day 2: Humayun’s Tomb and More Adventures

On my second day in Delhi, I visited my favorite site to date: Humayun’s Tomb. I arrived at around 9:30 AM, early enough to beat the worst of the heat, and was greeted with the jaw-droppingly stunning predecessor of the Taj Mahal. Humayun’s Tomb was built by the wife and son of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, from 1569-1570 AD. It is the first garden-tomb on the south Asian subcontinent, and also the first to use red sandstone on such a large scale. In addition, Humayun’s Tomb shows the growing influence of Persian architecture in the Mughal Dynasty and marked the start of this influence in royal mausoleums. I am a novice in architectural studies (unlike my friend I’ve been sight-seeing with, who is an architecture PhD and a total boss at analyzing this stuff), but from what I understand, the domes and arches used in tombs such as Humayun’s Tomb and the Taj Mahal have Persian influence. The Mughals, like the Persian Safavids, also practiced Islam (although the Mughals practiced Sunni Islam, and the Safavids, Shia Islam). (The Mughals and Safavids, along with the Ottomans, are considered to be the three greatest Middle Eastern/Central Asian Empires around 1500-1600 AD, also dubbed by some scholars as the “gunpowder empires” due to their successful use of newly developed firearms, although this concept has been criticized as too simplistic.)

The breathtaking Humayun’s Tomb

Humayun’s Tomb actually contains hundreds of royal tombs in the grand mausoluem. The tomb of Humayun himself, of course, is by itself in a central room, raised above the rest on a small platform. (By the way, if you ever visit, be forewarned that you are NOT allowed to step up onto the platform!) This is a ceremonial tomb, though – his real tomb is far below in an underground chamber, apparently accessible through a side chamber but closed to most of the visiting public. The position of Humayun’s tomb is deliberate – his body is aligned on a North-South axis, while his head has been turned to face Mecca. I visited Humayun’s Tomb with my family 12 years ago (and can’t believe I didn’t remember how stunning it was!), but there have been additional excavations and restorations since then. The most notable is the mausoleum of Isa Khan Kiyazi, an Afghan noble in the court of the Suri Dynasty (dynasty that fought against the Mughals) that was constructed several decades before Humayun’s tomb.

Isa Khan’s tomb

Humayun’s tomb complex was added to the UNESCO World Heritage site list in 1993. After visiting, I could appreciate the origins of the word “paradise” better – apparently the English world is derived from the Farsi term for “walled garden.” After Humayun’s tomb, I visited Purana Qila, one of the oldest forts in Delhi that is believed to have been built by Sher Shah Suri (of the Suri Dynasty) and by Humayun. Unfortunately there was not much information inside on the actual history of the fort, but Humayun did die here. In the center of the complex was a building in which Humayun could relax and repose. Within walking distance was a mosque Humayun used personally (architecturally the most beautiful part of the complex, in my opinion). He was getting old, and when he heard the call to prayer one day, in his rush he fell down the stairs, and died from injuries 3 days later. The majority of people hanging out in the complex were not very interested in this history, though – they were mostly couples canoodling on the grass!

Close-up details at the Purana Qila mosque

One frustrating but understandable aspect of the tourist sites is how expensive they are for foreigners; tickets for foreigners are usually well over 10 times pricier than the same ticket for locals. Most “tickets” are reusable tokens – this is the same for one-time use metro tickets. When I had to relieve myself, I also discovered that public toilets here are quite comparable to those in China. They have what I affectionately dub “squatty potties” here as well – porcelain bowls set in the ground rather than raised, so that you squat over them rather than sit on them. If you travel to India, I’d also advise you to bring your own tissue, as not all places provide them.

After Purana Qila, I decided to visit Connaught Place (CP), a sprawling area of stores and businesses considered the commercial heart of Delhi. The original horseshoe-shaped structure with white buildings was built by the British, who believed that the horseshoe shape would be “lucky” for both shopkeepers and shoppers. At the time it was built, in the late 19th century, it was the largest market of its kind in India. I naturally stopped at a Starbucks there. A man associated with a group of autorickshaws convinced me to pay 50 rupees (less than 1 USD) for an autoricksaw to take me to Starbucks, then a nearby marketplace (my friend and I were speculating and determined that the drivers must have bargains with shopkeepers to bring tourists to them in exchange for a cut of the profit or something), then to an amazing South Indian vegetarian restaurant chain called Saravana Bhavan recommended to me by a friend. Of course, the “market” turned out to be an upscale store with multiple sections that was obviously geared towards foreigners, but I only bought 1 shirt for around 900 rupees (a little less than $15 USD) – a little expensive, but very cute, and I was very proud at my persistence in refusing to buy more stuff!

My delicious lunch at Saravana Bhavan