Lugano Study Abroad 2012: February 5th- Day 2 in Edinburgh

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Today we woke up and went to Starbucks (yes they have tons of Starbucks in the UK). It was wonderful, not because I drink coffee but we could get free wifi. And they served as a place to catch some heat. We planned to go on a free walking tour at 11, but when we get there we find out that a group of more than 6 must call 24 hours in advance and book a private group tour. We solved this problem by just having six of us go at 11pm, and me Val and Abbie took one for the team and signed up for the 1'oclock tour. In the mean time, we went to Edinburgh Castle and explored the outside, and went in several of the quaint shops all along the Royal Mile. Edinburgh Castle was gorgeous, but we decided not to pay the 12 pounds to go inside because we heard that it's not worth it because it's a military museum inside.

We got lunch at this hole in the wall that ended up being an amazing Mediterranean cafe. I got chicken couscous salad that was amazing. Our tour guide for the walking tour was incredible; it was probably the highlight of my trip. First of all, Edinburgh was by far my favorite city. The atmosphere was great, the town itself was beautiful and quaint, and all the building were of this unique medieval architecture. The town has numerous stories all about the history and famous landmarks, and is even known for it's phenomenal ghost tours. I learned so much from our tour guide that I had no idea Edinburgh was famous for. So many famous writers and things we use every day came out of Edinburgh. One of my favorite stories was about a girl named Maggie Dickson. Her pub in located in the Grass Market, the square where public executions took place in the 1800s. Maggie Dickson was married to a man whom she did not love, and was having an affair with another man. She ended up getting pregnant with this man's child. Since Scotland was still extremely catholic these days, she decided to hide her pregnancy for 8 months until she went into labor, but the child was stillborn. She was arrested and instead of being accused of adultery, she was condemned to death for hiding her pregnancy (it was apparently against the law at the time). She was publicly hung in the square and then placed in a coffin to be taken to her burial site. The driver, however, heard a knock in the casket and opened it up, and saw Maggie there still alive. He drove her back to the square, and seconds before they were about to re-hang her, a man in the crowed cried out. The rule like in the movie double jeopardy, a person may not be committed for the same crime twice. She therefore got off free, and ended up marrying that man in the crowd because her marriage to her original husband broke with "until death do us part." Her new husband bought her a pub in the same square, and it was said she frequently came out during executions and yelled don't worry I came out alive. This is a picture of her pub and another known as the Last Drop which was right next door because prisoners would come their for their "last drop" before death:

This was the tower that they used for smaller crimes. It was called the Mercat Tower. People who were caught for misdemeanor's had their ear nailed to the tower. They were to stay there for 24 hours where they endured public humilitation of people who would walk by and throw spoiled food, waste, or other small items at them. If they wanted to escape from this humiliation, they could rip their ear off from the nail, but would then endure life long humiliation because the town would know they were a coward by the permanent slit on their ear.

We also visited St. Giles Cathedral, which is technically not a Cathedral because it is a protestant church, but they liked the name so they kept it. St. Giles contains 1 of 2 statues in the world of an angel playing the bagpipes.

Outside the Cathedral, there is a famous Heart of Midlothian carved into the ground. You can tell a tourist from a local, because locals will not walk over the heart. Some even go to spit on the heart, for it is said to bring them good luck and they will return to the said spot. I showed no embarrassment and hocked a nice luigi on the heart. If anywhere in Europe, I am making it a goal to one day return to Edinburgh.

We were also shown Greyfriars Churchyard, a church and cemetery were several famous men lie burried. The churchyard is most known for the dog Bobby, who after his master died came to sit on his grave for 14 years. The dog is so famous he has his own grave, statue, and pub.

The tour ended in the Royal Botanical Gardens, which was unbelievably gorgeous, and I can't even imagine how pretty they would be in the spring during full bloom.