The magic of Edinburgh

Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic cities of the world. A city of contrasts, it possesses great diversity of character, landscape, architecture and history.

The city’s origins are ancient, archaeological evidence suggesting the existence of settlements on the formidable Castle Rock, a thousand years before Christ. Henceforth, Edinburgh slowly expanded its boundaries, embracing a variety of characteristics reflecting every age which contributed to the capital’s rich and dramatic history.

The name "Edinburgh" is believed to have been derived from the appellation of the sixth century settlement Dun Eidyn, meaning Fort of Edin. Another story was that the name "Edinburgh" could be a corruption of Edwin’s Burgh, a commemorative title based on a ninth century king of Northumbria. During this time, the settlement marked the boundary between Scotland and England, as it lies only 373 miles north of London.

In 1450, following the Battle of Sark between the Scots and the English, the former felt the English border was too close for comfort. Thus, the conscription of a protective city wall was effective. Unfortunately, the wall didn’t just keep the English out, it also kept the Scottish in.

City expansion was greatly restricted and as the population climbed, so did the residential areas with tenement piled after tenement… in effect, a skyscraper of sorts totally cramming hundreds of people in one building under the unhealthiest of conditions. Social strata was determined by the height of their living quarters, literally, with the rich living on top while the truly poor was forced to dwell in the cellars. With little dwelling space available for the latter, underground passages were dug and as their numbers grew, so did the number of passages and warrens. Thus resulted in the underground ruins of Edinburgh called The Old City.

Eventually, the Old Town became too small for the rich and, especially, the poor alike. The burghers decided to build a whole new town across the valley. The marsh, long fed by the sewage of the old town, was mercifully drained and eventually turned into public gardens. Beautifully designed residences line the straight, symmetrical streets, and everything was meticulously fit with careful planning. Churches, houses, public buildings and avenues were arranged to complement one another. It was the young architect James Craig who shaped much of the Georgian style of the New Town, with his ingenious use of the crescent and square-motif during the 18th century.

Since the earliest times, Edinburgh has been the haunt of many great and celebrated figures, and its history has been shaped by the diversity of its inhabitants, warriors, monarchs, inventors, writers, artists and heroes. The city is associated with Mary, Queen of Scots, John Knox, Alexander Graham Bell, Sir Walter Scott and bonnie Prince Charlie.

Edinburgh lives up to its reputation as one of the fairest cities in Europe. It may not be as sophisticated as Paris, but for me, it’s breathtaking. As novelist C.K. Chesterton wrote in the Daily News:

The beauty of Edinburgh as a city is absolutely individual, and consists in one separate atmosphere and one separate class of qualities. It consists chiefly in a quality that may be called "abruptness," an unexpected alternation of heights and depths. It seems like a city built on precipices, a perilous city. Although the actual valleys and ridges are not (of course) really very high or very deep, they stand up like strong cliffs; they fall like open chasms. There are turns of the steep street that take the breath away like a literal abyss. There are thoroughfares, full, busy and lined with shops, which yet give the emotions of an alpine stair. It is, in the only adequate word for it, a sudden city.

Indeed, I found sights in Edinburgh, too admirable to elucidate completely, too many to enumerate entirely. The abundance of Romano/Grecian pillars, built during the Greek Revival movement of the 19th century, tempts me to all Edinburgh an "Athens of the North," since many of the buildings look more like pagan temples than places of business and residence.

Its main thoroughfare, Princes Street, is one mile long, and nowhere else is there such a street. On one side are the headquarters of Scottish business, on the other, gardens and green lawns, statues of Scotland’s greatest men, art galleries and one sighting of an ancient kirk, a Scottish church independent from the Roman Catholic Church.

Beyond the gardens rises Scotland’s most famous and probably its most ancient landmark, Edinburgh Castle. It is even possible that Stone Age men gathered here up to 8,000 years ago, hunting in the dense woods that used to flourish in place of Edinburgh. Over the centuries, the castle has grown, been fortified, destroyed and rebuilt on numerous occasions but has remained the focal point of the city since it was first built.

One can enter a small chapel, the smallest and oldest one in Scotland. Saint Margaret’s Chapel, designed in the Norman style, was built in honor of King Malcolm III’s saintly spouse. Preserved from attackers due to its religious significance, it is still in use and members of the castle garrison can invoke the right to be married in it. One can also find the ancient glory of the long-gone Scottish royalty, the crown, scepter and sword of state in the Crown Room. I found it easy to lose oneself in a few moments of antiquated reminisces, completely absorbed in the world of the 12th century in this castle completely bereft of modern regalia. No country has a finer temple to contain its national gods than Scotland has in Edinburgh Castle, and nowhere else is the soul of a country so fully and fittingly depicted in stone. From anywhere in the city, the castle can be seen in all its ancient mystery and glory.

I was so fortunate to see Edinburgh in full sunshine – a rare occurrence of the Scottish climate in springtime. I had a wonderful time walking the full length of the Royal Mile all the way to the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the opposite end. Along the way, I sketched the horizon’s outline, absorbing and taking note of some very old structures and the many protrusions of turrets, gables and towering chimneys. The Royal Mile has a dark and enclosed feeling, due to the great height of many ancient buildings clumped together. This feature dates back to when the city was surrounded by fortified walls and houses had to be built high to accommodate the huge population living within such a small area.

To the south lies the Old Town, site of the ancient city, which grew along the route of the Royal Mile from the Castle Rock in the west to Holyrood Palace in the east. One of the most popular tourist attractions are the Ghost Tours and, inspite of their obvious commercialism, is something that should not be missed. Most of the guides go to such extremes as wearing very flamboyant costumes, theatrical "performances" and perhaps a bit of magician’s quackery. I gathered a few of their brochures and surmised that for some, this is more of a sideline and during the day, most work full-time day jobs.

Basically it goes like this, the guide, extravagantly costumed or not, takes you for a walk round the streets of the city, telling tales of bloody executions, murderous revenge, ghosts, ghouls and witches supposedly haunting your current location. Most are very skilled in the ancient and apparently, not-dying-out art (at least here) of storytelling, lending emotion and artificial credence to his story. There are a number of different tours to choose from, from the light-hearted to the truly spine-tingling, but most end up in the "recently" (funny how it is always recently) discovered vaults beneath the Old Town. In any event, I imagined it would be a fun experience.

I will always cherish my unforgettable sojourn to Scotland’s capital. Always, there is a tale to find on every corner, a welcome at every turn and a mystery on every descent. As I left Edinburgh on the evening flight, our stewardess offered me a Scotch. I smiled back saying nothing, happy for the offer but wanting something of similar sound.