DAY 5: Edinburgh

DAY 5: EDINBURGH

I didn’t type a word about today until 10 o’clock at night. There was just too much to process on this amazing day.

That’s not to say we didn’t have our problems. To get those out of the way, one of our student’s phone was pickpocketed. I feel so bad in that, though I mentioned safety protocol, I didn’t say each day we got off the bus. That would’ve been more helpful with the busy streets of this special city. Second, our hotel experience here in Dunbar has been less than stellar. I’ve been quite disappointed with the Marten, and don’t ever encourage anybody to stay or eat at one.

Bad demons put to rest. Now, this place of splendor. 

I am just so aghast as to the beauty of this place. It is, without a doubt, the supermodel of the city-world. Cut from glacial pull, the intimidating mountain overlooking the North Sea provides the DNA for the most beautiful cosmopolitan spot I’ve ever seen on the earth. The fact that man built a castle atop it and has designed the streets with walls and structures older than the idea of the United States is the makeup to get her ready for every picture-perfect photo shoot. 

The alleys littered with shops were a splendor. So were the cobblestone roads, which alternated between the footpaths of the 1400s and the 1700s. The monuments, dedicated to founding forethinkers like Adam Smith, David Hume, and Walter Scott, were steeped in a variety of sandstone and shale, providing every tone of gray in the sky as one might look upon several days of clouds (hey, clouds can be beautiful - my wife likes their light best for photos). The hotels feel like they should replace the pieces in a monopoly game. I certainly would love to build them atop any city. The bridges, undergoing full renovations, scream with a slight color and a bigger story. The Royal Mile. One of the most stupendous roads I’ve ever walked, liking two royal castles together with an entire medieval city center, and littered with more life (and apparently pickpockets) than we could stand. The offshoot paths: closes (going to private property), courts (opening to beautiful gardens and markets), and wynds (connecting one road to another) seemed to each have their own 500-year-old secret. The overlooking mountains, such as King Arthur’s Seat, which several in our group hiked, all stand like knights serving Castle Rock, which looks upon the Northern World like an Acropolis with muscle.

And, oh, Castle Rock. I toed my way through the cobblestone streets, thinking about the many foot soldiers who carried gunpowder from the barracks to the cannon overlooking the sea. I saw the American flags carved into the wood in the jails that housed American mariners captured during our fight for Independence. I saw the chapel to St. Margaret, the oldest structure in the city, and thought about the pious deeds of that woman to bring a semblance of Christianity and civilization to the Scots, just as my mother-in-law (of the same name) brings smiles to my home. And, oh yeah, the Queen of England was just here last week.

For the kids seeking the Harry Potter tour, there was that for them, too. Mrs. Semmel took them down the winding Prince Street, which set the stage for the opening novel of the book. 

I mean, I think we ate lunch (a good lunch), had ice cream, celebrated Lisa’s birthday (happy 40th!), and did some other great things, but I feel like I did the first time I heard the whole Hamilton soundtrack. There is so much in my head to unpack, I’m tired from the required mental acuity needed for it all. Heck, I didn’t even buy any souvenirs - I simply just took back and enjoyed it all, because, like J.K. Rowling’s Potter, there is such a rich story to be told by many characters. And they all belong to this supermodel of a city.

I think the best part of the whole day for me, though, as this group’s leader, is that I have really come to value the importance of people. On the streets, I watched some of the street theater (something I wish more travelers paid attention to). I’ve probably seen a few dozen performances in my travels, but today’s performance by Jamie, a funny 20-something who juggled knives over people and flaming batons while on an 8-foot unicycle, made me smile for a good half of an hour. There was so much to be overjoyed about by today, but he gave me a chance to just appreciate the whole human experience.

But, moreover, I’ve come to appreciate this group. It often takes a bit to gel strangers together, but, by the end, they often become quite tight. When we split up what people were interested in doing, everybody found a home and adults to take them to those places of interest. Hiking. Potter. Sightseeing. Shopping. Gazing. Loving. The group dynamic truly was solidly on display today. That, more than anything else, makes me happy.

It also helps me to reminisce to the so many friends I’ve made in my travels. Though we don’t keep in constant contact, I know I have friends in Montana, New Mexico, Washington, Turkey, China, France, and now Ireland and Scotland - plus right around the corner! - that I love sharing the joyful experience of travel with. 

I hate to think that our time is almost up with this crew - just a day and a half until we’re back in the states! - but I’m encouraged to know that many of them asked where we’re going to next! (It’s Galapagos in 2021, by the way!)

Now, it’s time to call my family and FaceTime a 10:30p sundown together. Until next time.