Beannachd leat Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle Painting

It was with mixed feelings that I left Edinburgh two days ago. It is the Scottish City I return to visit time and again.

The first time was on a whim. I was living in London and heard about the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Taking a small pack and hopping the first train, I arrived at Waverly Station thrilled to hear bagpipes playing from the roof. Hotels were completely booked, but I found out about dorm rooms to rent and hiked up the hill. It was full of heather and I thought that if it was sagebrush instead it would look very much like the foothills in Wyoming. I was only there for three days, but saw three or four plays each day. The last night my right eye started wandering during the late night performance and I had to watch it with only my left eye as my hand covered the other one.

The second time was Hogmanay and I traveled with friends, one of whom was from Culross, near Dunfermline across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh. The only policeman in the village left during the holidays. At midnight we did the dark headed man with coal in the pocket and silver in the hand tradition (or was it the other way round) as we visited the first house after midnight. It happened to be the vicar’s house and the dark headed friend picked up the wife and swung her around. Then we headed into the village where people traveled from house to house. If the owners weren’t home they left out a bottle of scotch and little glasses and you went in and toasted the house. Then to the pub with music and dance most of the rest of the night.

The third time was three decades later. Two years ago I visited Edinburgh in late September with my son. We visited the castle and the whiskey museum and walked a lot. It was after Harry Potter fame had added another famous Edinburgh writer to its ranks and the city had a grand familiarity to it.

In planning this Alban pilgrimage to Scotland I realized that it was time to wean myself from Edinburgh and learn about other places. I visited four days and actually stayed in Leith which I enjoyed very much. It is in transition from a docks area to one more trendy and it has many surprises like the place I stayed, Wallace’s Art House, a quirky and beautifully designed haven. I highly recommend staying there, even just to meet Wallace and hear his stories and insights. Although nothing can compare meeting him in person you can enjoy his blog and website.

It rained most of the time. I visited the Scottish Museum and Rosslyn Chapel which was a short city bus ride through the countryside, and took my time walking in neighborhoods and sitting in cafes. No stress.

My taxi driver, a former cricket player from Pakistan has lived in Edinburgh for over 12 years. He says Edinburgh is the only place he ever wants to live.

Four times and I would visit again.