I wasn't sure what today's title was going to be, but then I got a message from David wishing me enjoyment of a Magical Monday. Therefore this post is "Magic Monday." And it really is a magic Monday. My first stop today was the tower (aka castle) of my main mathematician John Napier. He was considered to be a sorcerer, and it was rumored that the small round room you see at the top of the tower was used by him for alchemy and other magical doings. It's a nice rumor, but my understanding is that that round room was not built onto the tower until after Napier's time. Here are some closer looks at the round tower:
I can't help but wonder what those "outlets" are all the way around the top of the tower - if they are for drainage or for defense (shooting or pouring things on enemies) or both or neither.
The main door is on the second level for defensive reasons, like the White Tower at the Tower of London. I imagine this would have had a wooden staircase that could have been removed, thus making it inaccessible.
This tower (castle) was modified many times over the centuries, and it was pretty much abandoned by the early 20th century. In the late 1950s restoration work was begun in order for it to be the centerpiece of this technical university. From my studies of Napier and of the tower, it seems they have restored the exterior with regard for the time of Napier and without the later additions. I'm very grateful that this treasure wasn't lost, but it is a bit hard to get pictures without getting the modern bits in.
The tower is L-shaped, as was common in the 16th century. Below you can see that back, which displays this.
This time around I stepped into the building, though I knew it to be completely renovated for teaching purposes. Most of it does look very institutional, but I was pleasantly surprised to find some areas giving a nod to the history inside as well as outside. I was especially surprised to find this sculpture of Napier. I have searched long and hard for the whereabouts of every painting, sculpture, plaque, etc. relating to him, of which there are very few. Despite my careful searches, I was unaware of this one.
Here he is shown with one of his amazing inventions: Napier's Bones. I already wrote about these in Saturday's post when I was at the National Museum and saw 17th and 18th century sets.
I went upstairs and found that the historical flavor has been kept in part of the tower.
The ceiling, obviously, is not original, but I can't help wondering if the stairs are - or if not original, at least quite old. They seem quite worn, especially the third step from the bottom.
Napier University, Merchiston Campus is not on Napier Road, strangely enough, but the intersection of Napier Road and Merchiston Crescent are quite nearby. Napier had a huge impact on math and science, but since I'm vacationing and not researching I'll hold back from saying more on the topic.
This is my tenth day in Edinburgh, and I really feel like I have a deep sense of the city, a sense of how all the areas of town connect, so instead of taking main roads back towards my next destination, I set out across the broad expanse of parklands that meander through this area, including Bruntsfield Links, The Meadows, and Middle Meadow Walk. As you can see, it was another beautiful spring day today!
This expanse of green space in the middle of the city just goes on and on. (And there's Arthur's Seat making an appearance again!)
Taking a moment to look at back at my new-found path, Middle Meadow Walk, and to look ahead to the City Center to which it leads.
Next stop - St. Giles Cathedral - the High Kirk of Edinburgh - considered "The Mother Church of Presbyterianism." It's not a cathedral, but the name has stuck - and is even carved out front. It has been cathedral (seat of a bishop) twice in the past - the distant past. It's nearly 1000 years old, having been founded in the 1100s.
The distinctive crown spire dates back to the late 1400s.
First things first: the organ!
So much beauty, so much pageantry, so much history!
I think I'll add St. Giles to my list (see last Monday's post) of most gorgeous church ceilings I've ever seen.
The following three pictures are of the ceiling in the Thistle Chapel, which is where investiture in The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle takes place - as granted by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, of course.
Again the pelican being used as a Christian symbol . . .
And a few other pictures around the Thistle Chapel:
Heraldic symbols of the royal family within the Thistle Chapel:
If you ever get a chance to visit, see if you can find this bagpipe-playing angel among the frenzy of elaborate carving! Good luck!
Back out into the main area of the cathedral again . . . just history everywhere . . .
John Knox became minister here in 1559.
An original of the National Covenant (which I have referred to a lot in my posts on Greyfriar's where it was signed) is kept here, covered by a curtain to protect it from light.
Not a great picture, but it's the best I could do . . . if you're going to try to read it, have fun with that! At least it's about 100 years more recent than the documents of this nature I was trying to read in the archives of the National Library, so it should be somewhat easier to read!
This is an unbelievably important document that many hundreds of people died for. It is important beyond the history of the church. A sign next to this display states, "Many regard this document as the move away from the ideas of divinely appointed rule towards participatory, modern democracy. The insistence on education for all sowed the seeds of the Scottish Enlightenment and many Scottish Presbyterians were involved in the Declaration of Independence in America and drafting the US Constitution."
Another tip for if you travel here, particularly if you are interested in church history, back in the day a kirkyard did exist, but the city has grown so much that the cathedral is surrounded by roads and parking lots. The burial site of John Knox is marked with a plaque in the parking lot on the south side of the church. (Given how austere he was, he probably would have approved.)
My last stop on this magic Monday was at The Elephant House, where J. K. Rowling did some of the writing about the wizarding world in her
Harry Potter series of books. The restaurant is quite elegant, decorated with a very nice elephant theme.
I would have taken more pictures around the restaurant,but it was very crowded, and I didn't want people to be nervous that I was taking pictures of them.
This brownie sundae was truly amazingly delicious. It may be one of the best-tasting things I have ever eaten!
Below is the view from my seat, and - quelle surprise! - it's the castle again!
As Rowling wrote in here, she had a view of the castle (above) and a view of Greyfriar's Kirkyard (below), both of which were huge inspirations in her writing. One guy walked next to my table to look at the castle view and said, "Oh, yeah, that's definitely Hogwarts!"
And then you walk into the restrooms, and the Harry Potter themed graffiti hits you between the eyes!
Actually, the above is not nearly the assault on the eyes that surprised me 3 years ago at which time the walls were just covered - almost no white showing through at all. I think they've remodeled the bathrooms and perhaps have even removed some walls with graffiti on them for preservation for use in a museum display or something? I wonder that because some of the other graffiti-filled walls, which look like what I saw in 2016, are protected by plexiglass now.
There's quite a difference between those plexiglass-covered walls and what seem to me to be newer or repainted walls. I think they must be letting people start over.
Someone has started in on the ceiling - a pretty appropriate quote, given the location.
I waited in line extra long in order to get into the stall I'd been in 3 years ago, where I had left my initials under a small sign of the Deathly Hallows. Alas . . . my initials had disappeared . . . as if by magic!
I'm always looking for exhibits, events or lectures so as to go a little deeper. When David and I were here a year and a half ago it was the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, and the National Library of Scotland had an amazing display - including the Papal Bull drafted to excommunicate Martin Luther, indulgences, a Bible Luther translated, etc. So this time I headed back to the library to see what was on. There was an exhibit on Lord Byron's epic satire Don Juan, and there was a smaller display of "book sculpture," where scenes from the book are actually sculpted from pages of the book.
There are also inscriptions on the ground! This one is in the close leading to Riddell's Court just off The Royal Mile. Another phrase leading into this court is, "Vivendo Discimus" or "By Living We Learn." Philosopher David Hume lived here for a time, and a banquet was held for James VI/I here at some point.
I mentioned in an earlier post that one of the books I had taken along to read was Edinburgh native Muriel Spark's Memento Mori, which I was hoping I would like better than the novel she's best known for, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Toward the end of my trip I began seeing tributes to The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie all over town. Perhaps I need to reread it and give it another chance.
The picture below is on Middle Meadow Walk and is a quote from the book.
Daily details for me - housing and transportation - this was my first time staying in an airbnb, and it worked really well. It was amazing to have an entire flat with a full kitchen and a washing machine for less than a hotel would have cost! Below is my building; I entered through the black door in the middle of the photo and went up 3 flights of a spiral staircase to reach the flat.
The buses required exact change; here is one pound seventy:
I liked sitting on the top floor of the double-decker bus. Note what side of the street we are driving on.
This post is titled Looking Back, because I'm completing it after returning to the US. This gives me a chance to reflect and savor and to include items that hadn't made it into my earlier posts. One of the most special things about this trip was how deep I got to go, especially with my interactions with St. Cuthbert's Kirk, where I got to sit in on bell-ringing practice and where I got to play the organ. While traveling I found out that two people from back home who are associated with the same organ I practice on are also traveling abroad and were also playing organs on their travels. My plan is to include three videos here - one of each of us playing during our May 2019 travels. I have one for Michael and one for me, but the one of Chad (my teacher) is a place-holder from back home for now until I get one from his recent travels. To say that both Michael and Chad are light years beyond me would be massive understatement: 
