Settled in for Sunday

After a good night of sleep I really am settled in today and feeling much better than yesterday!  The image above is of the mosiac floor of St. Cuthbert's Kirk where I worshiped this morning.  Even though it was a long day and a late night yesterday, I set my alarm to go off in time for me to hear the full ringing of the bells.  When I've come in the past I've always arrived right in time for the service, and I have heard the end of what sounds like bells for a royal wedding.  I think this is the first time in my life I've been 45 minutes early to church  .  .  .  didn't know what time they started the ringing, so I gave myself plenty of leeway.  I'll share more about that at the end of the post.  The following three pictures are of the church from various angles.

Oh, and, by the way, when I expressed appreciation for the organ this morning after worship, I was promptly introduced to the organist.  Long story short, I'll be playing the organ here tomorrow!!!  Thanks Barb, for encouraging me to (or insisting that I?) - take my organ shoes; they ARE going to get use! Wahoo!!!

As I left the church I headed along Princes Street with its gardens.  Last time I was here was in the fall.  This year it's definitely spring!

Below is a view of the castle from across Princes Street Gardens.  (You'll probably see one or more pictures of Edinburgh Castle in all of my posts as it so dominates the landscape - and my imagination as well.)

Looking further left across the gardens - toward the Royal Mile, east of the castle.

The architecture of the Royal Scottish Academy has always caught my attention, but I've never had time to go inside before.

They support artists.  Although it's hard to find art I don't appreciate, here it was hard for me to find some that I did - which I'm sure is totally my lack of culture!  I'm sure they're really good but just not my style (very modern, very minimalist).  I did very much like the work pictured below, though.  It's by Ade Adesina; I just want to give credit and a shout out.

My goal as I moved down Princes Street was that of climbing the Scott Monument.  I needed to fortify myself before taking that on, hence the giant hot dog.

Here is the Scott Monument.  The first time I was here I didn't know you could climb to the top.  It looks like it's all columns and arches.  It's 200 feet tall and was the largest monument to a writer for more than 100 years after it was built, even today it remains the second largest monument to a writer.

I have so many many friends who are dog lovers (you know who you are!) that I wanted to show that this sculpture of Sir Walter Scott includes his favorite Dog, Maida.  Along with this sculpture, there are also two paintings of Maida by well-known Scottish artists, and there is another sculpture of Maida as well, which is above his grave.  That sculpture is engraved with:

Beneath the sculptured form which late you bore,

Sleep soundly Maida at your master's door.

Of course the actual inscription is in Latin, which seems fitting for such a beloved, faithful friend.

OK, now I see how it is "possible" for there to be a way up.  They just made really narrow spiral staircases to fit in the columns!

There's actually room for a "museum" on the first level you climb up to.  It's small but quite impressive.

And, thinking about my dog-loving friends again, I think this ornament must also be in honor of Maida.

View of Waverley Train Station, Arthur's Seat, and the distinctive crown steeple of St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh's High Kirk.

Another ornament:

The view to the north includes Jenner's Department Store, which has been on this site since 1838.  It's very modern and upscale inside, though both inside and out it contains its 1830's flavor.

Inside Jenner's:

It was time to head home so I could do some grocery shopping and finally stock the refrigerator.  I decided to swing through the Royal Mile on the way - taking Fleshmarket Close (named for a meat market that used to be here).

On the Royal Mile:

Wait  .  .  .  are those bubbles on the Royal Mile?

Why, yes, yes they are bubbles.  Cool.

As I entered the Royal Mile, and as I left the Royal Mile I went along two streets that are said to have been inspirations for Diagon Alley.  The first photo below is of Cockburn Street.  (For those less familiar with the Queen's English, Cockburn is pronounced "Coh-burn" - just a little FYI there.)

The above doesn't say Diagon Alley to me as much as the street I've allotted three photographs for below: Victoria Street.  What do you think?

It even has a joke shop, and this has been here for decades and was not inspired by the Harry Potter novels - rather, probably the reverse it true.

Victoria Street runs into Haymarket - a bit more sobering place (well, except for all the pubs).

The memorial above is for the Covenanters and other Protestant Martyrs in Scotland, of whom there were many.  If you look to the upper left in the photo above, you'll see that not all the pavement is the same.  This creates the image shown below of a gallows, as this is the (a?) spot where hangings were carried out in the past.

I've heard different stories about the pub below.  In one such story it is said that the condemned were allowed one last drink - hence the name.  I've heard other stories as well, and I don't know which, if any, are true, but it's kind of a cool story.

Then it was time for grocery shopping and then back to church.  I went to evensong at St. John's, pictured below.  It's the church that's just a stone's throw away from St. Cuthbert's.  St. John's is Episcopal, so I got me some high church tonight (woohoo!). St. Cuthbert's is Presbyterian, yet they use vestments and liturgy, unlike other Calvinist churches I've been to.  Then again, St. Cuthbert's is the oldest site of Christian worship in Edinburgh, going back to the 700s AD.  Seven different structures have occupied that spot over the last 13 centuries, but they've all been St. Cuthbert's.  The original was Celtic, then Roman Catholic, then Presbyterian, then Episcopalian, and then, since 1690, Presbyterian again.  So I guess if they mix elements of high church and low church they come by it honestly!

And I was practically at The Meadows anyway on my way home from evensong, so I went there too - yet another place I had never been though I've been to this city twice. The "hill" in the background is Arthur's Seat.

The photograph below is of the Prince Albert Victor sundial, which is in The Meadows.  It was placed here at the time of the Edinburgh International Exhibition of 1886.

There are quotes all around the bottom having to do with light and shadow and time.  I loved this.  My two favorites are pictured below.  They say, "Time is the chrysalis of eternity" and "Light is the shadow of God."

So, I saved my remaining St. Cuthbert's pictures for last.  I spent a lot of time in the kirkyard this morning waiting for the bells (and because I like kirkyards).  I have more pictures of this than anything else from today, and it killed me (get it?) to cut it down to this few.  I saved it for last because I know not everyone is the fan of kirkyards and cemeteries as I am - being at the end, they are easier to skip if you'd like.

Many stones have fallen and are falling.  There are "danger signs" posted at the entrances - especially regarding not letting children play on or around these stones.

The one below really got to me.  We know that life span was shorter back then, partly due to childhood and infant mortality rates.  Many stones for these little ones just say, "Died in infancy."  This man, William Beattie, listed all of the children he lost by name, by date, and by age.  I can't even fathom the pain of that much loss!

Of course, the whole time I'm wandering around the kirkyard I've got the castle just above.

I was so happy this Magpie posed for me :-)

OK, so at the top of the post I wrote that I'd gotten up early after a long day and late night, arriving at church 45 minutes early in order to hear the bells.  Of course I didn't know when they would start, so I kept stopping and starting filming and ended up with this last video.  Unfortunately, though the bells have sounded like a royal wedding peal in the past, they were not what I was expecting this morning, which bummed me out, because this was something, believe it or not, that I kinda planned my trip around.  Warning, this video is 11 minutes long, and is mostly me walking around the kirkyard, which makes it kinda bumpy.  But, if you want to hear the bells, and the birdsong (or see the kirkyard in a different way), you're welcome to do so.  If you just want a snippet of bells, they start at about 2:20, go for about one minute, and then start again at about 6:40 and go for about two and a half minutes.