We arrived in Edinburgh from Ireland late in the evening. After getting lost in Edinburgh several times (for some reason, the city thought it would be a good idea to close half the streets in the city for construction of a new tram system) we arrived at a quaint little B & B called the Ashcorn House run by a very helpful lady named Angela. The next day we explored a bit of Edinburgh.
Since we had already seen Edinburgh Castle the last time we were here, we skipped that and speant most of our time on the Royal Mile (above). The Mile is the street that runs down hill from the gates of the Castle. It is lined with traditional shops and its fair share of tourist traps. The Scottish are in love with horror and ghost stories and you can take any number of tours at night through "Haunted Edinburgh". I was curious, but there was no way I was getting Anna to go on one of those tours. After some shopping and Anna getting a new haircut (last picture before Roslyn Chapel), we took the bus back to the B & B.
Above is one of many narrow side streets in Edinburgh.
This guy was playing the guitar for change. He wasn't bad, but his dog was clearly the better performer.
The next morning we left for Fort William and along the way we stopped off at Roslyn Chapel. Roslyn is about a twenty minute drive south of Edinburgh and is most famous for it's part in the book and movie "The Da Vinci Code". It is the church the main characters go to at the end of the book. In real life the chapel is small, but filled with dark and gothic sculpture. Many of the symbols and figures have deep Masonic meanings. The outside of the chapel as you walk up has many spires and flying buttresses along with sculptures of various saints.
Inside is a sensory overload of images and symbols. Many of the windows have carvins of angels at the corners. On one is a carving of an angel tied up and hanging upside down to represent the fallen Lucifer. Just above that, there is a arch that has thirteen pairs of figures carved into it. One person embraced by a skeleton. This is to represent the dance with death that we all must eventually complete.
Then there is the apprentice's column. Most of the columns in the chapel are normal looking with flutes running up them. This column is a masterpeice that is carved as if a rope is coiled around it from top to bottom and a dragon curled around it's bottom. The story is that when the chapel was being built, the master stoneworker left to go to mainland Europe to find indipation for the final column. While be was gone his apprentice, inspired by a dream, carved the beautiful piece. When the master returned and saw the column, he went into a jealous rage and murdered his apprentice. The Master was hung for his crime, and later both of their faces were carved into the top of the column.
That is just the beginning of the images you see when entering Roslyn Chapel. We were not able to take pictures inside, so if you want to see what it's like, you'll have to come to Scotland! Believe me, it's worth the trip.
After seeing Roslyn Chapel we drove through the Highlands to Fort William. The highways in the Highlands are notorious for ferocious winds. - Scott
(I look ridiculous in the picture above because there are 50 mile per hour winds blowing. I couldn't even get my car door open! -Anna)
great haircut! and is it possible for your pictures to make me homesick for a place I only lived 3 weeks?
ReplyDelete