2025 Scotland: Edinburgh - Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, Holyrood Park

Built on Castle Rock mainly as a strategic military fortress, the historic Edinburgh Castle was a symbol of Scottish power that was fought over between the Scots and the British for centuries.  First completed as a Medieval castle in 1103 under King Malcolm III, it was continually expanded between the 12th-16th centuries with the additions of St. Margaret’s Chapel (12thC), King David’s Tower and fortifications (14thC), the Crown Square which included the Great Hall and royal apartments (15thC), and artillery platforms to support new technologies including cannons (16th C).  In addition to its military role, Edinburgh Castle served as the Royal Residence until 1633. Once the royalty moved across the Royal Mile to Palace of Holyroodhouse, the military took over and turned the castle into a true fortress and garrison, stripping away much of its decorative features including stained-glass windows.  Today, Edinburgh Castle is one of the most famous tourist attractions in the city and can be viewed prominently from many locations in the Old Town including Grassmarket where we were staying.  Several lengthy flights of stairs brought us from Grassmarket to Castlehill at the top of Castle Rock.  Just outside the castle is the Witches’ Well, created in 1894 by Celtic Revival artist John Duncan to commemorate the people executed for witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries.

We entered the site by walking through the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, a large open area with stadium seating set up on three sides to support the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo held each August. To enter the castle, we walked through the Portcullis Gate which consists of a large archway flanked by bronze sculptures of Scottish hero William Wallace and King Robert the Bruce, installed in 1929 within neo-Gothic niches.

Being on top of a hill, spectacular panoramic views of Edinburgh can be seen from the castle walls including the Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace, Holyrood Park including Arthur’s Seat and even the North Sea on a clear day.   Some of the best vistas can be found on the battery walls including the Half Moon Battery on the east side which overlooks the castle entrance.  Fun views can be found while peering through the embrasures or holes where the cannons point out of.  Not only do the rectangular openings frame the scenery, but they give you a sense of the defensive areas that these cannons would have supported back when the castle was in use as a military base.

The Scottish National War Memorial is one of the most impressive buildings in Edinburgh Castle. It serves as Scotland’s place of remembrance for those who died from WWI up to current day.  On either side of the entrance are silver-grey granite sculptures of a lion and a horse, holding shields of the Union Jack and the Cross of St.Andrew respectively.  In a recess above entrance is a figure representing “the Survival of the Spirit” with an eagle symbolising strength, vigilance and remembrance at its base.  Fantastical, animal-like gargoyles can be found at the top of the tower and in smaller recesses are allegorical figures representing Courage, Justice and Peace.

Photos are not allowed inside the War Memorial out of respect for the dignity and reverence of the setting but there are photos on the internet of this beautiful interior.  Books of Remembrance or Rolls of Honour are kept within a sealed steel casket located on an altar within the memorial’s shrine, listing the names of the Scottish service men and women who died in each war.  Relief carvings depict military scenes including soldiers marching or in battle, and the wounded being nursed, as well as some religious scenes. A series of brightly coloured stained-glass windows created in 1927 depict relatively modern images including tanks, artillery, zeppelins, bi-planes, and soldiers blowing bugles.  Other windows are religious or historic in nature.  The theme of the décor reflects valour, sacrifice, justice and triumph of peace over war.

The only other building in Edinburgh Castle that does not allow photography, probably for security reasons, is the “Crown Room”.  This is where the “Honours of Scotland” are kept.  Made of gold, silver and precious metals, these are the oldest surviving Crown jewels in Scotland, consisting of the crown, sceptre, and sword of state that were first used for a monarch’s coronation in 1543.  During the wars of the 17th Century when Oliver Cromwell’s troops were attacking, the honours were hidden in a church in the hamlet of Kinneff, which we happened to stop by later on in our trip.

Built for King James IV between 1509-1511, the Grand Hall served as the 95-foot-long space where royal ceremonies and state banquets were held. It features a vaulted, Norwegian wood hammerbeam roof decorated with stone corbels with motifs including the Royal cipher, the Scottish Thistle, a female bust which is the symbol of love, and a Lion’s Head which is the emblem of Scottish Royalty and Christ.  A famous painting known as “Ensign Ewart capturing the French Eagle at Waterloo” depicts the cavalry charge of Ensign Charles Ewart of the Royal Scots Grey in 1815, symbolizing Britian’s defeat of French Imperial power.  The massive, ornate stone fireplace is adorned with four elegant allegorical figures carved in the Renaissance style.  Set high above the fireplace is “Laird’s Lug”, also known as “Lord’s Ear”.  It is a small iron grate used as a peephole for kings to listen in on the conversations of their guests. Many Medieval weapons are hung on the walls including swords, axes, spiked spears and rifles.  After Oliver Cromwell’s siege in 1650, the hall was transformed into barracks and a military hospital.  Between 1887-1891, it was restored to its original splendor, adding back the roof, paneled walls and stained-glass windows.

There are several military museums within the grounds of Edinburgh Castle.  The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Regimental Museum focuses on the history and campaigns of this calvary regiment that has been existence since early 1700s.  The Royal Scots Regimental Museum displays artifacts from this group that was founded in 1633. The largest museum is the National War Museum of Scotland which contains artifacts from 400 years of Scottish military history.  The museums contain displays of military artifacts including arms and weapons, uniforms, medals, paintings and dioramas of famous battle scenes, recruitment posters, maps, personal items and more.  A highlight found in the Scots Dragoon Museum is an actual gilded bronze eagle and standard (regimental flag) captured from Napoleon’s army at the Battle of Waterloo.  One diorama shows Ensign Kennedy who was mortally wounded while clutching the British Standard.  A Sergeant tried to remove it from his grasp but was unable, so he hoisted the dead solider and carried him back to their home base.  Another interesting exhibit showed examples every day objects being used to hide secret messages including a chess set with compartments that concealed a map, saw, compass and currency to help out a prisoner of war escapee.

In addition to the cannons that we saw pointing out of embrasures, there were also two special guns.  An extra-large 6-ton cannon or “bombard” nicknamed “Mons Meg” was created in Mons, Belgium in 1449 and was gifted to King James II in 1457.  With a barrel diameter of 20 inches, it could fire huge cannonballs weighing up to 385 pounds that could travel over 2 miles.  As per its name, the “One O’Clock Gun” is a daily tradition where a 105mm field gun is fired exactly at 1pm each day, harking back to 1861 when businessman John Hewat introduced the idea as a way to signal the time to ships and locals alike.  Today, it is fired merely for the enjoyment of the tourists. In front of the National War Museum is a bronze sculpture of Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig sitting on his horse on top of a rocky terrain. One and a half times larger than life-sized, the sculpture honours the first Earl of Haig’s wartime leadership during World War I and his welfare work for ex-servicemen.  The Prisoners of War Exhibition recreates the conditions that prisoners faced between the 1700s to early 1800s.  On display are wooden doors with graffiti scratched on them, items crafted by prisoners including wood boxes, chess sets, intricate models of ships, prisoners’ rations, and examples of living quarters for ordinary sailors and soldiers as opposed to officers.

While most of Edinburgh Castle is devoted to the military, there are still Royal Apartments above the Crown Room that were the residences of the Stewart monarchs starting with the reign of King James IV in the mid 15th centuries until King Charles I in 1633.  One of the rooms is the birthing chamber where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to King James VI.  A large display contained embroideries created by Mary while in exile in England after fleeing Scotland.  The oldest surviving building on the site is St.Margaret’s Chapel, a small Romanesque stone structure built in 1130 by King David I to honour his mother, Queen Margaret.  The chapel fell into disuse and was used as a gunpowder store in the 1500s before being restored in the 19th century.  Nearby is a small, enclosed pet cemetery that was established in the 1840s as the final resting place for regimental officer’s pet dogs and mascots. The oldest visible grave from 1881 is for Jess, a terrier belonging to the military band of the Black Watch 42nd Royal Highlanders.  

Palace of Holyroodhouse (aka Holyrood Palace) has been the official residence of the British monarchy in Scotland since the 16th century and is used for official events and ceremonies.  Built with a blend of Renaissance and Baroque styles, major additions were added in the 16th and 17th centuries. The oldest surviving part of the palace is the King James V Tower, built between 1528-1536.  It was where Mary, Queen of Scots had her chambers and the site of the murder of her secretary David Rizzio, who was killed in front of her by her husband Lord Darnley and his accomplices. The decorative stone fountain outside the palace is topped by a crown hoisted by armed soldiers holding spears. Below are historical figures including Rizzio and Queen Margaret, followed by sculptures of lions and unicorns and then a series of lion heads.  Erected in 1858, it is based on a fountain built by King James V in 1538 at Linlithgow Palace, 24 kilometres west of Edinburgh.  The Quadrangle is a central open courtyard area designed in the 1670s to resemble a monastic cloister.  It has 3 floors plus an attic with the ground floor serving as service areas (kitchen, storage, etc.), the first floor has State Apartments and the Royal Apartments are on the second floor.  The decorations of the façades are progressively more ornate as you get higher up, reflecting the functions of each level.  There are Doric columns on the ground floor, then Ionic on the first floor and finally Corinthian columns on the second for the Royal Apartments.  In the centre of the courtyard is a stone fountain sitting on perfectly a manicured lawn.

Photos are not allowed inside the palace but we were given audio guides that told us interesting facts about each room along with images of the room. Following our tour, I sat at the outdoor café and took screenshots of some of those images as well as finding more on the internet.  The first area that we encountered was the Grand Staircase, where the walls are lined with tapestries and 16th century Italian frescos while the magnificent 17th Century Baroque ceiling is adorned with plaster angels holding the Honours of Scotland.  The stairs lead to the State Apartments which includes the room that had been used as a Guard’s Chamber, the King’s Drawing Room, and a Dining Room before being converted into a Throne Room in 1871.  Today a pair of thrones are on display which were designed for King George V and Queen Mary. On the next level up is the Royal Apartments where the King’s Bedroom is found, featuring a four-poster bed covered in red damask.  We also saw the suite of Mary Queen of Scots including her bedroom and the outer chamber where the murder occurred.

The Music Room was added in 1670 under Charles II for the purpose of holding private musical performances and intimate receptions.  This elegant room is decorated with gilded cornices, pale wood paneling, ornate plaster designs with musical motifs, giltwood chairs, a candelabra and musical instruments including a piano and a harp.  A curved alcove enhances acoustics for chamber music recitals.  The most interesting room is the 150-foot-long Great Gallery, the largest room in the palace, which serves as the main processional and state gathering place.  The room has two grand, marble fireplaces, a row of windows spanning the entire length of the room, facing a wall containing 96 portraits of Scottish monarchs painted between 1684-1686 by Jacob de Wet the Younger on behalf of King Charles II.  Our audio guide told the amusing story of how King Charles hoped these portraits would support his claim to the throne since he obviously had the genetic trait of the “family nose”.

The Gothic and Romanesque styled Holyrood Abbey was founded in 1128 by King David I after experiencing a miraculous event where he encountered a white stag during a hunting expedition and saw the vision of the Holy Cross (or Rood) between the deer’s antlers. In thanks, he created the abbey for the Catholic priests of the Canons Regular of St.Augustine.  Many historic events occurred at the abbey over the centuries including coronations, weddings, funerals and births.  Various parts of the abbey were destroyed during conflicts over the years and then fell into total ruin in the late 17th century due to religious and political turmoil added to structural damage caused by harsh weather and years of neglect. Today, the surviving ruins of the abbey include the central hall of the nave which features soaring, pointed Gothic arches, ribbed vaults, and large windows with intricate, ornamental stonework including a section that delineates the previous existence of Gothic windows. From the exterior, you can see flying buttresses that remain to support one of the remaining walls.

Although the roof has been destroyed since the 17th century, enough of the abbey remains so you can image its former grandeur. Royal vaults beneath the abbey contain the remains of Scottish monarchs including King David II, James II, James V and Lord Darnley (2nd husband of Mary, Queen of Scots).  Grave slabs of Augustian canons and abbots are embedded in the nave’s floor while tomb markers of noble families and Royal Dragoon guards line the walls.

The gardens in Holyrood Palace cover 10 acres of landscaped terrain with lawns, flower beds, sculptures and fountains.  A multi-surfaced sandstone sundial was created in 1633 and presented by King Charles I to his queen Henrietta Maria to commemorate his Scottish Coronation at the Holyrood Abbey. There are twenty dials with metal surfaces carved as spheres (or gnomons) that allow the sundial to cast a shadow.  Rectangular mounds near Holyrood Palace are the remnants of the foundations and walls of Holyrood Abbey's eastern end and associated monastic buildings. These visible earthworks and stone outlines mark where the choir, transepts, and possibly other abbey structures once stood, extending eastward from the ruined nave you still see today. The mounds correspond to the original footprint of the medieval abbey, built in the 12th century by David I, and evidence suggests they may also include graves, chapels, or the abbey house itself. From the palace grounds, we could see clear views of the hills in Holyrood Park.

Holyrood Park is a 650-acre Royal park just east of Holyrood Palace that is known for its dramatic hills, steep crags, picturesque lochs, grassy meadows, and an extinct volcano called Arthur’s Seat that is the highest point in Edinburgh at almost 825 feet. We had planned to hike around the park and climb to the top of Arthur’s Seat during our 7-day stay in Edinburgh.  Unfortunately, there was a huge bush fire in Arthur’s Seat just a few weeks before our trip and much of the park was closed.

We checked daily on the status of the closures but they did not reopen by the time we had to leave the city.  We had one last chance to visit the park on the last day of our trip (22 days later), when we would return to Edinburgh to fly home the next morning.  Arthur’s seat was still not accessible but we could at least walk around other areas in the park.  We arrived back in Edinburgh around mid afternoon, but when we arrived at the main parking lot at Queen’s Drive at the top of the park, we found the entrance blocked. Feeling defeated, we decided to give up and proceed to Sheep’s Heid Inn for an early meal. Once we parked the car by the restaurant, we realized that we were very close to the bottom of the park and might be able to walk in from there. As we strolled in that direction, we found that access to Duddingston Low Road was also blocked, but there was a long, steep staircase that would allow us to finally access Holyrood Park. Climbing for what felt like for forever while passing through grassy slopes and rocky areas, we arrived up to a plateau.

Luckily, there was a bench at the top of the stairs and we gratefully sat there to rest while taking in the spectacular view of the city below.  As expected, the path leading up to Arthur’s Seat was still blocked, now over 5 weeks after the fire.  Although the flames had been extinguished, there was still danger of falling rocks and crews were still assessing the damage.  Unable to complete our originally planned circuit of the park up to Arthur’s Seat, we instead headed clockwise along Queen’s Drive which runs in a circle around the outer edges of the park.

While making this trek, we saw people heading towards and standing at the top of what was probably Crow Hill.  Had we been able to get here at the beginning of our trip as we first hoped, or even if it wasn’t so late in the day before we could finally get into the park, we might have considered making this climb.  But by now we were exhausted and worried about the prospect of rain and darkness, so we just admired the hill from afar and continued on our way.

We had some nice views as we passed Dunsapie Loch, which is an artificial reservoir created in 1844.  Small waterfowl were swimming in the water and rocky outcrops of volcanic and sedimentary geology including Dunsapie Hill could be seen in the distance.  Continuing along, we reached Margaret’s Loch and from there we spotted the ruins of St.Anthony’s Chapel which was likely built in the early 15th century.  We were debating whether or not we had time to hike up the hill to reach the ruins for a closer look when the skies darkened and it started to rain.

This made our decision easier and we counted our blessings to have made it this far in our quest to visit Holyrood Park since it was looking hopeless just a few hours ago.  We turned around and retraced our steps, continuing to enjoy the vistas.  Descending back down the stairs was much easier although the big wide steps still were a challenge for my short legs.  We were gratified to pass a much younger man as he made the climb that we had completed earlier and noted that even he was huffing and puffing.  It is too bad that we were not able to explore more of Holyrood Park including access to Arthur's seat (which finally reopened on October 19) but I'm glad that we were able to get a taste of the beauty of the surroundings.

We rewarded ourselves with dinner at Sheep’s Heid Inn, which is the reputed to be the oldest licensed eatery in Edinburgh, dating back to 1360.  The inn had many royal visitors in the past including Mary Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Queen Elizabeth II as well as famous literary figures such as Robbie Burns and Sir Walter Scott.  Theories about the etymology of name of the inn include its history of serving a sheep’s head dish (no longer on the menu!) or the story that King James VI presented the owner with a ram’s head snuff box.  Today, the place is decorated with the heads of rams mounted on the wall and there is a plaque commemorating Queen Elizabeth II’s last visit.  From the gastropub menu, we started with pan-fried scallops served with crispy prosciutto, roast butternut, wild garlic salsa verde, and crispy sage, as well as beef croquettes with a horseradish sauce.  For our main course, I had the signature dish of slow-cooked pork belly, pork fillet wrapped in prosciutto, roasted apple ketchup, dauphinoise potato, broccoli, and a rich gravy.  Rich went for the Scottish favorite of Chicken Balmoral, which is a chicken breast stuffed with haggis, then wrapped in bacon and served with a whisky or peppercorn sauce, all on top of a bed of mashed potato and broccolini on the side.  He ordered the same dish at Last Drop Inn on our first day in Edinburgh and liked it so much that he wanted to have it again.  We ended the meal by sharing a sticky toffee pudding. 

Then Rich had a surprise for me.  He asked the waitress whether we could take a peek at Skittles Alley, Scotland’s oldest surviving bowling alley dating back to 1880, which was found at the back of the restaurant.  Skittles is a traditional pub game similar to bowling where players knock down skittles pins by rolling a wooden ball down an alley.  Skittles consists of 9 wooden pins arranged in a diamond shape with a smaller, lighter ball that has no holes.  The lane is shorter and narrower than a contemporary bowling alley.  The Skittle’s Alley at Sheep’s Heid can be rented for private functions.

2025 Scotland: Edinburgh - Royal Mile, St. Giles Cathedral

Dating back to the 12th century, the “Royal Mile” is an important 1.81km stretch of road aptly named because it spans the distance between Edinburgh Castle (the military fortress on Castle Rock) to the west and Palace of Holyroodhouse (the royal residence at the foot of Holyrood Park) to the east, with many historic sites in between.  Interestingly, that distance of 1.81km, known as a “Scots mile”, is based on an obsolete Medieval unit of measure which is longer than the “statute mile” of 1.609km that became the standard of measurement worldwide in the 19th century.

The Royal Mile is made of multiple streets including Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, Canongate and Abbey Strand leading up to Palace of HolyroodHouse and Queen’s Drive leading to Holyrood Park.  Even today, it is an important thoroughfare traversing through Edinburgh’s Old Town with shops and restaurants interspersed amongst notable landmarks including St.Giles Cathedral, John Knox House, Museum of Edinburgh and the Scottish Parliament Building.  It remains a hub for major cultural events including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

The Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo is an internationally renowned annual event held for 23 days in August during the same weeks as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh International Festival (music, opera, dance, theatre), as well as Art, Book, and Film festivals, resulting in over 4 million tourists descending on the city at the same time.  Dating back to 1950, the Tattoo is a huge nightly spectacle of military precision and pageantry consisting of about 1000 performers including military bands with bagpipers, drummers, dancers and cultural troupes from around the world.  The performances are held in in front of Edinburgh Castle in a grand Esplanade which is about half the size of a football field with grandstand seating on three sides. The performances start at 9pm and run until around 11pm with a grand finale involving fireworks and a drone show which we caught sight of in front of our Grassmarket apartment one night.

To conclude the show, the “Tattoo March End” involves a grand exit of the military bands as they parade out of Edinburgh Castle onto the Royal Mile, along Castlehill, up to the start of Lawnmarket and then circling down Johnston Terrace before dispersing.  Crowds start to gather around 10pm and wait for up to an hour for the chance to watch this final march.  We happened to exit from our Fringe Festival show one evening around that time and scored a prime viewing spot near Ensign Ewart Pub.  Although it was a long, chilly wait, this was a great way to experience this revered Scottish tradition for free, as opposed to up to £450 for a ticket to the show!!  Even better, the 5-minute parade and 2 minutes of bagpipe music was more than sufficient for my taste.  No offense to the Scots, but this is not my favourite musical genre.  We did feel sorry for the apartment dwellers along the route who experienced this loud serenade each night for 23 evenings.

Located on High St., St Giles Cathedral was originally founded in 1124 as a parish church and dedicated to Saint Giles, the patron saint of beggars, lepers and the disabled.  In the 14th-15th centuries, it was turned into a grand, Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral, adding naves, chapels, a choir and the iconic crown-shaped spire.  When Reformist leader John Knox became the first Protestant minister of St. Giles in 1559 during the Scottish Reformation, he stripped the cathedral of its Roman Catholic decorations, removing stained glass windows, altars, statues and the organ.  In the 19th and 20th centuries, the interior was restored to its former glory, adding back the removed elements and installing Victorian-styled stained-glass windows.  We took an extended guided tour of the cathedral to learn about the significant role that it played in Scottish history. A temporary exhibit was on display titled “First Burghers: Revealing the Lives and Hidden Faces of Edinburgh’s Medieval Citizens”.  Large plaques showcased the results of scientific research on skeletons excavated from the Cathedral grounds including facial reconstructions and DNA analysis.

A small section in the cathedral dubbed “Writer’s Corner” is dedicated to notable Scottish writers with plaques memorializing them.  Robert Fergusson (1750-1774) was a Scottish poet who helped revive the use of vernacular (ordinary speaking) language in Scottish writing.  He was a great influence for Robbie Burns, who commissioned and paid for Fergusson’s tombstone in Canongate Kirkyard.  Dr John Brown (1810-1882) was a physician and writer known for essays on art, medicine and famous lives. John Stuart Blackie (1809-1895) wrote extensively on a variety of topics including politics, religion, Greek Literature and Scottish heritage. Prolific novelist Margaret Oliphant (1828-1897) is the only female represented in Writer’s Corner after publishing more than 100 books and biographical works, continuing her writing until close to her death.  Perhaps the most famous writer honoured in writer’s corner is Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) who wrote classics including Treasure Island, Kidnapped and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.  He has the largest and most elaborate bronze frieze depicting his full body reclined on a chaise lounge.  Our tour guide thought it was debatable whether he holds a pen or cigarette in his right hand.

Surprisingly, there is not a plaque honouring Robbie Burns (1752-1796) in the Writer’s Corner.  Instead, a beautiful stained-glass window by Icelandic artist Leifur Breidfjörd was installed in 1985 as a tribute to Scotland’s national poet.  The window reflects major themes in Burn’s poetry including greenery from the natural world in the lower section, depictions of people of different races in the middle representing humanity, and love at the top with the imagery of a sunburst that also resembles a red flower.  A blue, flowery decorative screen at the base of the Robbie Burns window is by the same artist.

Other stained-glass windows in the cathedral depict historical events or religious scenes but were mostly created in the 19th and 20th centuries since John Knox had ordered all stained-glass windows to be removed, deeming them to be frivolous and distracting.  The Regent Moray window was created in 1881 by James Ballantine & Son.  It portrays scenes from the 1570 assassination of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray and regent of King James VI, as well as scenes of his funeral presided by John Knox.  In the north transept, a vividly hued and relatively modern window by Douglas Strachan (1922) depicts Christ Calming the Sea of Galilee, bringing peace to his disciples during a violent storm.  The style and composition of this window contain more dynamic movement and emotion than the older windows from the previous century.  The 1886 window by Edward Burne-Jones depicts Joshua and the Israelites crossing the Jordan River and female figures from the Old Testament while the 19th century Saints Window (again by Ballantine & Sons) depicts important saints including St. Andrew, St. Cuthbert, St. Margaret and St. Giles.

During our guided tour of St. Giles Cathedral, we learned much about the history of Scotland as we viewed the various elaborate tombs and sculptures.  This included the tombs of the Marquis of Argyll and Marquis of Montrose who were on opposite sides of the Covenanters’ War.  Argyll supported the Covenanters, Presbyterianism and the Scottish Parliament while Montrose was a royalist who supported the monarchy.  Montrose was hanged and dismembered in 1650 by the Scottish Parliament while Argyll was beheaded in 1661 after the Restoration of the monarchy under King Charles II.  A six-foot tall bronze sculpture commemorates John Knox who had such an influence on St. Giles Cathedral.  In addition to banning stained-glass windows, he also got rid of the organ and other church musical instruments from Scottish churches because he said there was no mention of them in the bible.  Organs did not return until the 19th century. The current organ was built in 1992 by Austrian firm Rieger Orgelbau and resembles a ship’s prow.  The cathedral had a pair of bells on display including one that was on the battleship HMS Howe until 1957.  A musical bell that hung from the St. Giles belfry dates back to 1699 and was rumoured to come from one of the ships of the Spanish Armada.

The highlight of St.Giles Cathedral is the ornate, Gothic Revival styled Thistle Chapel.  It was built in 1911 as the private chapel for the Order of Thistle, the most ancient and noble chivalric order in Scotland dating back to 1687.   The space is small at 18 feet wide by 37 feet long, but its height soars up to 42.5 feet with exquisite decorative wood carvings and intricate stone and metal work that reflect the craftsmanship of the Arts and Crafts movement. Stained-glass windows are designed with heraldic arms and an image of Saint Andrew as a fisherman flanked by angels.  The vaulted sandstone ceiling features floral-like decorative knobs or bosses, and carvings of symbolic and religious imagery including the Royal arms of Scotland, a pelican which is the Christian symbol of Sacrifice, and St. Giles the patron saint of the chapel, as well as angels holding shields that display the coats of arms of the original knights from the Order of Thistle.

At the East end of the chapel is a wooden altar with the emblem of the Paschal Lamb, representing Christ, holding a flag emblazed with St. Andrew’s cross.  At the other end is the Sovereign’s stall which is reserved for the reigning monarch (currently King Charles III) during ceremonies of the Order of the Thistle. It is decorated with an elaborate canopy with a 33-foot spire featuring carvings of coats of arms, swords, statues, heraldic motifs, thistles and Scottish symbolism. The base displays heraldic shields and ornamentation linked to the Sovereign and the Order.  There are eight oak stalls lining either side of the Sovereign’s stall, one for each of the 16 knights and ladies that are currently part of the Order of the Thistle.  The arms of each stall have wooden animals carved on them, representing the coats of arms of the original knights.  Above each current knight’s stall is an ornate canopy crowned by more modest spires holding the coronet, helm and crest of that knight, representing his coat of arms.  Other members of the royal family are members of the order, including Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince William. Non-royal members include Scottish judge Lord Hope of Craighead, who has a crest displaying two fists, a globe and rainbow symbolizing hope and global perspective, and an anchor signifying hope, stability and steadfastness.  Baron Wood of Anfield is a Scottish businessman with interests in oil and shipping industries.  Hist crest features a ship and nautical motifs. Wood and stone carvings of angels playing bagpipes are found throughout the chapel.

The area surrounding St.Giles Cathedral is full of historic significance.  The Heart of Midlothian Mosaic is a stone mosaic shaped like a heart that marks the former location of the Old Tolbooth and jail where executions took place.  Today, locals spit on the heart for good luck.  The original Mercat Cross was created in 1365 and acted as a central point for commerce, civic gatherings, royal processions and public proclamations.  It was demolished in 1756 to make way for traffic on High Street. A new cross was built in its current location in Parliament Square in 1885 where it continues to stand today. The current Victorian era cross includes a tall column topped by a unicorn holding a Scottish flag, representing the Scottish monarch.  At its base is an octagonal pedestal decorated with royal arms of Britain, Scotland, England and Ireland.  Several monumental sculptures can be found near the Cathedral including ones honouring philosopher and historian David Hume, economist Adam Smith who authored The Wealth of Nations, and Sir Walter Scott.

During our stay in Edinburgh, we learned the difference between a “Wynd”, which was an ungated thoroughfare open to the public, versus a “Close”, which historically was a narrow, gated, private passageway leading to residential tenements, courtyards or markets, providing access routes between living quarters and commercial areas. There are still many closes throughout the Old Town in Edinburgh with plaques identifying their original names.  Some of the closes still have their locked gates leading to residential buildings or private courtyards.  But most of the gates are gone (or left open) so that the passageways are now open for the public to use as access paths to other streets, markets or parks.

The steep alleyway of Advocate’s Close’s consists of a long set of steps that connects the Royal Mile down to Market Street near Cockburn St.  From the Royal Mile entrance, you get a stunning view of Scott’s Monument.  Dunbar’s Close was originally named for writer David Dunbar who owned the 18th century tenement buildings that eventually fell into disrepair.  In the 1970s, it was decided to turn the land behind this close into a peaceful 17th-century styled garden with a series of knot gardens separated by yew hedges and walking paths.  Some of the closes have beautiful decorative designs on the grates above their entrances.  The Panmure Close is adorned with pretty red metal flowers while the Old Fishmarket Close, which leads to Cowgate pass the location of a former fish market, is aptly decorated with metal fish. The decoration above Paisley Close has a tragic backstory.  It once led to a series of residential tenements including a seven-story building that collapsed in 1861 killing half of the 77 residents and injuring most of the others.  A 12-year-old boy named Joseph McIvor miraculously survived beneath the rubble and a sculpture of his face sits at the top of the archway of the close.

The most famous close in Edinburgh is Mary King’s Close which has been turned into a tourist attraction accessible only via guided tours.  Formerly Alexander King’s Close, named after a prominent lawyer who owned the series of residential tenements in the late 1500s, the close was renamed for Mary King (no relation) after her death in 1644.  Mary King moved into the tenements as a widow in 1629 and made a name for herself as a respected resident, businesswoman and fabric merchant.  In 1753, the area was taken over by the new Royal Exchange, which was partially built on top of the tenements. While the more affluent residents such as merchants, lawyers and tradesmen moved out, the poor could not afford to leave and continued to live and work underground until the passageways were permanently closed and sealed up in 1902.  The close was excavated and restored in the early 2000s and opened as “The Real Mary King’s Close” in 2003.  The attraction offers guided tours of the underground network of streets and alleys in the close, led by costumed interpreters who play the roles of former residents to convey the history of life in the close.

Our guide led us down a long flight of stairs to get to the remnants of the old tenements.  We learned more about the life of Mary King and her business as a fabric merchant as well as other representative residents through the use of costumed holograms that told their stories.  The various guides mimicked the process of human waste disposal which was tossed out onto narrow alleyways with a shout of “garde de loo”.  We learned about the plague doctor who wore masks with long beaks that were meant to protect them from the germs believed to be in the air, then went into a room where there were mannequins representing a family of plague victims with lances and boils and overrun with rats.  Another room was said to be haunted by Annie, a little girl who had died of the plague.  Visitors have taken to leaving her toys and coins in a shrine that is piled against a wall. Towards the end of the tour, we were allowed to peek into a room that still had the original green wallpaper but were not allowed inside because the wallpaper contained arsenic.  While the Mary King’s Close tour was quite touristy and gimmicky, it did give us the opportunity to see the alleyways and tenement ruins of a 16th-century close.

Tron Kirk was commissioned by King Charles I and built in 1647, serving as a place of worship until 1952. After being unused for the decades that followed, in 2022 it was turned into the Tron Kirk Market where vendors could sell a curated selection of Scottish-made goods and local crafts.  It was a fun experience to shop underneath massive stained-glass windows.  The house known as “John Knox House” was built in 1470 and is one of the oldest surviving Medieval buildings in Edinburgh.  Despite its name, John Knox only stayed there for a few months during the siege of Edinburgh Castle between 1559-1560 but is rumoured to have died there. The house was actually owned by Mariota Arres and her husband John Mossman, as reflected by the Mossman family coat of arms above the entrance.  A sundial depicts Moses receiving the light of God on Mount Sinai.  Today, part of the building is used for the Scottish Storytelling Centre whose purpose is to preserve and share Scotland’s oral storytelling tradition and cultural heritage.  In front of John Knox House is the Fountain Well, built in 1675 and one of the last surviving public cisterns or street wells that supplied drinking water to locals.

On Canongate, which is the last long stretch of the Royal Mile before reaching Holyrood Park, we came across several interesting sights.  The Museum of Edinburgh holds artifacts of local history tracing the story of the city from its origins to present day.  Some of the highlights include the original copy of the National Covenant of 1638 and models of the old town around Canongate at the end of the 16th century.  I was intrigued by the set of porcelain Toby mugs depicting Allied World War I leaders including David Lloyd George, Douglas Haig, and King George V. Of course, the infamous dog Grey Friars Bobby was represented with descriptive writeups, a sculpture, etching and his bowl and collar. There is a life-sized sculpture of poet Robert Fergusson outside of Canongate Church, honouring his library contributions.  We had also seen a memorial plaque dedicated to him in the Writer’s Corner of St. Giles Cathedral.

Tolbooth Tavern is a traditional Scottish pub established in 1820.  It resides in part of a historic 1591 building that was the Canongate Tolbooth where tolls were collected from travelers entering the burgh of Canongate.  It was also used as a courthouse, jail, the old town hall and a meeting place for the town council.  The building features a notable clock added in 1884.  In another part of the historic building resides the “People’s Story Museum” which is dedicated to the lives of the working class from 18th to late 20th century.  Just at the base of the hills of Holyrood Park is the Scottish Parliament building, with contemporary architecture that is a stark contrast to all the older buildings that we passed by on the Royal Mile. Completed in 2004, it is a campus of interconnected buildings designed to reflect Scottish landscape.  Made from granite, Scottish oak, sandstone, concrete, glass and steel, it features undulating roofs inspired by local hills, angular windows and interesting facades including the “Canongate Wall” which is imbedded with stones from across Scotland, each engraved with important quotes from Scottish writers and parliament, as well as a map-like depiction of all the Parliament buildings. The “Crags Wall” is designed to evoke the volcanic cliffs of Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park.  This complex is open for public tours and it is too bad that we didn’t have enough time to take one or explore more on our own.

2025 Scotland: Edinburgh Museums

Edinburgh is home to several large and comprehensive National museums and art galleries which are sponsored by the Scottish government, making access free to the public (other than for entry to special exhibits).  While we watched Fringe shows in the late afternoon and evening, during the mornings we visited museums.  Our first visit was to the Scottish National Gallery, which is Edinburgh’s major art gallery, known for its world-class collection of European masterpieces and Scottish works from the late 14th century through to 1945.

To prepare for this visit, we watched videos on the museum’s website about some of their most iconic works. It was therefore quite thrilling to finally see them in person. Robert Burn’s stunning oil on canvas painting titled “The Hunt” (1926) depicts three female figures running through an exotic jungle with gold and black jaguars at their sides while birds and even a monkey peek out from the foliage. The Art Nouveau-styled panel was used as decoration for Crawford’s Tea Rooms on Princes St.  "The Vision of the Sermon" (1888) is probably Paul Gauguin’s most famous painting that is not based on life in the South Pacific. It depicts Breton women, dressed in regional garb, listening to a sermon by a priest who has Gauguin’s features. In the top left corner is the vision of Jacob wrestling with an angel, a biblical story reflecting the struggle between the flesh and the spirit. Most interesting is the perspective as the women are mostly shown from the back and sides. Henry Raeburn’s “The Skating Minister” (circa 1795) is considered a highlight of the collection. It was used on the gallery’s promotional materials when they acquired it in 1949. The painting depicts the esteemed Reverend Robert Walker, a senior minister of Canongate Kirk, unexpectedly captured in a carefree, whimsical moment in mid stride while he skates on a pond with faint mountains in greys and pinks in the background. The painting has become an emblem of Scottish art and culture, is found on a variety of trinkets and is often spoofed. 

One of the most impressive works on display is Phoebe Anna Traquair’s set of four life-sized panels of embroidered silk and gold on linen, titled "Progress of a Soul" (1895-1902). The four panels allegorically illustrate the spiritual journey of a human soul, represented by the depiction of a young man dressed in animal skin. The man starts full of hope and enthusiasm but then struggles with strife and temptation until he is overcome with despair. But the final panel shows his triumphant rebirth and salvation, embraced by an angel leading him to eternal life.

As much as I enjoyed the highlights, my two favourite pieces were part of an exhibition titled “A Point in Time – the 1920s” which reflected Scottish art’s take on the European avant-garde movement of the period, with stylized depictions that were seen as both innovative and brazen. I loved the vibrant colours of William McCance’s “Portrait of Joseph Brewer” (1925) where an employee at the Spectator magazine is depicted in a robotic fashion with metallic-like skin tones while his act of reading a book humanizes him.  The background consists of sharp lines and geographic shapes and I found the whole effect so striking. I was also taken by Eric Robertson’s Cartwheels (1920) depicting a woman performing cartwheels on a Scottish mountain above a loch.  The portrayal of motion and kinetic energy seems very Art Deco and reminds me of Giacomo Balla’s famous painting of a dog wagging its tail.  Antonio Canova’s beautiful Neoclassical marble sculpture of the Three Graces (Zeus’ daughters representing mirth, elegance and beauty, 1815) is perfectly framed by round archways and highlighted by the red walls in the gallery where it resides.  I also liked El Greco’s “An Allegory” where a boy kindling a flame might represent sexual arousal, the monkey on his shoulder symbolizing vice, and grinning man next to him representing folly. I was first drawn to the contrast of light and dark and the eerie feeling of this painting.

In general, I like artworks that tell a story, so I was delighted to come across an entire section dedicated to this.  There was a smaller subsection section showcasing depictions of scenes from works of William Shakespeare including Sir Joseph Noel Paton’s painting of the “Quarrel of Oberon and Titania” (1849) from Midsummer’s Night Dream.  Near by, William Dyce’s “Francesca da Rimini” (1837) reflects a scene from Dante’s Inferno, depicting the doomed love affair between Francesca and her brother-in-law while her jealous husband creeps near ready to murder the couple.  Unfortunately, part of painting was cut away in 1882 due to deterioration so only a disembodied hand remains at the left, although this actually makes the resulting work quite unique.  A folding screen (1867) painted by William Bell Scott depicts scenes from the King’s Quair, a 15th century poem said to be written by King James I of Scotland.  Each panel illustrates occurrences from the poem including King James writing his poem while imprisoned in England, spotting his future queen Lady Jane, asking the goddess Venus for advice, and receiving a carnation from Jane as a token of her love. Finally, the painting of a Scottish terrier named Callum has a humorous backstory.  Dog owner James Cown Smith commissioned John Emms to create the painting.  Upon Smith’s death, he bequeathed £52,257 pounds (over £2 million today) to the National Gallery, but only if the condition that the painting of his beloved pet be permanently displayed.  It is so much more fun and interesting to admire a painting that has a story attached to it.

I usually prefer art museums more than museums showing historic artifacts, which I envision to be cases full of broken pottery shards.  But the National Museum of Scotland was the exception and ended up being my favourite because of its vast, eclectic and fascinating collection. Even the building is unique as it is comprised of two parts.  The original Venetian Renaissance style Victorian Royal Museum was open in 1866 and offers 3 levels of exhibition space including a cast-iron Grand Gallery with an arched glass roof that can be viewed from balconies on each of the floors.  In 1998, a modern edition was added with a cylindrical tower for an entranceway, five stories of new exhibition space and a rooftop terrace designed by sculptor Andy Goldsworthy from which you can see stunning views of the city including Edinburgh Castle and the Scott Monument.

In 2016, renowned Lego artist Warren Elsmere created a model of the old and new sections of the National Museum, made out of 90,000 pieces of lego bricks.  It is viewable both from the outer facades and from the inside with some of the more iconic exhibits on display including a cast iron drinking fountain, the Fresnel lens from the InchKeith lighthouse, a T.Rex dinosaur and a Formula One race car.  Inside the actual new building addition, interesting architectural features include small chairs attached to the side of a staircase that allows people to rest on the large steps while small children (or me!) to sit on the side chairs beside them.

The Grand Gallery is a bright, naturally lit atrium which spans just about the entire length of the Victorian Royal Museum and has a glass dome ceiling topping all three levels of the exhibition space below.  The glass ceiling was inspired by London’s Crystal Palace and is supported by cast iron pillars.  Highlights of the museum displayed in the Grand Gallery include the actual Fresnel lens and drinking fountain that we saw in the Lego model.  The ornate, cast-iron drinking fountain, with a crane at the centre of its basin, is surrounded by an octagonal pagoda decorated with griffins.  It was made in the 1880s and was displayed at the 1888 International Exhibition.  A science and technology section found at one end of the Grand Gallery features several airplanes including a Piper Tomahawk and de Havilland Tiger Moth hanging from its ceiling, as well as the race car belonging to racer Jackie Stewart that we saw represented in the lego model.  At the other end of the Grand Gallery is a Wildlife and Nature section with taxidermy representations of aquatic and land animals hanging from the ceiling and in dioramas on the floor.  A highlight of this section is the preserved body of Dolly the Sheep, the first successfully cloned mammal who died in 2003.

The Millenium Clock is a 10-meter-tall kinetic clock created in 1999 that performs a choreographed sequence of light, sound and motion to the music of Bach’s Concerto in A Minor on the hour from 11am-4pm.  The clock is an intricate sculpture made of wood, metal and glass that is shaped as a cathedral spire with 4 sections—the Crypt, the Nave, the Belfry and the Spire.  At the base, the Crypt evokes a scene from Hell with an “Egyptian” monkey turning a wheel symbolizing the cycle of birth, death and rebirth while an imprisoned ancient spirit in chains represents suffering at the base level of society.  Moving upwards, the Nave contains kinetic sculptures depicting historic dictators such as Hitler and Stalin, highlighting the cruelty and atrocities committed by man.  In this section, a reflective pendulum swings while ridden by a skeleton, bells ring and lights flash and the figures tug on levers and pulleys.  The Belfry features twelve rotating carved figures known as “The Requiem” representing the twelve calendar months as well as hardships and tragedies suffered in the 20th century.  The figures include Hunger, Madness, Grief, the Holocaust, War camps and more.  Some of the figures are bound with chains or what looks like barbed wire.  At the top of the Spire is a Pietà representing hope for redemption while donkey heads ring bells at the base of the spire.  The clock both reflects sins and tragedy of the past while providing hope for future redemption.  Lasting several minutes per hour, the clock display is a highlight of the museum.

There are some fascinating historic artifacts in the collection that are considered highlights.  The Lewis Chessmen are Medieval chess pieces believed to have been made in Norway in the late 12th to early 13th centuries.  Carved from walrus ivory or sperm whale bone with a variety of emotive facial expressions, they were discovered on the Isle of Lewis (former Norwegian colony off the west coast of Scotland) in 1831.  From a total of 93 pieces, 82 are displayed at London’s British Museum while Scotland has 11 pieces.  Introduced in 1564 and dubbed “The Maiden”, Scotland’s first beheading machine was used for executions for over 150 years, replacing the previously used execution sword.  It was made of oak with a lead weight attached to allow the iron blade to fall quickly.  In 1836, a group of boys exploring a hidden cave in the north-eastern slopes of Arthur’s Seat (an inactive volcano in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh) came across 17 miniature pine coffins each containing a wooden doll dressed in detailed clothing.  The reason for these figures remains a mystery despite multiple unconfirmed theories.  Eight have survived and are on display in the museum.  Also on display is a copy of Scottish mystery writer Ian Rankin’s novel “The Fall” which includes a plot point about the figures, along with replica coffins created for a TV series based on the book.   We were impressed by the intricate detail found in the 1928 plaster cast replica of Mary Queen of Scots’ tomb including the ruffles and details in her gown.  It is life-size and to scale relative to the actual marble tomb which is in Westminster Abbey.

Another section of the museum was dedicated to fashion and design. I admired the frilly, flowery and elaborate hats on display even though I would never have the occasion to wear anything like them.  I wanted nothing to do with some of the shoes on display, which looked like the most uncomfortable footwear ever!  I had to look closely to see what was unique about a white silk dress with what seemed like writing on it.  Up close I could see that the dress designed by Phoebe English in 2020 was adorned with “care label” tags that are attached to clothing with washing/dry cleaning instructions.  Moving on the Jewelry section, even more unique was the beaded necklace made from puncturing holes into a vintage 19th century blue and white Delftware plate (2009).  I also admired the “Queen of the Night” tiara or neckpiece made from gold, moonstone and mother of pearl (1996).

In terms of decorative arts and design, there was a small exhibit dedicated to pottery created by Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau including a clay plate depicting one of Picasso’s favourite topics, bullfighting.  Other objects include “Book of the Sea”, Anne Petters’ beautiful work made from kiln-formed glass on a wooden stand that looks like delicate pages of an open book, but also like the foam from crashing waves of the sea (2019).  During COVID lockdowns, Veronika Fabian created a necklace made from parts of her own coffee maker.  Titled “Love Machine”, the work explores the solace she found from her daily cup of coffee during periods of isolation.  Several works were made from 3-D printing including an intricate orb-shaped pendant lamp.  There were many more interesting items to explore and we ended up spending significantly more time in this museum than originally planned.

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery has an impressive collection of portraits from the 14th Century to the current day in a variety of mediums including paintings, sculptures, drawings, etchings and photographs.  There are around 3000 paintings and sculptures, 25,000 prints and drawings and over 38,000 photographs representing both historical and modern Scottish personalities.  While the predictable highlights include images of iconic historical figures including Mary Queen of Scots, Winston Churchill, Robbie Burns, Sir Walter Scott, etc., their images are so ubiquitous that they weren’t very exciting to see again.  We were drawn to a portrait titled “A Young Skip”, especially after reading the back story of nine-year-old John Darg Laing with a raised broom calling for a curling shot.  The description goes on to reveal that John was killed in WWI at age 19 after his plane was shot down.  Rich really liked the painting depicting the execution of King Charles I, including a scene after the beheading where the executioner holds up the severed head while a woman in the foreground faints.

We were much more interested in viewing the Modern section featuring more current Scottish personalities.  Even though we did not recognize most of the people in the portraits, it was fascinating to see the how they were depicted, especially when creating self-portraits.  There were several portraits of current Scottish celebrities that we did recognize.  A whimsical oil painting of Tilda Swinton titled “Red and Unread” (2002-4) was created by her former partner John Byrne.  It depicts a red-headed Swinton sitting on a big pile of scripts that she had turned down while her foot is on a smaller pile that she had completed.  Byrne also painted a portrait of actor and comedian Billy Connolly (2002) depicting him at various points in his career with details including a kilt with a buckle emblazed with Connolly’s nickname “Big Yin”, and Banana Boots from his 1970s routines. John Bellany’s (1986) painting of Sean Connery in a colourful golf shirt from Belmont Golf Club is interesting since his head seems disproportionately small compared to his body. An irreverent oil painting of actor Alan Cummings (2014) by Christian Hook portrays Cummings wearing a kilt around his neck made from the tartan of the Scottish Independence “Yes” Campaign while his bare legs stretched out.  A jar labeled “Honey” is a tribute to Cummings beloved dog Honey who had recently passed away.  A (2020) photograph of Rwandan Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa just pops from afar in his striking bright yellow suit.  The actor is known for his role in the Netflix show Sex Education and debuted as the 15th Doctor Who in 2023.

Some of the portraits that I liked despite not being familiar with the subject include a regal 2018 painting of singer Emeli Sandé that has elements of abstract expressionism in the purple hues chosen for her face and cubism in the depiction of her cheeks and hair.  Singer/Songwriter Horse McDonald sang her best-known song “Careful” during the sitting for her 2019 portrait and artist Roxana Halls captured her vibe, mannerisms and movements.  The colours in the background seem to reflect the mood of the music being performed.  Even more interesting was seeing how artists portray themselves in self-portraits.  Painter William Crosbie depicts himself contemplating a surrealistic painting, revealing his interest in the art style (1941).   Barbara Balmer’s 1995 self-portrait on a “Frosty Friday” depicts a closeup of her barely exposed face, mostly covered by a hat and high-neck jacket.  The muted colours of this painting, her calm demeanor and the focus on her eyes make this image distinctive.  George Alexander Doulas Haig, the 2nd Earl Haig’s 1988 self-portrait depicts himself standing with a paint brush and paint palette with the Eildon Hills behind him.  He started painting when he was a prisoner of war during WWII.

Although most portraits are of a single person, there are works in this museum that depict multiple people.  Two examples of this were paintings hung adjacent to each other.  Looking at them head on, to the left was “Last Supper in Footdee” by Joyce Cairns (1989) depicting an imaged dinner party at her home, portraying herself with 9 people from her life dressed in costumes, plus Tigger the cat and a disembodied hand with a striped sleeve representing an anonymous 12th person that seems reminiscent of the painting we saw earlier at the National Gallery.  The pale almost ghoulish faces remind me of something German painter Otto Dix might create.  Across from this painting is one called “Poet’s Pub” by Alexander Moffat (1980) that depicts Scottish poets and writers from mid to late 1900s, none that I had heard of, but I liked the colours and the composition.  One of the most interesting yet eerie portraits is titled “Three Oncologists” by Ken Currie (2002) depicting cancer specialists from Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee.  They are painted in a ghostly manner to reflect the emotional and psychological aspects of their work in cancer treatment.  Finally, “Rescue Party, Kilmun Street” (1941) does not seem to be a portrait of anyone specific but may have warranted inclusion in the gallery because it was painted by James Bond author Ian Fleming detailing an incident while he was a police officer during WWII.

As much as the portraits were interesting to see, the real star of this museum is the architecture and magnificent splendor of the Great Hall that was part of the Portrait Gallery building designed by Sir Robert Anderson between 1885-1890.  As you enter on the ground floor, you are presented with a series of arches held up by columns topped by a stunning wrap-around frieze with a gold and gesso background on which a procession of 155 figures from history including clergy, monarchy, politicians, military leaders, writers and artists.  They are depicted chronologically from Stone Age man to Saint Ninian (the first Christian missionary 360AD) through to essayist and historian Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) with important figures like Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, John Knox, Sir Walter Scott, Robbie Burns, Sir Henry Raeburn and more.  The walls on the second floor boast a series of large-scale murals painted in late Victorian and Edwardian styles which depict famous events in Scottish history.

From this upper floor, we can also get a closer look at the individual figures represented in the procession.  The frieze was created by William Brassey Hole, who also painted the large murals.  Seeing the details of all the individual figures makes this work even more impressive.  There are marble busts along the window ledges including ones of Sir Walter Scott and artist Phoebe Anna Traquair, one of the few females represented.  More busts are found in a Victorian library that visitors can use for study and research with books and journals dating from the 19th century to present day.

Of the four National museums that we visited in Edinburgh, the least interesting for me was the Modern Art Museums.  Dubbed Modern 1 and Modern 2, I thought this would be the largest collection that we would see since it spanned two buildings.  But it turned out that Modern 2 only housed a rather pricey paid special exhibit that we were not keen on.  So, we were left with Modern 1 which was relatively small and felt repetitive since a large section contained portraits that were too reminiscent of the Portrait Gallery.  What I liked best about Modern 1 was the cool, swirly sculptural landform in front of the museum, that was designed by landscape architect Charles Jencks.  Consisting of a serpentine mound accessed via a circular path with three crescent-shaped pools of water in the middle, this serene landscape that you can walk on was the most beautiful work that I found at this museum.  I also liked some of the outdoor sculptures including a bronze by Eduardo Paolozzi titled Master of the Universe (1989) which shows scientist Sir Isaac Newton bent over with a measuring instrument.  The sculpture is based on a famous work by William Blake.  We also unexpectedly came across one of Antony Gormley’s six cast iron figures based on the artist’s own body.  This one depicts a man down only to his torso and it is made to appear like the figure is rising up out of the ground.  The set of six sculptures are known as SIX TIMES and we would find one more later in the day when we walked part of the “Water of Leith Walkway”.

I was disappointed that there were not more sculptures on display inside the Modern 1 Museum as I was hoping for large-scale, brightly coloured pop art installations like those we experienced at other Contemporary art galleries around the world.  The limited sculptures on display were created by French artist Louise Bourgeois and British artist Helen Chadwick as part of a temporary exhibit called Artist Rooms that highlights the works of selected artists.  In one of Bourgeois’ rooms was a giant bronze Spider sculpture (1994) with an “egg sac” filled with rocks.  Bourgeois associates the spider motif with motherhood and her own mother since she sees them both as “repairers”.  Another room had an untitled installation made up of items of her own clothing plus bones (from a cow) and tubular objects made from rubber and fabric that are meant to resemble body parts.  The work is supposed to reflect the aging body.  Helen Chadwick’s installation, made with her partner David Notarius was called “Piss Flowers” (1991) since they were literally made from urinating on piles of snow in flower-shaped moulds that were then filled with plaster to form floral sculptures.  They documented their process with black and white photos.

I was immediately drawn to Kenyan British artist Michael Armitage’s work, painted on a Ugandan Lubugo bark cloth, since I recognized the homage to Gaugain’s Vision of a Sermon which we saw at the National Gallery.  The fuzzy image resembling Jacob Wrestling the Angel is represented in the same location of the painting, but instead of Breton women, there are African dancers performing a ritual Tanzanian Baikoko dance on the right and other figures with their backs turned away instead of looking forward at the action.  The work is titled "Nasema Nawe" (2016) which is Swahili for “I say to you”.  Armitage’s works blend East African landscapes with commentaries on social inequities, violence and politics.  Another interesting piece was “The Order of Desire” (2022) by Frieda Jaegar which combines oil painting with Indigenous Mexican embroidery techniques.  A painting of a car dashboard with items such as a cell phone cable, candy wrappers, lipstick and a scrunchie (representing consumerism) is adorned with beautifully embroidered plants and flowers forming an unconventional still life.  Jaegar also reflects on what objects are considered masculine vs. feminine.

I spent a long time carefully inspecting all the details of Grayson Perry’s “The American Dream” (2020).  This is a colour etching on paper that channels old 1950s Cold War propaganda maps warning of communist threats.  In this version which satirizes the current polarized cultural landscape of United States, the god-like “Big Brother” is a representation of Mark Zuckerberg’s face, commenting on social media’s power to fuel conflict, outrage and division.  Red arrows emanating from this face represent the negative emotions generated from doom-scrolling including fear, alienation, resentment, anger, remorse, and so forth.  These arrows lead to vehicles including war planes, battleships and helicopters labeled with buzzwords and catch phrases such as “Climate Change”, “Black Lives Matter”, “White Privilege”, “Baby Boomers”, “Free Speech”, “Animal Rights”, etc.  There is so much to look at and absorb in this work.

Although we found the Modern museum a bit underwhelming, we were thrilled to discover the Water of Leith Walkway right next to it and decided to explore.  The Water of Leith is the main river traversing through central Edinburgh.  It is 24 miles long, starting from Pentland Hills in the south, then flowing north-east through Edinburgh before emptying into the Firth of Forth, which is a narrow inlet of the North Sea.  The Walkway is a public treelined footpath that runs 12 miles along the river, passing by the Modern Museum and the village of Dean (where we saw the Dean Cemetery) within Edinburgh.  Five more of Antony Gormley’s sculptures were found along the river but only one was close enough for us to come across.  It was thrilling to spot the full-body sculpture standing in still water with a raging waterfall nearby.  The Walkway was serene and passed under bridges and by an athletic complex where people were playing Padel as well as some tennis courts. What a wonderful getaway from the hustle and bustle of Old Town Edinburgh, especially during the Fringe Festival.  This unexpected find became one of the highlights of our stay in Edinburgh.