The kirkyards of Old Town

For some reason in the past couple of days, I decided to check out the two major cemeteries, or if we want to be all Scottish about it, kirkyards of Edinburgh's Old Town. 'Kirk' is an old word for church, used pretty regularly in Scotland. Since I haven't had classes to attend or anywhere in particular to be, I've been trying to make time for strolls outside when the weather is fair. I breezed through (quite literally) the churchyard at Canongate (the first set of photos below) on one of the windiest days I've yet been outside for. The sun was out for the first time in a couple of days, and I was bound and determined to make the most of it. Even if my fingers were frozen by the time I was finished taking photos! Probably the most famous person interred here is economist Adam Smith, author of Wealth of Nations.



And the rest are from Greyfriars. There is something so peaceful about cemeteries, and in these very historic ones, a heightened air of mystery as well. Some of the grave stones are marvelous, but pretty major deterioration over the years is also evident. And in some cases kind of surprising; there are a lot of toppled, broken, or totally missing gravestones and sculptures. On some of the larger tombs, statues' heads are missing or decorative elements are broken off. But I guess... what does one expect in a cemetery founded in the 16th century? Greyfriars has been somewhat revitalized by a community gardening project, with various kinds of plant beds spread throughout the churchyard. In the springtime I imagine it will be beautiful. It's useful, educational and... well, interesting! I mean, why not?

Greyfriars is famous for, as you may have heard, Greyfriars Bobby. There's a statue outside on the street of a little dog who, legend has it, stood guard over his owner's grave for fourteen years. His story was even made into a Disney movie back in 1961.





I, for one, can't wait until the sun is higher in the sky than that at noon ;)

Cheers!
Kate x