Why it takes forever...

Any hardcore Harry Potter fan who visits Edinburgh surely knows about The Elephant House, where JK Rowling is known to have written a bit of her famous series. A large number of cafes and coffee shops like to boast that JK Rowling wrote some of the books in their shop... only a small number of these are actually legit, The Elephant House being one of them. But aside from some photos on the wall, showing her in the shop after the fact, you don't get a very Potteresque vibe about the place, really. You wouldn't even know it's anything very unique in that sense, aside from the fact that more tourists stand outside to take pictures of the front than any other place along that street. You do, however, have to go into the bathrooms. It's here the real power of the Harry Potter pilgrimaging fandom comes out. And it takes forever, if you actually have to use the toilet, because just about anyone in there has to take the time to write a message, or at the very least read them. Or take photos of them. ;)

I love that they are so varied. Many of them are just quotes from the books. Some of them are professions of love for Ron or Harry. Some of them are humorous, and some of them are heartfelt notes of thanks. Like one that read, 'The boy who lived gave me courage to go on living. Thanks JR!' or 'You are our childhood!' I love these messages. I admit to not being a ginormous HP fan (my sisters sure are) but I have read the books and I really enjoy the tale. The Elephant House is a study spot for me because their cafe is nice, the views out the windows wonderful, and the coffee tasty, but I'll never tire of these magnificent bathroom walls. So be sure, if ever you stop in for a tea or a scone (their bakery is quite good) then you should remember to leave your mark in the loo.

Cheers,
Kate xx

St. Andrews Day Weekend: Hello, Holyrood!

Yesterday (30 November) was St. Andrew's Day... St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland for anyone not thinking about this as much as I am. ;) All weekend there were events in celebration of the feast of St. Andrew, including open doors to many historic buildings, music events and family outings. Holyrood Palace (or the Palace of Holyroodhouse if we're getting all official) was among the featured places and on Saturday I popped down to the opposite end of the Royal Mile to take advantage of free admission. Something to keep in mind if you're ever around on St. Andrews Day... it's a massive savings.

It was a cold but sunny day. Photography wasn't allowed inside the palace for conservation reasons, but it was fancy. That pretty much goes without saying. Actually, my favorite part was outside anyway, so of course I took copious photos: the ruins of Holyrood Abbey. Mostly standing roofless is the church and behind it are conserved outlines of the abbey sunk in the grass. I'm sure the garden is a sight in the summertime but it was feeling pretty wintry yesterday!

The color of the stone was a beautiful mix of beige, tan and rose-colored rubble. Just love it. Some of the decoration is totally top-notch. The church was in use until the 17th century and was a ruin by the 18th century, but the abbey was first established by David I in 1128.

1128!! That's old. Alas, it's not there anymore, and would be ever so much more impressive if it was. ;) Haha.







One thing I've learned during my time interning for the National Trust (who incidentally has nothing to do with this property, but just saying) is that masons commonly marked their work to identify themselves, sometimes marking specific chisel mark patterns in order to keep track of their work over a period of time. Apparently to get paid for what they did, it could be kept track of this way. In some places I've found this very obviously and in other places not, but I just love finding a mason's mark in a stone. I just assume they're original if they don't look fresh and enjoy the moment when a stone wall can become a personal work with a statement, one that says, "I made this."

Also, I want to know how to get this job:



Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend! Post coming soon about the other visit I finally made this weekend... ;D

Cheers!
Kate x

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

This is just a big fat picture post. Enjoy. :)


 

Admission to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh grounds is free, with a small admission charge to enter the glasshouses. There are a couple of cafes, Inverleith House gallery, and plenty of places to walk around or sit and enjoy, with peeks at the city between the trees every once in a while. It's open all year round! And I'll certainly be back there a bunch.

Cheers,
Kate x

Edinburgh Farmers Market

It's hard to miss this little market on Saturday mornings if you're walking around the castle. From 9-2 every Saturday, a selection of local farmers, artisans and food vendors set up, selling everything from fruits and vegetables to cheeses, eggs, beer, meat, and fish at the Edinburgh Farmers Market. It's not a huge market, but there's a decent variety and the quality is excellent. Also not the place you'll want to go if you're on a budget, necessarily (as it's next to the castle, it caters to tourists as much as anyone else) but if you want direct-from-the-coop brown eggs and perhaps a kohlrabi or a pack of yummy strawberries, straight from the farm, here's a more entertaining, and in my opinion, rewarding place to shop than at the supermarket.

There are also a couple of fresh food vendors selling sandwiches and sausages, too, so I walked down there to get lunch as well as a bag full of snacks for later. I had a really amazing buffalo burger from The Buffalo Farm with fried onions and mushrooms -- so yum!



And on the way back, not really a part of the market, but I couldn't help it. I'm not sure why, but I find it just adorable that it's "ice creams." And ice lollies! Ahh! Impossible to resist.




Cheers!
Kate x