Back in Edinburgh for a few days

Following on from the recent post describing our minor adventure at Exeter Airport, here are a few photographs taken whilst we were out and about in Edinburgh. We lived just south of the city, in the metropolis (?) of Penicuik, between 1974 and 1976 and, my, how things have changed since then. And I don't just mean that we are over 40 years older. But the old centre remains just as attractive as it ever was. A truly delightful city.

We spent a little time at the coastal village of Cramond. This lady was, apparently, having a sponsored dip in the cold waters of the Firth of Forth.

We had visited Rosslyn Chapel a long time ago, it must have been 1975, when it was in a rather dilapidated state. It barely registered with us at the time but it has seen extensive renovation and conservation since then. And it is also featured in Dan Brown's blockbuster 'The Da Vinci Code'. It is now firmly anchored on the 'must see when in Edinburgh' trail. It's been there for some 550 years and is an architectural gem. But, and it is a big but, it's not a 'warm' place. It doesn't have the spiritual feel of smaller, simpler places such as Tremaine Church near us in Cornwall.

Taking photographs inside was forbidden 'for the convenience of other visitors' but I did manage a few surreptitious shots with the camera slung around my waist. Not particularly good but it does show the ornate roof and carved columns.

The chapel is famous for its gargoyles and carvings. Here are a few from the outside, including a camel, a man playing a horn and a women said to be protescting a bird from the predations of a fox.

Stained glass window in the Lower Chapel or Sacristy. This is dedicated to the long-times owners (and, indeed, founders) of the Chapel, the Sinclair family.

This carving, supposedly of Indian Corn, was made before the 'discovery' of America by Columbus. Of course, it could be of something completely different and far more prosaic (my bet is on some sort of corn dolly).

 

Looking up the Royal Mile with the dome of St Giles Cathedral just visible off-centre.

St Giles Cathedral: looking over the rather simple main altar up the aisle towards the west window. Here are two unusual things about St Giles. Firstly,  the nave and the chancel are roughly the same length, so the ‘crossing’ – the part where the north-south and east-west arms of a church meet – lies in the centre rather than towards the eastern end. Secondly,  the term ‘cathedral’ cannot really be applied to St Giles, because after the Reformation the notion of bishops, dioceses and cathedrals was rejected by the Church of Scotland.  It is more correctly known by its earlier name, which is the High Kirk of Edinburgh.My photos really don’t do St Giles justice, especially the internal shots, as I am still learning about long-exposure photography. I do a good line in ‘dark, brooding and atmospheric’, but this doesn’t bring out the detail!

St Giles was born in Athens, and it is thought he came from a noble family.   He gave away his wealth to the poor, and eventually settled in rural France where he lived a simple life of solitude.  One day, a hind ran to him for protection from huntsmen who were pursuing it;    some stories say that St Giles was wounded by accident, but he refused offers of compensation.  He became the patron saint of cripples and lepers, and his popularity spread across France and England to Scotland during the time of the Crusades.

Like the portrait of St Giles, this one of St David featured in a stained glass window dedicated to the early Christian saints of Scotland. It turns out that this is not THE St David. You know, the proper one: St David of Wales. This St David was the youngest son of Scotland's virtuous queen, (Saint) Margaret, who succeeded his brother to the Scottish throne in 1124. David's friend, (Saint) Aelred, abbot of the English monastery of Rievaulx, was later to recount David's religious devotion and his generosity to the poor. From his riches he also endowed the founding of several dioceses and many monasteries in Scotland.

New West Porch stained glass panel by Morris and Steedman which is underneath the Burns Window designed by the Icelandic artist, Leifur Breidfjord.

The ornate carved surrounding of the south door.

Christ stilling the waters, Christ walking upon the water
This window was installed in 1922 and the artist/designer was Douglas Strachan. A rather fine window, in my humble opinion.

Every stained glass window has a story to tell. Sometimes it's fun to make your own up. With this one, I imagined that the women on the left was saying about the preacher "Oh no! He's not going to tell his fart joke again is he?".

And this one? "If you swipe to the left, you'll see your e-mail icon".

Lift up your eyes and you'll see the cranes of the new shopping centre at the bottom of Princes Street.

Lift up your eyes and look in another direction and you'll see just one of the many church spires. They build their churches high in Edinburgh.

The spirit of Princess Di is alive and well in the Royal Mile and being put to good use - flogging souvenir tartans.



Call me a wee softie (you're a wee softie, Parsons) but I succumbed. I now have several pairs of Princess Di Memorial Tartan underpants. Her memory is safe with me and I shall wear them with pride.