As the Wind Blows

After spending that sunny day touring the Scottish Highlands, I began to think that Scottish weather can’t be that cold if they have warm sunny days like this. Um, note to self: never be too optimistic about the weather in the UK. The very next day was cold and very windy, windier more so because we went to visit Edinburgh Castle which is on top of a hill and also popped into a graveyard or two on our three hour tour of Edinburgh, and I always tend find graveyards colder than most other places ;-)

The one thing that can be said about our visit to Edinburgh Castle was that we definitely got a feel for the place, a feel for how cold it would have been back in the day if we had lived there, and it was freezing!! I was so grateful for the heaters that were placed in parts of the castle because otherwise I would definitely have left sooner rather than later. After visiting the Ultimate British Castle (Warwick Castle for those who haven’t read that entry) I have to say Edinburgh Castle was rather boring and cold (did I mention it was cold?). They did have the Scottish crown jewels and the coronation stone, the story of which was more interesting that the jewels themselves. I’ve heard that Stirling Castle in Scotland is worth a visit, so maybe next time I’ll check that castle out since there are more than enough to choose from.

We also did a New Europe ‘free’ tour of Edinburgh. (I did this tour in Amsterdam and more recently Prague and they are definitely worth doing if they’re conducted in a city you’re visiting). I don’t know if it’s just the guides or whether Scottish people in general are very passionate about their history, because we learnt a lot about the Rob Roy, William Wallace and more importantly Robert the Bruce and their part in shaping Scottish history. It’s all quite sad and very gruesome at times, but after this history lesson I definitely appreciate living in a time of (reasonable) peace and in such a free country.

Away from wars and history, two topics that I’m not overly fond of, the tour also showed us where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the two buildings that could possibly have been the inspiration for Hogwarts. We also wandered through the graveyard nearby and our guide pointed out names that were used in the series. (McGonagall is not a common last name).

I’ll mention Windemere briefly because it was the first place in the UK that I’ve encountered racism, and I hate using that term because it makes the incident sound worse that it was. Our guide in the Scottish Highlands did mention a town we past that had a large population of older people who were amongst many things a racist bunch, but I didn’t quite realise the full meaning of it until the Lakes, and later on in the farmhouse we stayed in the Forest of Dean. I suppose it was more like indifference when the woman who ran the B&B would not look at me or acknowledge my existence or responded when I said anything. It was almost as if I wasn’t there and it was only two people not three checking in that night. I now fully understand the phrase 'indifference is worse than neglect'- JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Goblet of Fire (I think. It's in reference to Kreacher and it's the first book he's mentioned :P)

Aside from that, Windemere is a quaint little village in the Lakes District and I’m looking forward to visiting it again on the Beatrix Potter tour.