Those Crazy Schuberts

Continuing with our Scotland photos and stories. …. I kind of love dragging it out this much…. I loved that vacation!

Andrew got up EARLY Wednesday morning and walked to the grocery store to get food for a picnic lunch…. Even with not a ton of sleep we were up and ready to leave about 9a.

Kevin and Chelsea elected to stay and sleep in … but Mom and Dad got up early to come with us.

But first, gassing up!

We had an approximately 2 hour drive north to Inverness, on the main, big highway through the country … through the National Park.

We read from the guidebooks about where we were going and talked about Scottish movies and generally had a relaxing drive…. Especially since Andrew was driving!

(drive by photo of the country side. This is pretty typical of the whole 2 hour trip!)

(gas station coffee. Not great but better than nothing)

Since Kevin and Chelsea weren’t coming north until the afternoon (if then) we decided to go to Culloden battlefield first.

Gaelic and English

The building on the left was the Visitor’s Center with exhibit and history and all …. Through that doorway straight ahead is the battlefield …

Before visiting Culloden Battlefield, I honestly had NO idea what it was about. I put it on the itinerary basically based on Rick Steves’ recommendation and the fact that it was near Loch Ness. Not always the best way to plan excursions, but in this case it TOTALLY worked out.

Culloden Battlefield – including the visitor’s center and audio tour – was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.

FROM RICK STEVES:

The battle of Culloden (April 16, 1746) marks the end of the power of the Scottish Highland clans and the start of years of representation of Scottish culture by the English. It was the culmination of a year’s worth of battles, known collectively as “the ’45.” At the center of it all was the charismatic, enigmatic Bonnie Prince Charlie (1720-1788).

Charles Edward Stuart, from his first breath was raised with a single purpose – to restore his family to the British throne. His grandfather was King James II, deposed in 1688 by Parliament for his tyranny and pro-Catholic bias. In 1745, young Charlie crossed the Channel from exile in France to retake the throne for the Stuarts. He landed on the west coast of Scotland and rallied support for the “Jacobite” cause. Though Charles was not Scottish-born, he was the rightful heir directly down the line from Mary, Queen of Scots – and so many Scots joined the Stuart family’s rebellion out of resentment at being ruled by a foreign king (English royalty of German descent).

Bagpipes droned and “Bonnie” (handsome) Charlie led an army of 2,000 tartan-wearing Gaelic-speaking Highlanders across Scotland, seizing Edinburgh. They picked up other supporters of the Stuarts from the Lowlands and from England. Now 6,000 strong, they marched south toward London, and King George II made plans to flee the country. But anticipated support for the Jacobites failed to materialize in the numbers they were hoping for (both in England and from France). The Jacobites had so far been victorious in their battles against the Hanoverian government forces, but the odds now turned against them. Charles retreated to the Scottish Highlands, where many of his men knew the terrain and might gain an advantage when outnumbered. The English government troops followed closely on his heels.

Against the advice of his best military strategist, Charles’ army faced the Hanoverian forces at Culloden Moor on flat, barren terrain that was unsuited to the Highlanders’ guerilla tactics. The Scots – many of them brandishing only broadsword spears – were mowed down by English cannons and horsemen. In less than an hour, the government forces routed the Jacobite army, but that was just the start. They spent the next weeks methodically hunting down ringleaders and sympathizers (and many others in the Highlands who had nothing to do with the battle) ruthlessly killing, imprisoning and banishing thousands.

Charles fled with a ₤30,000 price on his head. He escaped to the Isle of Skye, hidden by a woman named Flora MacDonald (her grave is on the Isle of Skye and her statue is outside Inverness Castle). Flora dressed Charles in women’s clothes and passed him off as her maid. Later, Flora was arrested and thrown in the Tower of London before being released and treated like a celebrity.

Charles escaped to France. He spent the rest of his life wandering Europe trying to drum up supportiHighH to retake the throne. He drifted through short-lived romantic affairs and alcohol and died in obscurity, without an heir, in Rome.

Though usually depicted as a battle of the Scottish versus the English, in truth Culloden was a civil war between two opposing dynasties: Stuart (Charlie) and Hanover (George). In fact, about one-fifth of the government’s troops were Scottish, and several redcoat deserters fought along with the Jacobites. However, as the history has faded into lore, the battle has come to be remembered as a Scottish-versus-English standoff – or in the parlance of the Scots, the Highlanders versus the Strangers.

The Battle of Culloden was the end of 60 years of Jacobite rebellions, the last major battle fought on British soil, and the final stand of the Highlanders. From then on, clan chiefs were deposed; kilts, tartans and bagpipes because illegal paraphernalia; and farmers were cleared off their ancestral land, replaced by more-profitable sheep. Scottish culture would never recover from the events of the campaign called “the ’45.”

___

The visitor’s center is clearly new. 2007, I think. It’s run by the National Trust for Scotland … and it is clear that a ton of work (historical, archaeological, social) was done in the planning.

Interesting detail: the logo for the site is really just a red and a blue line. Clearly not parallel lines, but I couldn’t really Figure out what we were supposed to think based on this ‘logo’ …

But we soon realized those lines represent the British government battle line (red) and the Jacobite/Bonnie Prince Charles Highlander battle line (blue).

The visitor’s center is laid out so well – you follow a clear path through … with the “government” point of view told on one wall and the “Jacobite” point of view told on the opposite wall.

Below you can see the red arrow pointing to the left and the blue arrow pointing to the right (just below the words Continental War) to help orient you ….

It really was a brilliant design strategy! I learned so much!

(there was a small theater with screens on all 4 sides, showing a film of the battle reenactment.)

It’s amazing how thoroughly I was able to understand the history and battle, just from the visitor’s center.

All of the indoor exhibit deals with the history, environment and plans leading up to the Battle of Culloden…. … And prepares you for visiting the battlefield itself (post to come) …

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AAAAAANNNNNDDDD … .

We have our keys

Ok. Actually, not yet since there aren’t actually keys to the existing locks and we are getting it re-keyed.

But still. It’s ours. It’s no longer trespassing when we go in ….

As I mentioned, some work has already been started – cleaning, mold removal, replacing this front window, trimming back the tree to the right.

So, now we just have to hope the rest of the work can be finished by … Feb 29 or so …… We’d LIKE to move in by the end of the month if possible, but our current apartment is pretty flexible and we just need to let them know if we need an extra week or so into March.

We still need to pick out a new dishwasher and washer and dryer …. as well as look at cabinet options for now.

Also, pack.

Also, pick out specific paint colors for the rooms.

Also, plan/book a moving day/truck/etc.

So, you know. Forgive me if I’m a *little* busy!

The afternoon the house became ours I went back to take some more photos with the place at least with the trash out of it. Unlike the last time.

Please consider this your basic orientation to Schubert Headquarters.

More photos to come after the work is done ….

Keep in mind all the floors are changing, as well as the walls as well as the kitchen.

Thus concludes the final chapter of The Schuberts go house hunting…… for the forseeable future, at least.

I’d like to live somewhere longer than 2 years, please.

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As we get to the end of our Schuberts go house-hunting feature for the forseeable future, I’d like to start a new (irregular) feature here …..

Schubert HQ

All about what we are doing to the house itself … the DIY projects, the decor, etc …. We’ll see. You’ll see…. .

First off: Home decor inspiration on Pinterest

Before we even move in, because we are having *some* work done right away we’ve had to think a bit about colors, floors, etc.

So, I caved and signed up for Pinterest.

You can find all my Pinterest boards and follow me if you like here: Amy T Schubert on Pinterest

Here’s just a look at what we are planning for the rooms …. You can click the image to go through to the full pinboard.

For the kitchen:

The kitchen pre-move is GROSS. Just revolting. We can’t afford to completely re-do it – we’ll likely just replace the cabinets with the cheapest option available. But someday, when we CAN re-do it …. We have stainless steel appliances, and I want to do a light gray backsplash, with a darker gray floor tile (maybe even just cement), and warm-wood cabinets…. With the pantry door painted with chalkboard paint.

For the living room:

We actually have a front-of-the-house living room and a back-of-the-house “family room” with a fireplace.

The front room will be in browns and greens – and that is where we will keep our couch and TV/entertainment unit, etc. I think we’ll get FLOR carpet tiles to make the rug in there (since the entire bottom floor is to be wood-laminate)

The back room (with the fireplace) we haven’t decided on colors, but we’ll keep the stereo there and a circle of reading armchairs. I think it might be my favorite room, eventually.

For the dining room:

Again, no colors specified. It will have a wood-laminate floor so I’ll probably find a rug of some kind. I also want to find a mid-century hutch to keep dishes in. The kitchen isn’t huge, so I think I’ll need a place for serving dishes and maybe mixing bowls or similar.

We have a dining room table, but no chairs. And I’m not even in love with the table, so we’ll see.

for the guest room:

There is one bedroom on the downstairs level, right next to a full bathroom so we thought it would be a perfect guest room (no stairs for grandparents to have to worry about). This room will ALSO have the wood-laminate flooring, and I am planning on getting FLOR carpet tiles in a dark gray to make a rug for under the bed (full size. the room isn’t large enough for a queen).

There’s also no closet in that room … so I think I’ll come up with something brilliant and creative for those occasional times when we have guests that need to hang up some clothes.

I want to paint the whole room in a light gray, and do black and white for the sheets/curtains/bedside tables/etc.

This may also be the room that we keep Andrew’s records in. …. we’ll see. Depends how much room is in there after we put in a bed.

for the master bedroom:

Upstairs will be all carpet. 3 bedrooms up there, with just a light, neutral carpet (the color we chose is called ‘aged linen’)

Our bedroom is HUGE. Much larger than we need – which is actually kind of awesome. If we ever wanted to, we’d have room for a little office or exercise equipment or something in there.

We’re going to do one wall in an accent color …. and I’m thinking something in a light-gray-teal….. Our comforter (that I love) has a ton of colors, so we have a lot of options.

We need bedside tables, for sure. As well as lighting in there …. and someday I want a ‘new’ mid-century dresser … rather than the boring dresser I bought at Target a few years ago.

I think we will also hang some BIG canvas portraits in here above the bed …. from our wedding and anniversary shoot.

for my office:

One of the extra bedrooms upstairs will be my office. I. Can’t. Wait!

The plan is to paint one whole wall with chalkboard paint ….. perfect for brainstorming and to do lists and photo shoots.

I also want to hang a BIG world map and other travel-style art. I want the concept of travel to be in front of me all the time as a reminder.

I will need to get a new desk, I think, that is more ergonomic – but that is sometime in the future. I think I’ll also set up my hand-me-down sewing machine in there and finally get to work.

for the front yard:

Actual landscaping is low-priority for now due to budget restrictions.

But *eventually* what I’d like to do is paint the exterior gray with white trim with a lovely RED front door. I think I’d like to make the space in front of the house and front window more of a porch-like area (wood or cement) rather than just dirt. The columns need to be replaced eventually too.

for the backyard:

The backyard is smaller than we would like, but it’ll do.

We want a garden (vegetables!) and I want to plant some kind of tall hedge to give us a little more privacy. It’s WAY too easy to look into our neighbor’s backyard. And *eventually* I would like some kind of terrace/overhang so there is shade back there. Right now it’s SUPER sunny.

Not mentioned:

The OTHER bedroom upstairs. Andrew will likely use for his workspace/office for audio mixing and such. I don’t think he’s even thought about it.

The three (3!!) bathrooms. I haven’t really seen anything online that strikes my fancy as far as what I want to do with any of those rooms. I figure as long as they are clean and have enough toilet paper and towels that is good enough for now.

The garage. We are getting a washer and dryer (hallelujah!) and a new garage door opener …. and Andrew might hang his dartboard in there….. Other than that – it’s just a garage for now.

I can’t wait to actually SHOW you all the house once we’ve moved in!

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SO.

This whole house thing is such a comical, complicated mess.

5 years ago you could get a home loan for whatever amount you wanted, for basically whatever rate you wanted just by stating your income (not that we want a loan like that).

These last few weeks have been a bunch of back-and-forth texts and emails and phone calls and decisions, and changing of decisions and last minute decisions all so Andrew and I can take this quickly-depreciating liability off the bank’s hands.

It’s getting ridiculous.

The good news is – we are supposed to close next week.

The other good news is – some of the rehab work we had planned to the house has already been started (which means we are that much more likely to be able to move in by the end of the month)

The other good news is – we have already purchased our new oven/range and hood!

If you’re paying attention you can probably guess what the bad news is ….

As I’ve said (and as you’ve seen in the photos), there is a ton of work to do on the house. Work that we are totally OK with, that we are perfectly willing to pay for and/or do ourselves. The balance between low-house-price+work and eventual value of the house is definitely in our favor.

However. …. The loan company is not willing to approve the loan for the house as-is. Which makes sense.

But the seller can’t pay for the necessary work. If he could, it wouldn’t be sold as a short-sale in such disrepair.

And WE can’t pay for the work. Because even though we have the cash sitting in our savings account, the loan company “needs” us to have that money in reserve after putting 15% down on the house AND paying closing costs.

But they won’t approve the loan with the house as-is. Even though we have clearly stated we are planning on doing all that work (and more) immediately after escrow closes before we move in.

What is the solution?

Strangely enough, our realtor is paying for the repairs to be done to a house that we don’t even own yet.

Yea. I know. Bizarre.

So, Tuesday night Andrew calls me at work telling me that Tony (our contractor) is starting on the house NOW and we need to pick out an oven in the next 10 minutes so it can be delivered by Wednesday because the re-appraisal is going to be sometime before Friday.

Of course, I have done NO oven-research. I’ve never had to pick out an appliance like that. PLUS I’m at work with no internet access so I can’t even look at the links that Andrew sent me.

Luckily (luckily) our friend Fernando has worked for a home-appliance-gear-type-company for years and was taking care of it for us. We gave him the measurements and told him stainless steel and he picked it out for us.

I know that sounds weird, but I am totally OK with that.

Wednesday morning, Andrew went up to the house just to check on things, see if Tony had questions, etc. He said there were 7 people there working and they had already hauled out all the trash (so grateful we did not have to do that).

We are so so so close to closing on this house! It’s so amazing!

We’re basically not touching any of the money in our accounts until we have the keys in our hands …. And then we are writing a check to our realtor to pay him back for the work that is being done right now.

It’s really so weird….. But as soon as we’re in the house it will all be worth it.

More updates as I have them.

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We left the improv show at about 930p and started walking back to the bus station …

But turns out everyone was hungry. I could have done without food, but I was out-voted.

On the way to the bus station we came across an Italian restaurant – fortuitous since Kevin had been talking about pizza for a couple of days.

So we had pizza at 10p after a long long long day in the city on our feet.

There was so much more I would have liked to see in Edinburgh – which is why I originally scheduled 2 days there – so clearly Andrew and I will have to go back.

We caught a bus back to our cars … and drove north to Aberfeldy… not getting there until well after midnight. Exhausted but … that’s kind of the way I like my vacations. Packing in as much travel as I can.

Alarm set for 7a the next morning.

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Still Tuesday in Edinburgh …. .

Since Kevin had spent a few days in Edinburgh before we got there, he already had a chance to go to some of the Fringe Festival shows …. In fact, I think he went to see this improv group from Texas two times already. So when we were in Edinburgh for the day Kevin wanted us to see them too ….

Parallelogramophonograph – Improvised Plays from Austin, Texas

(The improvers pamphletting outside their venue)

Whereas my friend Nathan’s improv group does improv competitions and genres, Parallelogramophonograph does more long-form improv. Full, nearly play-length stories.

It’s pretty fun!

We could easily tell they’ve been working together for a long time.

I was reminded again how very much I love actors. We ran into the improv team (and their tech guy) just before the show – they were out on the Royal Mile pamphletting, trying to bring in more audience. Actors are all so charming …. Especially the ones that are *slightly* insecure. … Adorable. Seriously.

So the “play” they put on for us is all improvised, but they ask the audience for some kind of suggestion….. the team – 2 girls, 2 guys – had announced that their story that night would be darker, a murder mystery or similar….

So of course, the question they asked of the audience was for a happy memory. The winner: Playing in a field with my dog Friskers.

The play was very good – surprisingly well-structured for improv … along with several laugh-out-loud moments. It was Andrew’s first experience with improv. I’m really glad we stayed in the city to see it!

The “venue” was just one of the conference rooms that the Radisson Hotel rents out – with curtains, lights and chairs. If I had to guess, I’d say it held maybe …. 50 audience members. From what they told Kevin, it sounds like they would have to sell out all their shows just to break even. Not sure if that will happen for them, but what a fun experience nevertheless! So glad we went!

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Tuesday late afternoon in Edinburgh …. Still pouring down rain, still with time to kill before the show…. And still not hungry enough to get dinner …. Walking away from Grey Friar’s cemetery, we were at a little bit of a loss as to what to do and where to go.

It just so happened that we passed the National Library of Scotland. I think Kevin suggested we go in …. And it was such a fun idea! They had an exhibit on banned books going on that was super interesting!

Such an fun little unexpected treat ….

The ‘Banned Books’ exhibit had sections on books banned because of religion, politics, society and sex,…. Along with a final section on living with censorship. Plus, of course, going into the library gave us a chance to sit down (my feet and legs and back were so tired by this time of day) and dry off a bit.

We couldn’t take pictures of the exhibit, which is too bad. I would have liked to take photos if only so could remember all the books I want to read now!

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(still in Edinburgh, Scotland) …. ..

The rain finally cleared up for a little while – while we were underground of course.

After leaving the pub we made our way back to St. Giles Cathedral to meet mom and dad… and shortly after that it began to rain in earnest again.

Our next plan for the day was to see one of the shows that was part of the Fringe Festival – but that wasn’t until 7:40p, so we had about 2 hours to spend in the rain.

One of the other parts of the Edinburgh Ghost Adventures show that we watched had them visiting a haunted cemetery… So, of course Andrew and I wanted to find it!

The cemetery is called “Grey Friar’s” and is apparently haunted by the McKenzie Poltergeist (named after the tomb in the cemetery that has seen much of the action).

I’m pretty good with maps, so we were able to find Grey Friar’s without a whole lot of trouble.

Of course, the whole time it’s raining harder and harder and Andrew’s hair has started dripping again…

Being in a cemetery, of course the ground was muddy … but as soon as we got there we clearly saw a crowd of umbrellas around one of the tombs – part of what we can only assume was a guided tour of the cemetery.

That cemetery is HUGE.

But we only ended up spending maybe 20 minutes there because of the rain.

Once we got to Grey Friar’s we kind of lost Dad. He likes to read and explore and learn things – even more so than I do. Once the rest of us were getting ready to leave we had to search him out. There was music coming from inside the church so we thought maybe he had gone in there…. But no … Finally he was spotted, in a grey/black jacket with the hood up… all by himself at the far end of the (rain-drenched) graveyard wandering between the gravestones…. Looking pretty creepy, actually…

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After lunch, it was about time for our guided ghost tour – with Auld Reekie Tours.

This was the ONLY thing that I booked ahead of time …. 430p on Tuesday afternoon – the underground vault tour!

Last year, Andrew and I had watched an episode of Ghost Adventures (ghost-hunting reality show on the travel channel), when they get locked in to the underground vaults under Edinburgh.

It was one of the better episodes, so when we realized we were going to Edinburgh, visiting the vaults was one of the “musts.”

We met up with the tour guide at the designated street corner (in front of an old church on the Royal Mile)… along with about 12 other people. (sidenote: Mom and Dad did NOT go on the tour with us. Chickens.)

Since the tour goes underground, there was not really a need to wait til dark… but it certainly would have felt spookier.

Our tour guide was a guy (maybe late 20s) named Dominic. Sweet boy; very charismatic. He had that air about him that actors have – super friendly, super charming with a real feel for timing (both comedic and dramatic).

I was suddenly reminded of how much I really love actors!

He wore all black, but not in a creepy way. More like the way stagehands do – to better blend into the set. Or, in this case, the dark, dank underground haunted vaults…

So, we met Dominic in front of Tron Kirk and then he walked our group down a couple blocks and down a side street – then headed very steeply downhill.

Since the vaults are essentially built under the length of the Royal Mile, we had to go down to the entrance – basically just a couple of VERY steep steps off the side of a store front (where the Auld Reekie ticket office is).

The first room is a very faintly lit all-black room filled with glass cases hanging on the walls …. Glass cases with (very amateur) exhibits of instruments of torture.

Very strange.

Seems like the Auld Reekie owner is just interested in torture devices for fun … and decided to create this “exhibit” just to make the ghost tours a little weirder.

It worked.

So, according to Dominic …. The room we started in used to be just a cheap apartment – mostly for college students.

Apparently, one night (late 80s?), the tenants were having a party and a cup got thrown against one of the drywalls …. And instead of bouncing off, it went through!

So these partying college kids took a closer look … The drywall just came crumbling down. As did the 2 or 3 additional layers back there.

And all of a sudden, the Edinburgh underground vaults that had been sealed for at least 100 years had been rediscovered!

Now, it’s not clear to me exactly how many underground vaults there are … but the vaults that the Ghost Adventures crew investigated were HUGE. Several levels, yards and yards and yards.

The vaults that Auld Reekie tours are completely different. I wonder if maybe the vaults are all owned/rented by the owners of the businesses above (just like when they were originally built).

Some photos from various sources of the vaults one - two – three

The vaults that we toured were:

4 or 5 in number
Off a single corridor (without apparent connection to other vaults)
The corridor was nicely/smoothly paved (likely a recent change for the tourists)

So the tour was about 45 minutes long … and it felt so short!

Dominic took us through each to the vaults in turn, NOT just down the line.

Nope, the order of the vaults visited was deliberately chosen for maximum storytelling power. Started off with your basic vault to learn a bit about the vaults in general, and then into vaults with escalating weirdness….

We actually started in the (dimly lit) corridor ….

Dominic warned us about physical sensations we may encounter – and I immediately began to feel a bit dizzy and light-headed. I’m sure just because we had essentially walked underground into a small, stuffy place. But I can see how some people might get a little freaked out!

We learned about the night watchman ghost that is occasionally seen at the end of the corridor – by guides and visitors. As the tour guide, Dominic needs to always always keep track of all the tourists in his tour. According to him, on one tour he was sure that he saw one of his charges wandering off into one of the vaults at the far end of the corridor … but, as soon as he reached the doorway there was no one there! The watchman has never bothered/harassed visitors; he’s just seen going in and out of the vaults at the far end of the corridor.

The other ‘spirit’ we learned about in that corridor was a woman who pays particular attention to the men.

Dominic told us about one guy, on the tour with his girlfriend, felt a cold hand near his crotch while they were standing around. It was only when he realized his girlfriend was a good 5 or 6 feet in front of him that he ran away screaming!

Which brings me to why Dominic was such an effective tour guide and storyteller : He genuinely seemed concerned. He told us over and over that if we needed to leave for any reason he would drip everything and take us out of the vaults. He gives his groups permission to feel scared, and to be aware of how they’re feeling. He appears equally respectful of skeptics, believers and fence-sitters.He doesn’t over dramatize anything. He doesn’t overplay his hand. … and he doesn’t exhibit any kind of condescension that a skeptic might.

You can’t help but trust Dominic when he tells you what he himself has experienced … and the calm and reasonable way he tells you that women were getting attacked in a certain vault makes you really consider it might be true ….

He was fantastic!

Again, I really love actors….

So. The specific vault stories:

As I said, the first vault was just a good opportunity to tell us about the history.

These vaults were originally built under the Royal Mile as a place for storage for the businesses above. Unfortunately, the vaults were built/carved out of limestone or sandstone or something else porous. Which means that when it rains in Edinburgh, the rain seeps through to wet and ruin all the goods in the vaults.

Imagine bolts of fabric or barrels of flour sitting in puddles.

Needless to say, the soon were emptied.

In Edinburgh (at that time at least) it was illegal to sleep on the street. So all the homeless – prostitutes, drunks, families whose breadwinner had died, etc – started “living” in the vaults.

The vault is really just a stone room – maybe 20’x20’ … no walls, no running water, no toilets.

About 25 people would “live” in one vault, just using one corner as a ‘bathroom’ … but in reality just a pile of feces… Eventually it’d creep farther and farther into the room, mixing with the dirt on the floor, mixing with the water that seeped down, all over the floor where people were sleeping.

In order to eat (and mask the stench) they would build a fire…. But there’s no vent, windows or chimney of any kind. So they built the fires by the door to the vault, filling the corridors with smoke.

Some of the vaults were partway between the graveyards and the medical schools. Since autopsies were illegal, med students would buy the corpses on the black market to dissect. Grave robbers found the vaults handy for hiding bodies.

No law enforcement would come down to the vaults – to the stink and disease – so criminals pretty much had a free rein. Rapes, murders, stashing stolen goods …. I’m sure it ALL happened in the vaults.

And then – eventually – the city had had enough and just sealed up the vaults. And sealed up all that pain and crime and hate and death with it….

So sad….

The second vault that we visited had a big stone circle in the middle of the room. Apparently a local Wiccan group had connected with the Auld Reekie owner to use this vault for their wiccan/heathen ceremonies…. But after a few weeks some strange things started to happen in that vault after it was locked up for the night …

Things like … scratch marks on the inside of the door, and all the furniture in the room getting piled precariously in one of the corners.

Bizarre.

So the head of the wiccan group decided to stay overnight, locked in that vault, to figure out what was going on. The Auld Reekie owner locked this guy in with his sleeping bag. He chose to sleep in the stone circle – as the Wiccans believe that circle was a source of protection from various spirits.

He woke up in the middle of the night…. Hearing some kind of scratching or scuffling along one of the walls. As the vault has no windows or chimney at all, or course it was pitch black. So this guy had pretty much convinced himself that he was hearing a rat, the scuffling/scratching started heading up the wall and onto the ceiling!

Between hearing a series of voices just outside the stone circle and other bizarre happenings, he had had enough.

Once it got to what he thought was morning, he was gone – waiting at the front door to be let out.

That same day the wiccan group moved all their stuff to a different vault – permanently.

They left the stone circle, though.

It was thought that the circle was now – instead of a protection – a portal or doorway to evil spirits.

Dominic – bless his heart – raised his credibility even more. He says “Now, some of the guides will tell you not to step into or walk through the circle. But I know you all are adults. If you want to step into the circle I’m not going to stop you. Now is the time to do it.”

… and of course no one did.

Although I fully expected Kevin to.

We moved on to the last vault then, and as everyone filed out of the vault, I saw Kevin put one foot into the circle and then out again.

Show off.

He was carrying Chelsea’s bag at the time so we joked that a ghost would attach itself to her bag and he was going to carry it the rest of the trip.

The final vault required an explanation and warning before even entering.

We were strictly instructed to separate by gender at the door – boys to the left, girls to the right. Which put me right next to a bunch of strangers and Chelsea in the scariest of all the vaults.

Awesome.

According to Dominic, through many tours there would be scratches, pushes and other physical attacks on visitors. They eventually tried a few different combinations and by having men on one side and women on the other the attacks stopped.

On top of that, we were strictly instructed to turn off all electronics – phones, cameras, etc. Electronics of all kinds have been known to malfunction and break after visiting this vault. Of course, we had my mom’s cell phone on us and didn’t know how to turn it off. So far it’s fine.

Furthermore, the safety (electronic) light above the door wasn’t on. Dominic told us they just can’t get the light to work. They’ve had any number of electricians come look at it, and one day they went through something like 30 lightbulbs.

So the room was lit solely by Dominic’s flashlight …. But of course, since electronics have issues in this room, he told us all about the times that his flashlight has just stopped working (of course, he called it a “torch” since he’s British and adorable).

I know this sounds like just a bunch of talk. I fully acknowledge that not a single weird, paranormal or unnatural thing happened to our tour group.

However – I WILL tell you that this last vault was noticeably colder than the other vaults. What reason could there be? These are just stone rooms with no vents or ceiling fans, obviously.

But if I’ve learned anything from watching numerous seasons of Ghost Adventures – I’ve learned that pockets of cold air can indicate the presence of a ghost or spirit.

I’m just saying….

So, of course, since this was the final vault, Dominic was using his full power of anticipation and storytelling to really give us a chill.

Starting with dividing us from our other group members, plus the turning off of electronics and the light in the vault not working … needless to say, it is easy to see how someone could get all keyed up.

As he was explaining to us how he had to carry a backup “torch” because of the strange problems in this vault, his current “torch” began to flicker – until it finally went out completely (conveniently at a dramatic moment in his narrative) …. Spooky ….

Just before the vaults were sealed shut, there was a huge fire in old town Edinburgh (1824, I think). To escape the flames and stay safe many families sent their women and children into the vaults.

Initially this seems like a good idea – the stone walls and floor certainly wouldn’t burn. Instead, with the fire raging through the city, the walls of the vaults started heating up more and more … just like a brick oven.

Ugh.

All those people were just cooked. … Just baked up like meat.

Ugh …. Bleck bleck bleck….

Not long after (around 1830 or so) the vaults were closed off and forgotten about.

So sad. So gross and so scary …

I can’t remember exactly how Dominic tied up the tour, but part of our ticket included a bit of shortbread and whisky at a pub next door.

We were guided to the pub at then Dominic disappeared (he had another tour to guide). Too bad… He was pretty much amazing. I would have loved to have a chat with him.

Not at all surprisingly, the whisky was not great. Not that I know – Andrew drank mine.

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After visiting Edinburgh Castle in the last morning, we headed a bit farther down the Royal Mile toward St. Giles Cathedral ….

The Cathedral is just maybe ½ to 3/4 mile down the hill from the Castle.

On the entrance side is a big open square where one of the Edinburgh Festival street performers was doing his juggling fire and sharp objects show.

Also in the square was a few rows of booths selling handmade goods/art/etc. My mom ended up buying a watercolor – a little ironic since it was raining so much.

We elected to go into the Cathedral first, and then find lunch.

I love cathedrals – and it turns out Chelsea does too!

Even without knowing ANY of the history of the location, the beauty of the architecture and the details of the tiny side chapels and stained glass windows give cathedrals such an air.

And walking into a cathedral that is still actively in use is always fun – especially if you come across a service (like we did at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome).

From RICK STEVES:

St. Giles Cathedral

This is Scotland’s most important church. Its ornate spire – the Scottish Crown steeple from 1495 – is a proud part of Edinburgh’s skyline.

Today’s façade is 19^th century Neo-Gothic, but most of what you’ll see inside is from the 14^th and 15^th centuries.

Just inside the entrance, turn around to see the modern stained-glass Robert Burns window, which celebrates Scotland’s favorite poet. It was made in 1095 by the Icelandic artist Leifur Breidfjord.

The oldest parts of the cathedral – the four massive central pillars – date from 1120. After the English burned the cathedral in 1385, it was rebuilt bigger and better than ever, and in 1495 its famous crown spire was completed. During the Reformation – when John Knox preached here (1559-1572) – the place was simplified and whitewashed. Before this, when the emphasis was on holy services provided by priests, there were lots of little niches. With the new focus on sermons rather than rituals, the grand pulpit took center stage.

At the back end of the church, see the Neo-Gothic Chapel of the Knights of the Thistle and its intricate wood carving. Built in two years (1910-1911), entirely with Scottish materials and labor, it is the private chapel of the Knights of the Thistle, the only Scottish chivalric order. It’s used about once a year to inaugurate new members. Scotland recognizes its leading citizens by bestowing upon them a membership. The Queen presides over the ritual from her fancy stall, marked by her Scottish coat of arms.

Upon entering the St. Giles Cathedral, there was a big sign advertising “Photography permits” for ₤2.

Now, this is clearly just a way to get money from tourists without charging admission.

I’m totally OK with this. Especially since Westminster Abbey cost about ₤11 and I still wasn’t allowed to take photos!

I don’t know how much they enforce the photography permit, but I do think I saw a guide start to walk toward me when I was videoing, but stop when I (casually) turned so he could see my photo-permit-sticker.

Who knows ….

We happened upon St. Giles Cathedral just in time for a mid-day concert.

According to the “Music at St. Giles” pamphlet I found, the concert was put on by a Scotland/South Africa cultural exchange program group.

Singing as they walked down the main aisle, they performed a few African songs, but more were traditional worship songs – many of which I knew! Of course, the fact that I knew the songs made the errant notes from some of the sopranos even more apparent.

Nonetheless, having live music made the whole experience of exploring the Cathedral even fuller…

The other interesting and noteworthy part of St. Giles Cathedral was the Chapel of the Knights of the Thistle.

This is a small chapel in the back corner of the (huge) Cathedral – the private chapel of the only Scottish chivalric order (the Knights of the Thistle).

There was this sweet older woman back there – a guide of the Cathedral – answering questions and providing all kinds of details about the Knights of the Thistle and what they used the chapel for..

It’s only used once a year or so to inaugurate new members – but that only happens when a former member dies.

The Queen chooses one of the leading citizens of Scotland – a judge, the head of Education or similar…

The Queen presides over the ritual from her chair (ornately carved) at the end of the room. Her chair is marked by the Royal family’s coat of arms. As that chair is only ever occupied by the monarch, there is only one coat of arms. All the other chairs have several (in general 4+) coats of arms, designating all the different men/women who have been inducted into the order and assigned to that seat over the last 100 years since the chapel was completed.

It’s a lovely room, but without a guide there to explain the details, that’s all it would have been.

After St. Giles Cathedral we went to lunch.

Kevin had been talking about Thai food for a couple days, and Andrew knew I wanted REAL vegetables, so we found this Thai restaurant: Thai Orchid. It was a bit warm inside, so I started feeling a little bit sick, but all in all it was pretty good.

It wasn’t spicy AT ALL (I got a mostly broccoli veggie dish) … and snagged a couple bites from the others.

Next? Our underground ghost tour!!

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After viewing the Crown Jewels it was on to the Royal Palace (pretty sparse), the Great Hall and the Scottish National War Memorial (so cool).

FROM RICK STEVES re: ROYAL PALACE:

Scottish royalty lived here only when safety or protocol required it (they preferred the Palace of Holyrood house at the bottom of the Royal Mile).

The Royal Palace has 2 historic, yet unimpressive rooms and the Great Hall (opposite side of the square).

Enter the Mary, Queen of Scots room, where in 1566 the queen gave birth to James VI of Scotland, who later became James I of England.

The Great Hall was the castle’s ceremonial meeting place in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. IN later times it was a barracks and a hospital. Although most of what you see is Victorian, 2 medieval elements survive: the fine hammer-beam roof, and the big iron-barred peephole. This allowed the king to spy on his subjects while they partied.

The Scottish National War Memorial was one of my favorite things at Edinburgh Castle.

I just love war memorials of all kinds; I have no idea why.

This particular memorial commemorates Scottish soldiers, and those serving in Scottish regiments, who died in the 2 world wars and conflicts since.

The memorial was formally opened in 1927 out of a remodeled block of barracks

149,000 Scottish soldiers lost in WWI
58,000 Scottish soldiers lost in WWII
800 lost since

FROM RICK STEVES:

Paid for by public donations, each bay is dedicated to a particular Scottish regiment. The main shrine, featuring a green Italian-marble memorial that contains the original WWI rolls of honor sits – almost as if it were sacred – on an exposed chunk of the castle rock. Above, the archangel Michael is busy slaying a dragon.

Andrew and I entered just the 2 of us (though we saw Kevin and Chelsea inside) … The memorial interior is rather hushed – visitors recognizing that this is a place to be respectful, if nowhere else in the castle.

It also felt significantly less crowded that the other wings/buildings we visited. I wonder if that is because cameras aren’t allowed at the memorial.

I wish I could put my finger on why I love war memorials. Maybe it is just a vestige of the romanticizing of war that comes from the books I read growing up …

Either way – all I want to do now is visit Washington DC.

After the War Memorial, Great Hall and Crown Jewels, the 4^th building on the square was a “Prisoners of War” exhibit (and now I have ‘Prisoners of Love’ from The Producers in my head)

It was …. Interesting. Not fantastic. Not terrible, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn’t so crowded.

Part of the exhibit took us under the building to where the prisoners of war were actually held … hammocks and dozens in one room and all.

That took us out and dropped us off one level down, and outside the top gate…. So we walked BACK up the hill to check out St. Margaret’s Chapel – the oldest building in Edinburgh, dating from ~1130 or so.

It’s TINY… and sweet. It feels pure and simple and a bit like I imagine Anne Shirley’s bedroom feeling. Strangely, this tiny quaint chapel is only about 10 feet from Mons Meg – a 6 ton cannon that hasn’t worked since 1681.

FROM RICK STEVES:

St. Margaret’s Chapel

The oldest building in Edinburgh is dedicated to Queen Margaret, who died here in 1093 and was sainted in 1250. Built in 1130 in the Romanesque style of the Norman Invaders, it’s wonderfully simple, with classic Norman zigzags decorating the round arch that separates the tiny nave from the sacristy. It was used as a powder magazine for 400 years; very little survives.

The place is popular for weddings – though it only seats 20 people.

After checking out Mons Meg and St. Margaret’s Chapel, Andrew was SOAKING wet.

His hair was literally dripping.

We started heading back down the hill, through the Middle Ward … and on the way stopped by a couple more exhibits.

One was about a specific regiment – although for the life of me I can’t remember which! I feel like it was probably the Black Watch / Royal Highland regiment …. But, as with all the museums and exhibits at Edinburgh Castle, it was far too crowded for me to take my time and really read and learn.

The other exhibit we stopped at was the Military Prison. They had restored several cells, along with the prison bathroom and a couple other little rooms.

Pretty cool. Pretty crowded.

It was nearly time to meet the others (we said 1 o’clock at the front) .. so we continued on down the hill in the rain…

… and just at about 1 o’clock the big cannon near the wall went off!! And some girl behind us screamed! Apparently they shoot of the gun every day at 1p. Originally to mark the time for ships in the Firth of Forth…. But now mainly as a tourist attraction.

After the gun, Andrew went and got us coffee – and got himself some Haggis potato chips from the castle café…. What a tourist!

Next, we met up with Kevin and Chelsea, we stopped at the Castle gift shop for more postcards (and postcard stamps), walked back down the hill, down the Royal Mile…. All in the rain.

Chelsea stopped to look in a shop, while Andrew went on to look for lunch … . still in the rain….