Petersfield & Edinburgh

I was the first live-in carer my new client has had, as she was new to the agency. Numerous things to work out since no one really knew what she really needed. The town of Petersfield was small, but picturesque. My favourite spot was the lake. A walking trail circled around, then headed up behind to a wooded area and grassy fields. It was perfect for running. There was a children's playground and a small beach hut where one could hire a canoe or rowboat to putter around the lake. It cost £3 for 1 hour. Inexpensive and a great way to relax in the sunshine watching all the ducks, geese and swans.
I spent most of my break time walking around the lake, following some of the public right of way trails (these trails go all around the country, allowing people to walk through farmer's fields, around water channels, parks, etc. freely) and going on a few drives into other nearby villages with my client's neighbours, Sue and Allen. See, all the neighbours were elder woman and Allen took it upon himself to watch over all the old ladies. He was very social and we became friends quickly. When his wife had days off, she happily offered to take me to different places to get a change of scenery. Sue was a fountain of knowledge, knowing so much history of England. She was gifted with a photographic memory and remembered everything she has learned throughout her life. I was in awe of such genius. Both of them were also members of the National Trust, so she made great effort to learn the history of towns, rail lines, parks and heritage properties.
She drove me to the South Downs National Park trail (South Downs Way) which follows a chalk ridge all the way to the ocean. We went for a short walk up on the hill to enjoy the view overlooking the countryside.
Went to Alresford, which is a lovely Georgian town, to see the watercress farming. We walked along the river path to a beautiful house called the Fulling Mill and had tea at her favourite cafe. The steam train ran from here to Alton, delivering watercress to other locations. There was a Thomas the engine from the children books and TV show modelled outside the station. Brought back memories of when my brother was little, watching the show.
Another place we visited was the Grange at Northington. An estate formally owned by Henry Drummond (a wealthy banker) and now part of the English Heritage. It was once a country house that underwent a huge transformation in the 19th century to have more classical Greek design. The conservatory, over time, became a ballroom and now is a theatre built by the Opera house. They have opera evenings here outside in the summers.
Next was Winchester to see the castle. The castle is small with mostly just the Great Hall where you can see a round table dated from the 13th century, painted with King Arthur and the names of the legendary knights around it. It's displayed up high on the wall. There's also a small garden in the back to wander in. Winchester Cathedral is one of the longest in Europe and, as most of the cathedrals, had a spectacular decorative facade.
Then Bosham, a little coastal village known for it's sailing. The tide was out while we walked around the inlet, admiring some of the sailboats. We could really smell the seaweed. Also poked around in the Holy Trinity Church which still had architecture from the 800's. Had that basement smell to it. Old, musty and damp... I actually like that smell. Weird, I know.
Lastly Selborne, where we walked up a hill for a nice view. Continued on and roamed the 12th century St Mary's church grounds (where we saw a ton of bees, yikes!) and they showed me Gilbert White's Field Studies Centre. Unfortunately it was closed, but that didn't stop Sue from educating me. Gilbert White was a naturalist and ornithologist (bird specialist). He was recognized as one of the first ecologists and he made discoveries of the plants, animals and local birds. Such as bird migration. He used observation instead of specimens and was able to differentiate between similar looking birds by their song.
After 6 weeks with my client, I took a much needed break. Decided to take a month to travel up in Scotland. I hopped on the train and went to Edinburgh. I checked into the Caledonia Hostel just off one of the main streets. It was surprisingly quiet. I couldn't hear the traffic or people outside at all. Is it because Cairo was so active and noisy that now everything else is quiescent? Hmmm, I don't know.
I didn't arrive until the mid evening, so once I was all settled in my dorm room I popped out for a quick bite, then went to bed.
I spent the following morning exploring the city. The Edinburgh castle was calling me upon the hill overlooking the city, (known as Castle Rock,) so I decided to start there. I rented an audio guide for the castle and started my route around.
Upon entry passing through the gate and Argyll Tower, are military barracks and the governor's house, a tea room and the outer defences (the battery, with all the cannons). Up in the middle is St. Magraret's Chapel, the oldest building in Edinburgh dating to the 12th century. It was a small building with just one small room with stained glass windows. It's still used today for the occasional wedding. A small pet cemetery for the regimental mascot dogs was just off to the side of the chapel. I walked along the Half Moon Battery before going into the Royal Palace to see the royal apartments, read a bit of history and see the crown jewels.
Under the Half Moon Battery is David's Tower, (well, what's left of it). I was able to walk into some of the rooms to get an idea of what it would have been like looking through the 'windows' back then. Small area for so many people. It was also where the Scottish hid the crown jewels during WWII. To prevent them from falling into enemy hands they hid them below a medieval latrine closet. Good place I think. Not many people would look there!
Seeing how this castle isn't anyone's regular home, it wasn't as lavishly decorated as Windsor. But there were a few rooms I could walk around in that had spectacular engraved fireplaces, painted ceilings, paintings, armour and other decorations.
The crown jewels included the crown, sword of state and the sceptre. Also, the Stone of Scone (or more commonly known, the Stone of Destiny), of which the Scottish monarchs were all enthroned upon until the English King Edward I took it for himself to be built into his own throne. Queen Elizabeth II had returned the stone to Scotland in 1996 (after 700 yrs in Westminister Abbey) which will only now be removed for future coronations.
Walking into the Great Hall, I couldn't help but admire the original hammerbeam roof of timber. I think it's amazing how well preserved it was.
When I exited I came out in the Crown Square. There were more military museums, with more history and medals to be seen, but the weather became really windy so they closed off that half of the castle grounds. With the castle up on the hill, the winds were quite strong and there was risk of people loosing their balance and falling down steps, or over a railing if not careful, so I didn't mind. For me, I figured it wouldn't be too different than most military museums anyway.
Edinburgh Castle was constantly under siege during its time. The monarch of Edinburgh castle ruled the city and by extension, all of Scotland itself, so many of the battles focused here. King David I built the castle back in the early 1100's, whom was Saint Margaret of Scotland's son. Hence the name of the chapel.
Constant battles between the Scots and the English over the centuries took place. The castle had to be rebuilt a couple times over the years.
The first major one being in the late 13th century when Alexander III died without a successor, so Edward I seized and declared himself overlord of Scotland. The following years had the first and second wars of Scottish Independence.
Then in the 16th century, the English attempted to capture Mary, Queen of Scots, thus known as the Lang Siege.
In the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell executed Charles I and invaded Scotland. It fell into English hands and the Jacobite Risings resulted. Many attempts were made by the Jacobites to reclaim the throne for who they thought to be the rightful heir. But in the final attempt in 1745, lead by Bonnie Prince Charlie (Charles Edward Stuart), they were forced to retreat.
In the 18-19th centuries, the castle held military prisoners of many wars. Like the American Revolution, Seven Years War and the Napoleonic wars. A section of the castle had hammocks hanging, with clothing and crafts or artwork that the inmates worked on to make a living. That is, before they all broke out! The prisoners dug their way through a wall and used ropes to get down the cliff. Whoops! So, much for Fort Knox!
After exploring the castle, I walked down the High St, aka the Royal Mile. Many interesting shops, churches, eateries, performers, attractions and eventually, the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Along the way down high st, I decided to go through one of the attractions. The Real Mary King's Close. Think of it as underground alleys linking up to apartments, full of old stories of past lives and struggles, and never seeing the light of day. Sounds neat, yes?
I really enjoyed this tour. Our guide dresses and plays the role of one of the characters who once lived along Mary King's Close. He was witty, animated and full of information. He carried the only flashlight, so we all stayed close together wondering the passageways and staircases into the network of rooms. There were props within many of the rooms to help liven up the tales of people's everyday lives back in the 17th century. Stories of a butcher, a poet, a merchant, the daughter of Mary King, a maid and even the foul clenger (the poor chap who had to clean houses affected by the plague). Stories of murder, poverty, suffering of illness were prominent, but so were a few of love, family and community. At the end of the tour, we came out to the main close, where we each got our photo taken under red light. I could just imagine the sound of horses clapping down the cobble street, people talking and yelling "Gardez l'eau!" A warning,' beware of the water' as people from above windows dump the slop of their latrine pots onto the street below. Yuck! Definitely want to adhere that warning. That's actually believed where the origin of the word 'loo' came from.
Once I made it to the palace, the dark clouds had passed and the sun came out. So, I figured it would be a great opportunity to hike up Arthur's Seat. So I meandered up the path that went along the side of the hill. I had a lovely panoramic view of Edinburgh at the summit. I could see a string of mounds that were once volcanoes. One out in the sea, known as Bass Rock, used to be a prison. But, the sea birds have apparently claimed that for their own now.
It was extremely windy at the summit, so I didn't stay up there too long. Not many people up there at the time either. There was one lad, so I chatted with him a bit. Josh was from the USA, Mississippi  actually. It was the first time I talked to someone with such a thick southern drawl. We walked down the hill and stopped at the ruin of St. Anthony's chapel. He was great company, so we ended up spending the rest of the afternoon together. We roamed around Princes street (one on the main streets), went into the National Gallery of Scotland to see works by Edvard Munch, and watched a band play out in the square by the gallery. Lovely day. We said our goodbyes and I popped into the pub across from my hostel for a drink to watch some live musical entertainment before heading to bed.
The next day, I went up Calton Hill to see a couple monuments, booked my car hire for the rest of my time in Scotland, meandered through the cemetery and poked my head into the outdoor shops on Rose st. I still needed to figure out what route to travel Scotland, and after talking to a handsome man in Tiso, I decided to take his advice and go west then north. Back at the hostel, I made a couple friends and had a few drinks with them in the hostel bar, went out for some night city photography then headed to bed.
This morning, I head off to pick up my rental car and start my trip!