It was Doors Open Weekend in Edinburgh, which means that a lot of buildings that aren't normally open to the public are, well, open to the public. And free! Free is heavenly to those of us on a student budget. We do things we would never dream of doing (remember ballet?) when they are free.
Because we have bus passes and were a bit fed up with the University area of the city, David and I opted to head to Duddingston and Portobello for the day. After a quick stop at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (is that a mighty name or what?), we walked across Holyrood Park to Duddingston, an adorable village my friend Nick first showed me a few years ago.
We wandered around the graveyard of Duddingston Kirk before a perfect old Scottish man gave us a guided tour of the church that dates to the 12th century. Half of this building -- still an active church -- opened in 1124, which brings me back to timeless question: why does my house creak?
Next we caught a bus to Portobello Beach and explored a Victorian Bathhouse, featuring Turkish baths and an active swim team. We ran away from some North Sea waves, tossed a few sea shells, and watched the happiest dogs in the world retrieve tennis balls from the sea. I'm also pretty sure we saw a Viking paddling towards land, which was our sign to catch the bus back to Stockbridge.
Because we have bus passes and were a bit fed up with the University area of the city, David and I opted to head to Duddingston and Portobello for the day. After a quick stop at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (is that a mighty name or what?), we walked across Holyrood Park to Duddingston, an adorable village my friend Nick first showed me a few years ago.
We wandered around the graveyard of Duddingston Kirk before a perfect old Scottish man gave us a guided tour of the church that dates to the 12th century. Half of this building -- still an active church -- opened in 1124, which brings me back to timeless question: why does my house creak?
Next we caught a bus to Portobello Beach and explored a Victorian Bathhouse, featuring Turkish baths and an active swim team. We ran away from some North Sea waves, tossed a few sea shells, and watched the happiest dogs in the world retrieve tennis balls from the sea. I'm also pretty sure we saw a Viking paddling towards land, which was our sign to catch the bus back to Stockbridge.
3 comments
nice victorian bath house-the turkish baths are great & the plunge pool is very often very cold- & my sister said it was pretty cold yesterday after her 20mile training run.
ReplyDeletesee you soon,
fi
your house creaks because it isn't the same sturdy construction, nor has that church had to withstand your accordion-crazed lifestyle. that is all.
ReplyDeleteNancy, I got so annoyed when I visited Bath and saw plumbing that had been running since 2000 BC or whatever.... and thinking about how many checks I've cut to plumbers!
ReplyDeleteFiona -- maybe it's best we forgot our swimsuits after all...