From Edinburgh I suppose .......
Trip Start
Mar 28, 2009
1
6
7
Trip End
Apr 14, 2009
Edinburgh,
Scotland,
United Kingdom
Saturday, April 11, 2009
We arrived at the Once Brewed Visitors Center and the very nice lady at the center indicated that with my limited time, I should see Housestead's since it had a really good section of the wall and the fort gave a really good impression of what it felt like to be stationed at the wall.She did point out that it was a bit "blustery today"
The drive to Housestead's - Lake Windermere
. This is a euphemism for that there is enough wind for a wind farm generate electricity for all of Johannesburg. Well, I didn't know any better so I was off to Housestead's. I discovered that it was a 15 minute walk to the fort itself and the wall came in on the North East corner of the fort - became the north battlement and extended further west. In addition I would be able to walk on the walk for a bit. This sounded perfect.I was truly excited about all this.We arrived at the fort but we decided that I would go in alone as it was a "bit blustery" and I started on my walk. The path to the fort took me through grazing land and though the path was predominately uphill but I felt that I was finally a part of the land that I have tried to describe. As I started to wander through the ruins I was struck ,other than by wind that was slicing through my pants, by the strategic genius of the fort.The location of the camp gave the legion stationed there a great 360degree views of the area. The hills that I trudge up also made it difficult to attack the fort from the flank. This was an amazing experience that gave me a greater appreciation of this great civilization. As I stood on the northern battlements, it started to rain. It was awful. The wind howled, the rain lashed and I understood what it must have been like for those poor souls who were stationed at the furtherest edge of the Roman empire. I also wondered why the Romans put so much effort into the defending of this land!!!! I left the fort and walked around the western edge through the gate toward the wall with the wind howling around me
Housestead's - Surrounding Landscape
. As I reached the wall itself, I walked through the trees and heard - nothing. The strategic genius of the Romans used the surrounding trees as protection for the soldiers who had to stand duty on the wall. As my feet trudged into the stones surface, I could easily imagine my feet being replaced by those of a Roman soldier. I,thankfully, had a very short tour of duty at Housestead's. I am sure the Romans who left the fort probably left much as I did - with a smile on the face and gladness in the heart. We left for Edinburgh after a well deserved cup of tea. It was on this drive that I feel in love - with Scotland. We crossed the border and everything seemed different. The names of towns were more romantic and there was definite time warped quality of the surroundings. As we drove through Edinburgh, it became obvious that the city father's have fought to retain the old world history of the city. It is beautiful!!!!We had to return the car the next day so this took up a fair part of our morning as we had to navigate through Edinburgh. This would not be a problem usually but there are upgrades being done on the public transport system - they are building a new tram system. This means that it is not an easy task traveling through the city. This being said, it does not detract from the appeal of the city. We then proceeded to the visitor's center where we bought our "hop on-hop off" tickets which included the entry into the three historic attractions
I walked from beyond those trees!!!!
. We also used the opportunity to take the first of many magnificent pictures of the city. We went on the tour that took us through the "Old town" and "New Town". This gives the impression that you would find skyscrapers and modern buildings in the New Town - actually the buildings there date from the Georgian period which though they are not as old as the buildings in the rest of Edinburgh but they are not exactly post-modernistic by any stretch of the imagination. The tour also provided us with the opportunity to go to see the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was Her Majesty's official means of ocean transport until the ship was decommissioned in the late 90's. The yacht was not as opulent as the other residences that we had visited but it does have a garage with Rolls Royce in it. It was not a waste of time but it did not have me enthralled. The Edinburgh Castle on the other hand seems to have captured my imagination and as the most predominate building in the Edinburgh skyline I had plenty of opportunity to admire it. We walked home that evening through Princes Garden and I really did believe that I would be able to move to this city and be happy. I could be cliche about the whole thing and say that I felt that I was home but I have to say I do have a sense of belonging in this city. Perhaps its all the romantic novels and Braveheart that have helped create this familiarity.We spent the last day in this city exploring the two sites that I believe every traveller to this city should visit - the Edinburgh castle and wandering down the Royal Mile
Housestead's Roman Fort(1)
. The queue that snaked toward the ticket vendor at the castle made my heart drop but the ticket that I had purchased with the tour bus gave us direct access to the castle. No queues - yes!!!!! The Edinburgh is not a castle is not an opulent residence of a monarch - it is a fort that has defended the city through invasions and uprisings.This history is available for the visitor to explore and discover. The castle sits atop a volcanic rock known as Castle Rock and its domination of the Edinburgh skyline gives the visitor ample opportunity to view the Edinburgh skyline unhindered. These highlights include Salisbury Crag, Arthur's seat, the port of Leith, Old town and New town. The sheer cliffs that are found on three of the four directions have made it all but impregnable. I loved the castle and the fascination that I had from the exterior was only deepened as we explored the interior of the castle. As I learned of the stone of destiny and the Honours of Scotland, I became increasingly fascinated by the Scottish history. As I walked down the Royal Mile,I had the incredible feeling to explore this country further. I guess Edinburgh gave me a glance into a country and know I want to explore this further. 
