Edinburgh- get on the bus

Last time we were in Edinburgh, we were like, omg, too many hills/our legs are rebelling even now. As seasoned Scotlandeers, we climbed the royal mile today and said, "Not a bad walk. Pretty flat." The crisis point in leg soreness actually came in Iona, where we walked about 5 or 6 miles one day, till I came the realization that never before in my whole life, not even the time I had to ride an exercise bike for a 20 mile fundraiser, had my legs been so sore. I mean, the quads hurt, the hamstrings hurt, and the calves felt tired out of sympathy. Since then, I've been like, What? It's no big deal.

Right. So the other reason we're seasoned to this place is that we have photo id bus passes. That means that we don't have to walk if we get tired. It's a nice option, since we're staying south of Old Town and doing things about 10 city blocks away. Speaking of where we're staying, I recommend it. Blossom House is run by a very friendly young man (family actually, but we've not met his wife since they have a 1 week old), it's very clean, and it's in the Boho section of town. That means ethnic food, smoothie bars, cafes, and bookstores. If it weren't far too cold, we'd probably spend more time looking in the bookshops. But instead we bused to Princes Street and browsed in the four floor Waterstone's. There's a great big central staircase that keeps the place from feeling like a Scottish Barnes and Noble. More elegance or similar.

Today we discovered an awesome Smoothie bar called Juice Monkeys. It has free internet access. I'm addicted to their fare at present, so we'll probably be online again tomorrow to post more pictures. We also toured Edinburgh Castle. It's the last castle in our plans, and I'm glad. I'm kind of castled out. We're going to see the Palace tomorrow. Then it's cathedrals from here on out. The highlights of the castle were: 1. Seeing the crown jewels. 2. Learning about St. Margaret and visiting her chapel. 3. Having tea/late lunch at the Queen Anne cafe in the castle, where they had really delicious haggis and neeps taster canapes. They were so good that if I was the sort of person to spend far too much time preparing food that had to be steamed in a sheep stomach (haggis), I would seriously make some for parties. But I'm not; I won't even make tamales, which I like better. They also gave Andrew the first real leaf tea we've had while we've been here. 4. The views are spectacular. You can see across the Firth of Forth and all around the city from the top. No wonder people have defended the rock for some thousands of years. 5. It was cold enough to warrant the use of coliquialisms (cold as --fill in blank with regional preference----) when we got out of the castle, so I bought a cashmere scarf at one of the tourist woolen shops. It's just the national tartan (Stuart), not my particular one, but it's very warm. When you're in perpetual cold weather, warmth is definitely a highlight.

On Wednesday we plan to pilgrimage over to the catholic St. Mary's Cathedral to pray at the shrine with the relics of St. Andrew the apostle. We'll also see the Episcopal St. Mary's here, which we understand from Stepheny to have an exceptional painting.

Summary of Aberdeen:
Getting Back to Our Roots
We went to Sung Matins yesterday at St. Andrew's. It's usually a sung Eucharist, which is why we went, but yesterday was the annual day of remembrance, so they read the names of the dead of the parish from the world wars in an act of remembrance in the time that would probably have been Eucharist otherwise. It was good to see that the war memorial plaques in the cathedrals serve a liturgical purpose. The Provost introduced himself and his wife Katherine after the service. We chatted about Christian Education and were invited to join the congregation for tea and biscuits in the Skinner centre, their sort of parish hall. They also showed us around a bit and let us take pictures of the altar.

Aside: Okay, Provost garb is cool looking. I have no idea what the cape looking thing is called, but it was pretty in a holy way.

The remarkable characteristic of the cathedrals where we've worshipped is the hospitality. When we were in Inverness, the Provost - the Very Reverend Alexander Gordon - greeted us after noonday Eucharist. He inquired as to our travels, made us feel very welcome, and asked us to send their greetings back to CHF. At Aberdeen, the Provost - the Very Reverend Richard Kilgour- welcomed us after Matins, asked us where we were from and if we worked in the church (gift of discernment there). When we replied as to our involvement at CHF, he immediately called over his wife to introduce us and talk about Godly Play, which they have just started there. (Andrew is involved in Godly Play at CHF). Then he asked me how our adult education worked, told me what program they use, and gave me a website reference. When we went over for tea, his wife Katherine gave us a tour of the Godly Play facility. I told her about CHF's tradition of hiding the wise men in the Nave through Advent, finally arriving at the creche on Epiphany, and she said they might implement the idea there, too. After tea, Katherine let us back into the cathedral to take pictures and look at the glorious altar canopy.

Just amazing hospitality.

Other than the cathedral and the opera, Aberdeen was a little unpleasant. There are far too many smokers, the air seems dusty, it was cold, and we were at an uncomfortable guest house (Arden house, which I advise you to avoid, even if they do have 3 stars from the tourist board). I hope it is not uncharitable to admit that Americans seem on the whole prettier and younger looking than the Scots in Aberdeen. I think it's the cigarrettes. The church people, children, and nonsmokers looked well enough.

Love and Peace
Summer