Nothing Like Friends, Family, and a Ghost Tour to Remind You How Cool Edinburgh Is...

I have forgotten how incredibly lucky/ blessed/ fortunate I am to be living in Scotland. I hate to endorse a cliche, but I have taken Edinburgh and what has become day-to-day life for granted.

Anna's mom and dad-- possibly the two sweetest Rock Thrill Southerners you will ever meet-- came in to town for several days last week. My family, Kate's family, and Anna's brothers came for the Christmas holidays, and of course we wowed them with our independence/ knowledge/ bravery, but Mr. and Mrs. Wilson reminded us of how (please forgive the "French"...it is needed for emphasis) bad-ass we are. The timing was perfect: with only a month left in the country, sensible parents reminded us of how invaluable our experience has been and will be.

I would say I'm done tooting my how-blessed-I-am horn... but did I mention we had friends come to visit??? One of Kate's friends from high school, Kacie, is studying for her masters in Anglo-Irish literature at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Kacie and her friend Colleen flew into town on 19 February and stayed for a long weekend, leaving in the wee morning hours on the 23rd with barely enough time for Kacie to catch her Monday morning class. It's funny how quickly travelers bond. Vagabonds always find things in common to talk about...

I'm still not done. We had MORE visitors at the same time as Kacie and Colleen! The lovely Lindsey Williams Bauler came to visit!!!! Lindsey and Anna went to high school together, and Anna was a bridesmaid in her wedding this summer; Lindsey and I worked on summer staff in Montreat in 2007. Lindsey brought along with her Halli, whom we affectionately call "H" in honor of CSI Miami (and she motions to take off her aviator sunglasses whilst giving witty one-liners). She's freaking awesome! Yet again, vagabonds bond instantly! Their stories: Lindsey (College of Charleston grad) and Tim (Citadel grad) married in June and immediately moved to Germany, where Tim was stationed in the army. Halli and Cameron are from Oregon, and they married in September and moved to Germany as well. The boys left for Iraq in November (keep the two couples in your prayers), so the girls treated themselves to a mini-break to the UK. Halli and Lindsey flew into London, rented a car, and arrived in Edinburgh on 19 February. With seven girls, three beds, 2 couches, and one bathroom, 26 Gardner's Crescent turned into a (very fab) hostel; I wouldn't change it for the world. What good is having a flat in Edinburgh if our friends can't reap the benefits?!?

I've had such a blast revisiting the tourist attractions with the girls. I took the walking tour again, frolicked around Calton Hill Cemetery, climbed up Calton Hill, and popped in and out of vintage shops. We also took a GHOST TOUR!!!

I enjoy this kind of stuff, so bare with me while I tell this tale. The "ghost and torture tour" started above ground with a glimpse of what streets in old Edinburgh would have looked like and a brief explanation (and reenactment) of the witch trials. From there, we crammed into the torture museum, where we saw original thumb screws, jaw breakers, chastity belts, flesh hooks, and ball-breakers (no explanation needed there). We then descended to explore the Niddry Street Vaults, vaults that were built to be storage space but were quickly abandoned. (The vaults were built with volcanic rock, which is very porous; a few hours after it rains in Edinburgh, it rains in the vaults!) Edinburgh has been dubbed by paranormal experts as the most haunted city in the world, and these vaults have been dubbed the most haunted spot in the most haunted city. If you have seen the TV show "Most Haunted," they spent the night in the Niddry Vaults whilst in Edinburgh. In fact, they were attacked, but I'll get to that later.

There are 3 levels of paranormal activity, and all three are represented in the Niddry Vaults. Level 1, the "watchman" ghost, is like a program on repeat. The guard casually strolls up and down the corridor, like he would have done during his lifetime. People occasionally see him and hear his footsteps, but he is unaware we exist. Level 2 is a poltergeist, translated as "noisy ghost." The room with a level 2 is where the Most Haunted paranormal team was attacked (you can watch it on YouTube). The room was converted into a Wiccan Temple in the 90s, and the circle in the middle of the room, used in Wicca to prevent evil spirits from entering, now contains all it once warded off. The priest, however, made a mistake; he bought a used mirror that used to hang inside a wardrobe. The mirror acted as a door, luring spirits into the room but giving them no way to escape. As a result, the temple moved several vaults down, and the circle was deactivated, leaving the aggressive spirits trapped inside. Bad things are said to happen to anyone who enters the circle; I could think of no logical reason to test this theory. A level 3 is a poltergeist that is bent on causing harm. The Niddry Vault's level 3 was a misogynist while he was alive and is said to be a misogynist even after death. After the vaults were abandoned, the rooms were used in all kinds of creative ways, and this particular vault-- the largest vault-- was used as a brothel (more room for beds??). This man enjoyed torturing and killing his prostitutes. When we visited the chamber, our guide split the sexes, instructing the men to go to the left and the women to the right. She said couples were more vulnerable to attack and that most reported attacks were on women on the left side of the room... hence the particular arrangement. Interesting, hmm??? Another story about this vault... In one of the city's great fires (there have been a few), hundreds of people fled underground to the vaults to escape the flames. What they were not expecting, however, was for the structure of rocks to heat up like an oven. After the fires subsided, the the largest vault was full of victims who had literally been cooked to death. As our guide described it, their meat and flesh were falling off their bones just like a roasted chicken. Ok I'm done with the gruesome now.

Today is Lindsey and Halli's last day in the city. Anna and I will be staying with them for several days towards the end of our excursion. They have a Taco Bell on the base, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't already looking forward to a nacho supreme and cinnamon twists.

This is my last week at work, but the good news is the three previously sacked good guys have come back to St. R's and the two bad guys who did the sacking are now suspended. Yay!

Anna and I are going to the Isle of Skye on Monday for 3 days.

All for now.

An Ode to Brass Monkey

On this the early morning of my 5 month anniversary in Edinburgh, I have decided to write about one of my favorite places in the city: Brass Monkey.

Brass Monkey is located on Drummond Street just off of South Bridge, a stone’s throw from the National Museum and the Royal High School. It looks like it is just a normal Edinburgh pub: a dark wooden bar as you walk inside, tall stools, and a few tables at the back. You might think it’s a bit quirky if you visit the uni-sex toilets, but the real reason Brass Monkey is a special place is because of its cinema room. The side room has a 2-foot raised platform that is- I would guess- 10 x 15 feet, and it is covered in futon mattresses. The edges are lined with pillows, turning the room into a giant bed. Every day at 3:00pm, they play a “cult movie” on the projector. The movie is chosen by the viewers, so if you are lucky enough to get there first, you can have a say in which movie gets played that day.

I frequent Brass Monkey on the weekends. Kate and I went today and were surrounded by snuggling couples, and the movie to celebrate Valentine’s Day was True Romance: a shoot-em-up Christian Slater movie. I loved it.

Other movies played there: Dirty Dancing, Good Will Hunting, The Professional, Seven, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, A Clockwork Orange, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Amelie, etc. Love it.

Since today does mark five months in Edinburgh, it simultaneously marks only one month remaining. Am currently in the process of planning European excursions. Will post an itinerary… when Anna and I finally decide what exactly we are doing.

I have 10 days left at work. Yes, I am counting. Yes, it is that bad. I won’t post on it now because people who speak honestly about the horrid situations going on at St. Raphael’s Care Home are mysteriously disappearing, not in a mafia disappearance act, but in a sacked and escorted off the premises kind of way. Not kidding. Here’s an article written about it.

Another update to come soon.

Peace, love, and Edinburgh.