Edinburgh is a city of contrasts: ancient and very new, stone and green, hilly and flat. Our first morning here we had breakfast at the Tree Cafe, situated a stone’s throw from Bruntsfield Links and the Meadows park. Our breakfast was great. Will noticed the golf clubs leaning in the corner of the cafe, available for use on the Links.
During our stay here, we’ve walked the Meadows and the Links on several times back to the flat we’re staying in in Bruntsfield. It’s been fun to see couples, a parent and child, or friends practicing their golf on the 35 acre Links, The park is free to all, and gorgeous views across the neighboring Meadows.
Sunday afternoon, the parks were busy with music, cricket being played in 2 areas, picnics and dog walkers. We’d looked down to the Meadows earlier when we climbed Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park. Holyrood Palace is the monarch’s residence when they’re in Scotland, and marks one end of the Royal Mile. Edinburgh Castle sits at the other end of the Mile. We meant to climb Arthur’s Seat, just beside the Crags, but there wasn’t any signage where we started. It looked pretty crowded up there anyway, and the views we had were outstanding
Earlier we’d walked the Royal Mile. There’s so much to see: people busking, shoppers, ancient cathedrals and the amazingly narrow closes (oedestrian walkways) that lead down and away from the Royal Mile.
One of my favorite things to see was the Floral Clock at the corner of West Princes Street Gardens. In 1902 a design of the Imperial Crown was laid out in small plants to mark the coronation of King Edward VII. The next year the Park Superintendent had the idea to add a floral clock with one hand. The second hand was added in 1904, and it became a working clock, manufactured and maintained by a Edinburgh clock making firm. That same firm maintains the clock still.
It takes 30,000 plants to make up this clock , and it’s done twice a year. Designs commemorate events important to the UK and/or Edinburgh. They first did a Winter Clock design in 2003 when a model of the clock was made for the its 100th year birthday. The model went to the Chelsea Flower Show and won the Gold Medal for Horticultural Excellence.
I’d completely missed this the first time in Edinburgh in 2019. Watching the clock actually move with these tiny plants making up the design is almost surreal. The current clock as you can see marks the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
There’s a lot of art in all forms all over the city. I like keeping an eye out for some of the smaller pieces too.
Ok, gotta quit here. There’s more to tell about Edinburgh, but I’m hurrying off with Will to go for an afternoon tea.
Birdgirl’s travels 