In my ignorance and world innocence I thought London was a cloudy and wet place, but there is a new leader and champion of places that I have been with miserable weather. It didn’t come as a shock, and it didn’t stop my enjoying Edinburgh, but it’s worth noting if you ever decide to go yourself that it feels like it could drizzle for months on end. I suspect that the sunshine on my arrival was the first to be seen in Edinburgh for quite some time and as such I feel privileged to have basked in it briefly.
If anything, the low clouds and light rain add to the atmosphere. The castle perches high above the centre of town, an imposing reminder of a war-soaked past. It pops out at the most unusual times. As you walk along a street in the new town you glance to the left as you cross the road and – bloody hell! There it is. It seems to play some kind of optical trick on the mind, being almost too big and grand to fit into a modern city. It shimmers in the distance. It sits on top of craggy black cliffs with sheer drops an all but one side. Its presence lifts Edinburgh out of the ordinary at once.
In a similar way the mountains impose themselves on you. You don’t have to go looking for them, they regally appear, crowned with clouds. I rambled up them one morning and with each step my mood lifted. I had almost forgotten what it was like to be really outside and breath fresh air. You can’t help but be impressed by the sheer steepness. I’ve been up the highest mountain in Australia but it’s just a molehill compared to these. I eventually managed to climb to the highest point. My legs were burning and sweat was dripping off my eyebrows. As I took in my achievement, basking at being among the clouds with the city barely visible beneath me, I glanced over to my left. An old woman trotted over the next mountain along accompanied by her four scotch terriers. It put my mountain climbing into perspective.
The one great pity about Edinburgh is that its shoreline has been taken over by industrial shipping as far as the eye can see. I would have liked to go exploring, but like the pyramids, this will have to wait until I’m older and wiser. For now Germany awaits and then it’s back to … no, I can’t bring myself to say it. It’s the homeward stretch, the two month sprint before the end of another job.
Dave out.
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