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31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN – Day 5

by mwgerard Posted on October 5, 2012

I always visit an old cemetery when I can. There is something so comfortable about them. It’s quiet and peaceful, sometimes with lovely paths or discoveries to make. It’s not a macabre thing for me; I truly enjoy thinking about the people and the history that is there.

When on our honeymoon last summer I went to no fewer than 5 cemeteries. Here are some photos of a few of them. In Edinburgh they had a tradition of listing the person’s occupation, which I thought was great.

27OldCaltonEdin — Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh

35OldCaltonEdin — Philosopher David Hume, Edinburgh

41OldCaltonEdin — Author of HOROLOGY, Edinburgh

43OldCaltonEdin — Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh

46GreyfriarGateEdin — Greyfriars Churchyard, Edinburgh

109GFKirkyardEdin — Greyfriars Churchyard, Edinburgh

111GFKirkyardEdin — Greyfriars Churchyard, Edinburgh

115GFKirkyardEdin — Greyfriars Churchyard, Edinburgh

I will post more from other cities during my 31 Days of Halloween posts.

Do you like to visit cemeteries? Or do you find them frightening?

Posted in insatiable theic, travel | Tagged 31 days of halloween, cemeteries, cemetery, edinburgh, greyfriars, halloween, old calton, old cemetery, scotland | Leave a comment

DAY TWO (cont’d): Edinburgh

by mwgerard Posted on September 20, 2011

After a lovely stop for lunch at Canonsgate Arms, we walked (trekked, as it turned out) to the Royal Botanical Gardens. The walk was through a very cool part of town.

When we reached the gardens themselves, I asked a very helpful man named Neil if there was anything in particular I should see regarding Robert Fortune. Since reading FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA by Sarah Rose, I’ve become a bit of a groupie for Mr. Fortune. He was from Edinburgh originally, but they said there wasn’t anything dedicated to him here.

An incredibly large plant fossil

Dozens of pepper plants, or various capsasin content

Gorgeous architecture

These “lily pads” were at least 4 feet across.

The “desert” hothouse

A view from outside

Yay! I found him. One of the plants he “hunted” and names.

With sore feet, we began the journey back to town.

We took a breather and enjoyed some cider at Jekyll & Hyde. Writer Robert Louis Stevenson is another of Edinburgh’s famous sons.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Wedgewood’s, then took a different route back to our B&B past Greyfriars Kirkyard, home of the famous Greyfriars Bobby.