In the second part of the article, we will take you to the cold English Channel, to important university towns north of London, and to the highlight of the first part of the journey – Scotland and its mystical treasures.
We started our day of exploration at another historic railway station, King's Cross (together with St Pancras International, they form one of the largest transport hubs in the UK), where scenes from the Harry Potter saga were filmed.
First, we bought a one-way train ticket to Hogwarts next to platform 9 ¾ and soon boarded the train. It did not (or did it?) take us to the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but to the English seaside resort of Brighton. The sun was already shining brightly as we walked through the streets decorated with rainbow flags (Brighton and Hove is the unofficial capital of the LGBT community in the UK).
By the sea, we walked to Brighton Pier, home to a variety of arcade games, an amusement park and food and souvenir stalls. It is reminiscent of Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles and overlooks the English Channel.
We also visited the Upside Down House, the path under the cliffs, and the Royal Pavilion – a palace built in the Indian-Saracenic architectural style. The afternoon sun attracted many visitors to the beach, soaking up the rays, but only a few dared to take a dip in the sea, including us.
We started the day in the city most people know for the world-famous university of the same name, Cambridge. We arrived in the city with the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world early in the morning. Where did such a name come from? Through the city flows the river Cam, over which many bridges pass – this is where Cambridge came from.
Bridges such as the Mathematical Bridge and all university buildings reminiscent of mansions and cathedrals evoke a clear identity of a university city, which according to certain data is said to have sent almost 100 Nobel Prize winner into the world. I. Newton, S. Hawking, A. Turing, R. Oppenheimer, C. Darwin, as well as actors Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson, once studied and researched here.
We also had a look at the descendant of Newton's apple tree (the original apple tree stands on the former Newton estate in Lincolnshire), which is said to carry the myth that inspired his theory of gravity.
One of the top inventions of 2008, the famous Corpus Clock, unveiled by Hawking at the opening, also caught our attention.
We watched as locals transported tourists in shallow boats, reminiscent of Venetian gondolas (Camboats), along the River Cam, while they viewed the various buildings of the university from the comfort of the boat.
After a morning in Cambridge, we boarded the train to the next destination on our list – York. Once the largest Roman city in northern Britain, we were surprised by its rich medieval Gothic architecture, narrow streets and mighty walls (which also make a beautiful footpath around the city centre).
We satisfied our hunger with a traditional Yorkshire Pudding, which is a baked pastry usually filled with slow-roasted meat, vegetables and, of course, a rich gravy (with the addition of a sweet apple topping). We finished our visit by catching the train to the next stop of the day.
The second-to-last city on the itinerary was Durham, where we arrived in the late afternoon, with the sun beautifully illuminating the large castle and the imposing cathedral overlooking the town (both of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites). It is also known for having the third-oldest university in England. We climbed to the foot of the cathedral, where the grandeur of the building took our breath away. As the town is built on a wooded meander of the River Wear, we strolled along the green waterfront and enjoyed the view, and had a quick and easy snack from our backpack – bread and jam.
After this brief and delightful experience, we caught our last train to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.
We arrived at Waverley station in Edinburgh late in the evening. The Edinburgh International Festival of music, dance, opera and theatre, and its alternative, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, take place in the city's castle. It was also the venue for the Royal Military Tattoo brass band parade, which takes place every year in August and attracts up to 200,000 visitors. Fitting for the location, hundreds of members of the British Armed Forces play bagpipes and drums every night, thrilling audiences with their sound.
We woke up to a typical foggy and rainy Scottish morning. At that time, the city streets were still lonesome, so we used the time to explore. We were overwhelmed by the ancient medieval architecture and the imposing Gothic buildings that give the city its grey-brown colour. We climbed Royal Mile Street, which connects two important buildings: Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. It used to be the site of a procession of monarchs, hence the name King's Street.
We also visited the statue of the controversial philosopher David Hume, which stands on this street. It is customary for visitors to touch and rub their thumb on his foot, as this is said to bring good luck and knowledge. This local tradition was started by local philosophy students who wanted the knowledge of philosophy from Hum to be passed on to them.
When visiting Edinburgh, we noticed an image of a unicorn on many statues, which is considered a popular element of children's toys and fairy tales in Slovenia. In Scotland, however, the unicorn is the official state animal. Unicorns have always been associated with Scottish culture and mythology, symbolising purity and innocence, but also power and dominance. Fairies, guardians of forests and waters, which are celebrated and venerated by the locals in many myths and stories, have a similar, if not greater importance. Scotland.com recommends that before you go for a walk on your own in the fields or woods, educate yourself about the different fairies and make sure you are not dressed in green, as you could be mistaken for one of their kind.
At the end of King's Street, next to the large Holyrood Park, is the Scottish Parliament building, which was built in a postmodernist style and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is built on land that has been completely polluted by industry, in a sustainable spirit with solar panels, wooden interiors and natural ventilation. We climbed the city's famous photo spot – Calton Hill, also a World Heritage Site. The hill offers a panoramic view of the monochrome Old Town.
The next thing we did was rest on a bench in front of the imposing Balmoral Hotel, which is built in the neo-Gothic style. The building is adorned with a tall clock tower, which does not show the exact time, but it is three minutes ahead of time for people to catch a train out of the city in time (the Waverley station is nearby). The only day of the year when the time is correct is December 31. Another interesting fact, J.K. Rowling finished the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book (which she inscribed on the marble bust of Hermes) in room 552 of the hotel. This room has been renamed the "J.K. Rowling Suite". Today, it costs more than £1,000 to spend the night, but that does not stop fervent fans.
Next, we headed to the large memorial dedicated to the Scottish historical novelist Sir Walter Scott. It is the second-largest monument dedicated to a writer in the world, with a height of 60 metres. The Princes Street Garden, enriched in its centre by the turquoise Ross Fountain, originally from France, is also nearby.
The park also has a statue of a corporal who served in World War II. A soldier with four paws has an interesting story. In 1942, Polish soldiers in Iran bought a baby bear from a young Iranian boy whose mother was allegedly shot by hunters. They named him Wojtek and soon he was living a real military life. Since the Polish units were transferred to the British Army in the Battle for the Liberation of Italy, Wojtek was enrolled in the military ranks, as there were no animals on board the ship (so he officially became a soldier). He carried heavy crates of ammunition on his back and helped the soldiers. He spent a well-deserved post-war period at Edinburgh Zoo, where he lived until his death in 1963. Today, a monument to his memory attracts more and more tourists who want a photo.
We spent the afternoon at the National Museum of Scotland, which is free to all visitors and features collections ranging from science and chemistry to fashion, ceramics and porcelain, aviation and, last but not least, tourism and travel. The most visited artefact of the museum is certainly the stuffed image of Dolly the sheep, which was the first cloned animal named after the singer Dolly Parton. The museum also holds the 11 remaining pieces from the Lewis Chessmen collection, which we have already seen at the British Museum in London.
Before catching the evening train to Glasgow, once one of the most important ports in the world, we headed a little out of the city centre to a picturesque area called Dean ("Dean Village"), located on a meander of the Water of Leith. Beautiful views in a quiet environment have made an already sunny afternoon even better.
Our journey among Scotland's legendary peaks and valleys and visits to the island's western towns will follow in the next issue of the magazine.
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