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Foto: Miriam Steimer

A brilliant mystery
Struggle for words while visiting Edinburgh
Andrin Schumann
I tried to write an article about this
city. But I failed. I refused to choose
one theme and totally concentrate on
it. There are too many impressions,
numerous thoughts, ideas and feelings so that I got unhappy every
time I was forced to make a decision.
Edinburgh is a pool of inspiration albeit not for my writing!

Edinburgh made me dreamy. It filled

me with melancholy luckily a good
sort of melancholy, which gives me
a sort of trust in my abilities. Nearly
everyday I walked through the streets,
saw all the different grey shapes ... and
maybe for the first time in my life I
really enjoyed the moods of Novem-

ber. I visited places like Arthurs Seat

and Greyfriars Cemetery, walked into
old book shops, drank a lot of hot
chocolate in pretty cafes or bad beer
in famous pubs. And while doing all
that, one word popped up in my head
over and over again: enchanted.

and where the cars always come from

the wrong side. Over the city there
sits enthroned the Castle of Edinburgh like a guardian of the past. And
at every corner you come across the
melodic sound either of the bagpipe
or the Scottish language.

Staying in Edinburgh for me felt

like a pause from reality. There are
ancient houses which become even
more beautiful at night when their
windows light up. You have to pass
stony streets which sparkle in the rain

In Edinburgh you are permanently

confronted with the beauty of books
and the importance of literature. The
citys inhabitants are crazy about tales
and mysteries. They preserve them in
various museums and old bookshops.

I know that this is quite a subjective

kind of experience since Edinburgh
is a UNESCO City of Literature and
has inspired lots of writers like Rob-

ert Louis Stevenson or Robert Burns.

Nevertheless I cannot find the right
words in the right order to describe
how I saw the city. Anyway I will try
to.

Also they are very proud that their

town is meant to be the place of origin of stories like Harry Potter or Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Probably there
is no other city where a little dog
called Bobby would become such
an important symbol. It is said that
in the 19th century the Skye Terrier
spent fourteen years guarding the
grave of his owner. He became an
icon and his image is spread over the
whole city.
Stories and enigmas
Even the book sculpture mystery of
2011 fits nowhere better than in Edinburgh. For almost one year an anonymous artist left tiny sculptures made
out of book pages at several places
in the town. She the only certainty
people have is that the person was
a woman attracted huge attention
with her action precisely because:
In Edinburgh everybody loves a good
mystery.

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Surely all these reasons make the city

a tourist attraction as well. So there
is a feeling of waking up from the
lovely time-travel dream whenever you
stumble across one of the ugly
commercial shops unfortunately
Edinburgh is riddled with them.
Also the weight loss your purse will
suffer during your visit will bring
you back down to earth.
Whatever, these sentences, roughly
strung together should emphasise
regardless of my inability to capture
Edinburgh in words that I highly
enjoyed being there. It will not be
my last visit because I would like to
dream again. Maybe I will come back
in summer... to discover a totally
different city from the place I have
experienced so far.

View onto Greyfriars Bobby`s Bar in Candlemaker Row

Icon of Edinburgh: the Skye Terrier Bobby

Foto: Miriam Steimer

Foto: Miriam Steimer

One of the Edinburgh Book Sculptures made by

an anonymous artist
Foto: Julia Schweinberger

There shall be a Scottish Parliament

Sigrid Scheler
Have you ever seen the Scottish
Parliament building? It is completely
different from all the unrendered
buildings you find everywhere in the
old town. Concrete, steel, granite and
oak are the materials which were used
to create this iconic home for Scotlands
Government. But before the first meeting
of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, there
were almost 300 years of governance by
England. Since 1707 Scotland was ruled
from London. In 1998 the Scotland

Act declared There shall be a Scottish

Parliament and under Prime Minister
Tony Blair this dream came true. But the
parliament was homeless for the first five
years. In 2004 it moved into its new, very
controversial home in Holyrood at the
foot of Arthurs Seat. Now the parliament
building rises out of the Scottish ground
like an irremovable monolith. The
Catalan architect Enric Miralles designed
it to be eye-catching, with the materials
he used and the remarkable tie-in with

picture of Queen Elizabeth. She officially

opened the new parliament on 1 July
1999. Do not take a picture of her, our
guide says. He is properly dressed in a
suit and brings this amazing building to
life.

nature. And with this building came the

need for a growing budget.
As open as possible
In Horse Wynd you stroll by a grid of
sticks leading to the public entrance,
where there is a dark and low path inside.
Once passed the security check a warm
light embraces you. The wooden walls
and the surrounding smell of fresh coffee
create an inviting place. In the middle,
at the rear wall of the gift shop hangs a

The Garden Lobby is not only a place

of light but also a masterpiece of the
architectural connection of design and
nature. The ceiling is built of roof lights
in the shape of leaves. On very hot days
the windows can also be opened, he
adds with an ironic smile. A green area
lies outside in the fading daylight. The
garden is like it was in Queen Marys
times. And it has good apples. Better
to say it had. The autumn trees are now
stripped of their leaves.

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The free guided tour through both

public and more private areas is much
more interesting than expected. Basic
information about Scottish policy and the
building is also suitable for people who
arent so enthusiastic.

The Chamber of the Scottish Parliament

Fotos: Sigrid Scheler

Conversations around controversies

In the Chamber right before the raised
seat of the Presiding Officer is the
Parliamentary mace, made from silver
and inlaid with gold. It lies in a glassy
box. Such an object was once used as a
club, the guide explains. It was presented
to the Parliament by the Queen. Perhaps
confusing are the shapes of whisky
bottles on the shutters and walls. They
symbolize the Scottish people. Miralles
died before the parliament was finished
and left drawings of the interior. But dont
ask me why he chose these. Immediate
thoughts stay unspoken.
A concrete and wooden stair leads up to
the gallery of The Chamber. Contrary to
the dark entrance it shines in pure light.
Wide, bright and full of wood, this centre
of democracy gleams. You know at once it
is still new. The impression is of being in

Several towers shaped as leaves create the parliament as one piece.

a forest, even the floor is soft as if it had
been covered over and over with fallen
leaves. But it is just the blue patterned,
fluffy carpet. There is a continual coming
and going of the visitors and the Members
of the Scottish Parliament during their
meetings and debate. A young school
class in dark red uniforms with their
teachers stayed for just a few minutes.
If you visit the building, decide for
yourself whether it is a masterpiece or an
extraordinary waste of money.

INFO
There are different opening hours to
the public depending on the working
of the parliament. To be sure you can
visit the building, pick a time between
10 am and 4:30 pm but note that
the parliament is closed on Sunday
and during February. If youd like to
experience a free guided tour check
the timetable in advance.
www.scottish.parliament.uk

The public entrance proves how

important wood is as construction
material.

Back to Black

The highway to Edinburghs hell is

called Cowgate and leads directly to
Banshee Labyrinth. The Gothic and
Metal Club promotes itself as the
most haunted pub in town, guiding
its customers into the gloomy vaults
under South Bridge. The location
reflects upon one of the darkest periods in local history, when the underground was home to the poor of the
Scottish capital.

An entombed part of Edinburghs history

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Isabel Metzger

Poor & hip: The former slums of Cowgate Street under South Bridge are being turned into an area of clubbing and entertainment.
Foto: Isabel Metzger

After sunset the wrecked houses

along Cowgate turn as black as black
can be. The muddy puddles on the
concrete floor mirror only few flickering neon signs. Near the pillars the
remnants of a multi-storey building
rise against the sky. Banshee Labyrinth lies at the heart of what used
to be one of the slums of Edinburgh.
Beggars and prostitutes would sleep
Working in the dark: barkeeper Tim at Banshee Labyrinth Foto: Monique Schmahl
and die in its catacombs.
tour guide Ken says. I prefer to call
houses in Old Town that the ScotTurning down the light
it the city underneath because it
tish writer Robert Louis Stevenson
It is still a bad area today, Ken, one was never meant to be an underdescribed it as a rabbit warren.
of the guides tells me. This night I
ground city. It is just the way it deam to enter the real underworld,
veloped, very organically. Up to the
People living in the vaults had to sufas he puts it. It is 9 pm. Banshee
19th century, Edinburgh had a confer terrible conditions: The smell of
Labyrinth has opened its doors.
stant housing problem. Its city walls
waste and smoke of open fires filled
Live Heavy Metal music is splashallowed only limited space to build
their dark, cramped homes. Many
ing up from the basement. A comnew flats. People were forced to use
people died of diseases, nourishing
pact, black-clothed doorman gives
every single gap. The vaults under
myths about an underground ghost
way to a set of stairs and corridors
South Bridge became the bedrooms
town. For that reason, the underleading into the dark. The walls are
of the poorest. People started digground city has become a popular
all painted black. Spider nets are
ging holes into the slope of the Castle tourist attraction and the setting for
fluttering with the cool, damp air.
Hill to create more space for living.
ghost tours. Every day, hundreds of
Downstairs, a group of young people So many hollows they dug under the visitors explore the underground
are playing billiards. Two girls with
of South Bridge and of Mary Kings
leather jackets are chatting in the
Close.
corner. The smell of cold hot dog fat
and beer mixes into the air.
Banshee Labyrinth is supposed to be
the only part of the vaults in everySome three years ago this was an
day use. You can book us for birthaverage club, barman Tim explains.
days, funerals, and storage of inconBut my boss is a Gothic, so hes
venient bodies, a plate announces
turned down the light a bit, ha, ha.
warmly at the bar. Poor living condiTims voice is rising softly. His white,
tions have been turned into a legend
delicate fingers stroke a black strand
of the lifestyle of the desperate and
from his cheek. He was born in Eddestitute of the time they were at
inburgh, he tells me. Before he took
their worst. The really poor no longer
up the job in the club he travelled
live underground, but many of the
the world: Kent, Surrey, London.
streets around South Bridge are still
He excuses himself to prepare a
a dwelling area to many of them.
Blood Kiss for one of the customAnd while the loudspeakers in the
ers.
club are starting off their Highway
to Hell, the homeless pop into the
As in Banshee Labyrinth, the city
building of the Salvation Army next
has many doors to a world under
door, warming themselves up after a
the cobblestones. Some people say
cool November day.
Edinburgh has an underground city,
Foto: Monique Schmahl

Whisky and freedom

The Literary Pub Tour gives another exciting insight into the history of Edinburgh

Christiane Nnnig
The nightlife of Edinburgh is one of
the pleasures the Scottish capital city
offers its visitors. Thanks to the overwhelming range of historic pubs it is
impossible to recommend only a few
of them. But is there something else
beneath the beer and whisky? Actually there is and you can even add
an intellectual flavour to the joy of
drinking you just have to follow the
path of the famous literary sons of the
Scottish city. You get the chance for
this special kind of upgrade during a

Literary Pub Tour. How did great poets like Robert Burns work and where
did Sir Walter Scott get his inspiration? According to the tour there is
a strong connection to the water of
life in which the authors indulged - a
bold claim we had to prove ourselves!
Let the tour begin!
The tour starts at the Grassmarket,
one of the most historic and lively
places in Edinburgh with some very
famous and highly recommended

pubs like the Last Drop or the

White Hart Inn. In the 18th century
the last public hangings were held in
the market, promising a backdrop for
our trip to the past. We meet in the
Beehive Inn and a man called Mr.
Clart yes, as in muck, he explains
the old Scottish word starts with
a Scottish toast and begins to tell us
about the time when the great Robert
Burns, who lived in the Grassmarket
in 1786, wrote his poems. In these
ancient times the air was sweet and

warm, with a smell of hay, dung and

fish from the market. All kind of
people mixed here: soldiers as well
as prostitutes, the reputable and the
shunned, the poor and the rich. Mr.
Clart draws a lively picture of the
historical setting so we can get a real
sense of the atmosphere at that time.
Suddenly a man in the audience
interrupts his speech and complains:

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The Beehive Inn at the Grassmarket

Edinburgh by night has plenty to offer - even more than just a drink.

Fotos: Sigrid Scheler

The Ensign Ewart is the nearest pub to Edinburgh Castle.

What has that got to do with the

literature? His name is Mr. McLaine
promptly turned into McBrain by
Mr. Clart and he claims the verified, documented truth about the
literary history of Edinburgh. This
is the beginning of a witty debate
between the rough and the intellectual about the merits of Edinburgh
authors, their impact on Scottish life
and especially their drinking habits.
A walk through time
According to the two main protagonists, the lively taverns in the Old
Town were the birthplace of Scotlands most famous literature. Here,
among the common herd and the
prostitutes who filled the dark closes
and pubs, writers like Robert Burns
or Sir Walter Scott found inspiration
for their great works. And who could
hold the joy of drinking against these
respected Scotsmen?

In a winding close along the Royal Mile

you can find the Jolly Judge.

From the Beehive Inn the tour goes

up onto the Royal Mile. Near the pub
Jolly Judge and the Ensign Ewart
we listen to more stories, songs and
poems. For our final stop we have
to leave the Old Town and go along

Rose Street in New Town where we

find the Scottish Literary renaissance
of the 1950s alive. In the pub The
Kenilworth, which takes its name
from one of Scotts Waverley novels,
we enjoy our last drinks amidst an
art nouveau interior, having had a
good time together with many other
listeners. The audience is always different, says the actor who played Mr.
Clart, and it is a lot of fun to interact
with the people. For us it was a really entertaining evening, too, with
interesting stories and flavoursome
drinks the best combination for a
good time. Or to say it in the words
of Robert Burns: Freedom and
Whisky Gang Thegither. Cheers!

The Kenilworth is one of the lively pubs

of Rose Street in New Town.

Following
Authorial
Footsteps

Robert Louis Stevenson. Some of

you have probably already heard of
this famous Scottish writer, author of
the well known novel Kidnapped.
I had, and so I decided to visit the
Writers Museum in Edinburgh
which is mostly dedicated to him and
two other prominent authors, Robert
Burns and Sir Walter Scott.

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Monique Schmahl

Makars Court

Fotos: Monique Schmahl

The Writers Museum, also known

as the Lady Stairs House, was built
in 1622 and later on bought by the
Dowager Countess of Stair in 1719.
In 1907 it was given to the city of Edinburgh and enlarged as a museum.
The courtyard in front is constructed
as the Makars Court. Here inscribed
slabs can be seen to commemorate
famous Scottish writers from the
14th to the 20th century. Above the
entrance is written Feare the Lord
and Depart from Devil, which was
inscribed by the first owner William
Grey of Pittendrum. The building
itself is impressive. Its narrow stairways, the wide dining room and the
gallery give a light feeling of how
it was to live here during the 17th
and 18th century. The main focus
of the exhibition is on Robert Burns
(1759 1796), Sir Walter Scott (1771
1832) and Robert Louis Stevenson
(1850 1894), but there are also
changing temporary exhibitions of
different Scottish authors. While
wandering around these old rooms I
lost myself in the different times and
stories. I was immediately impressed
by Stevenson and his life, and wanted
to know more.

Stevenson. About seven years ago

Edinburgh became the Worlds first
UNESCO City of Literature because
of its vast literary heritage. At almost
the same time the first Book Lovers
Tours started. At the beginning the
tours were just for fun but turned
out to be highly in demand and have
continued since then.
Our first stop is in front of the old
Parliament Building, nowadays
known as the Supreme Court. Rob-

ert Louis Stevenson was a legitimate

lawyer and wandered around these
halls pretending to practise law. Our
Guide calls him a Victorian Hippie,
he wasnt poor, he was well educated
but he still preferred another lifestyle.
Outside the museum Edinburghs
Travelling was his passion. Much of
Book Lovers Tour is announced.
his writing was inspired by his travels
That is where I go next.
through Europe, America, the South
Allan Foster, the author of several
Seas and Oceania. One of his first
books, like The Literary Traveller In works, Travels with a Donkey in
Edinburgh or The Literary Traveller the Cvennes (1879) was inspired
In Scotland, is in charge of the tours. by a journey through south-central
It is obvious that he knows what he is France in 1878. This fervour for
talking about; a man who had always travel was with him until he died in
read classic Scottish literature like
Samoa in 1894.

It is said that Stevenson was inspired

by Cramond Island close to the city,
when he wrote his book Treasure Island, but this could have never been
proved. His horror story Strange
Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
takes place in Edinburgh and refers
to a famous cabinet maker William
Brodie, a citizen who led a double life
as a burglar in the late 18th century
and these days is known as Deacon
Brodie.
During our walk through the southern part of the city, we pass the former medical school of Edinburgh. In
the 1820s, Robert Knox was lecturing
in dissection classes, but at the time
bodies for dissections were rare, so
he began to purchase corpses for his
anatomy classes. Two of his suppliers were William Burke and William
Hare, who started to murder drunk
and homeless people regularly to sell
their bodies.
The killings became known as the
West Port Murders, and these scandalous crimes inspired Stevenson
to write his short story The Body
Snatcher which was filmed a couple
of times.
A few steps further on, our small
tour group reaches the surgery
department of Edinburghs former
sanatoria. One famous patient was
the writer William Ernest Henley. He
suffered from tuberculosis and had to
have his foot amputated. Stevenson
was his friend and came to see him
during his stay there between 1873
1875. Later Henley was the inspiration for Stevenson to create the
character of Long John Silver for his
novel Treasure Island.
The descriptions are so colourful and
humorous that I did not want to stop
listening, but unfortunately our tour
was coming to an end.
Finally I ask him what his favourite
work by Robert Louis Stevenson is:
Kidnapped.

IMPRINT
Authors

Layout

Michael Bernhard
Daniela Elpers
Kathrin Lotholz
Isabel Metzger
Christiane Nnnig
Martina Peters
Sigrid Scheler
Monique Schmahl
Andrin Schumann
Julia Schweinberger
Inga Sprnken
Miriam Steimer

Daniela Elpers
Martina Peters
Julia Schweinberger
Miriam Steimer

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29

Tiltshift by
Daniela Elpers

Foto: Miriam Steimer

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the
author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which
may be made of the information contained therein.