Sunday August 3 ~ Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh

Last Wednesday we moved from the Lake District of England to Edinburgh, Scotland.  We have grown accustomed to the trains running fairly close to on-time, so were caught by surprise by what turned into a 2.5 hour delay.

Our first leg from Windermere to Oxenholme went smoothly.  As we sat in Oxenholme waiting for our connecting train, an announcement was made that the trains in both directions were halted due to a “trespasser on the line”.  We later found out that someone was on the bridge over the tracks threatening to jump and the police were on hand trying to talk him down.  

We never did learn of the outcome, other than a cryptic message on the Internet that the “trespasser had been removed”.  As I posted on my Facebook page, I can only hope that he was safely talked down and was taken somewhere to receive the help he so desperately needs.

Many of us have been touched by the devastation of having a friend or family member either threaten, try or succeed at taking their own life.  My heart goes out to all of you that have known this pain, from either side of the equation.

Most countries have a hotline to call for help.  In the USA:

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255

There is also online help and support at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.  Or you can click here.

Bagpipes anyone?

Since arriving here in Scotland, the weather has reflected our somber mood and each day has had at least some rain.  Even the sound of the bagpipes is melancholy.

We have come to Edinburgh for several reasons:

1. To use it as a home base for sightseeing jaunts to other places in Scotland.
2. Because we enjoyed our one day stop while on the Ruby Princess and wanted to see more.
3. The Edinburgh Festivals are going on for the entire month of August and several people had recommended that it was fun, and well worth seeing.

ALL kinds of plays are being advertised

I did not realize that there are actually several different festivals going on simultaneously. The Military Tattoo is probably among the most well-known.  We have purchased tickets online for Tuesday nights performance.

In addition there is an Art Festival, International Festival, Book Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The town is swamped with locals, tourists, street performers, musicians, dancers, mimes, bagpipers, and singers.  Just to walk down the main street, the “Royal Mile” is challenging.

We have rented a flat here for three weeks, but I plan on writing a separate post about that…

Edinburgh on the Royal Mile

My brother-in-law ask me the other day about the correct pronunciation of Edinburgh.  I have heard several renditions.  The first part of the name everyone seems in agreement – Ed.in.  Then it gets more complicated…

It seems that we from the US more often pronounce it like it rhymes with wheel barrow.  I have also heard it end like berg or burg (like Pittsburg).  Here in Scotland I most often hear it pronounced with a bruh ending.  Like our word brush but without the sh sound. There is also another option, ending like burra.

Evidently there are several acceptable ways:

http://www.pronouncenames.com/pronounce/edinburgh

On youtube, it seems that the bruh ending is the preferred one.

How to pronounce Edinburgh

Gratitude Moment:  Today I am grateful for whimsical creativity.  Everywhere you look, people have come up with an original (or not so much) idea in which to grab your attention, earn a few coins or simply to entertain us as we walk by.