Episode 8: In Which Our Heroine Inherits A Mansion

Okay, so maybe I didn't "inherit" a mansion so much as pose meaningfully in front of one.  The name of the mansion?  Why, "The Manse" of course.

My actual quote upon seeing this photo? "This photo reeks of wealth and privilege."

Now...back to reality!  Over the past weekend, I visited another spot on my Edinburgh To-Do list and that place is Cramond Village.  Located to the north west of the city, it was only about a half hour long bus ride from the city center.  Chicagoans, can you believe that??  It takes 30 minutes to get from the near south side of Chicago to downtown some days, so it's crazy to me that I'm able to access so many beautiful natural landscapes either within the city or right on the outskirts!  But I digress...Cramond Village is another historic area in the city and it is significant for a few different reasons.

 

First of these is the super cool Cramond Island which is located really close to shore and is actually accessible at some parts of the day via the tidal causeway.  Now, I know most of you are thinking, "Liz, just what in the high-heck is a 'tidal causeway'."  Well, dear friends, it is a walkway that is cross-able depending on the tides.  Unfortunately for us (due to a birthday celebration the night before), we did not get up early enough to walk the walk, but we were still able to go a ways out and it was very, very cool.  The island is significant because during World War II it was used as an outpost to secure the coast against invasion and a number of the buildings that were built are still on the island.  Also...in modern times people throw some pretty bitchin' all-night parties out there!

 

Cramond Village also has a few awesome old buildings, including the Cramond Kirk, Cramond Tower, and Cramond Inn (they weren't real original in their building names, but that's neither here nor there) which are pictured below.  Especially noteworthy is Cramond Inn where my flatmates and I enjoyed delicious food in a warm cozy environment that served as inspiration to Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous Scottish novelist, poet and essayist (remember when people used to be "essayists"?  Yeah, me neither).  His most famous works include the "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" as well as "Treasure Island".  Was he talking about Cramond Island????

 

 

I doubt it.  But it was fun to pretend for a sec.

Another highlight that I think a lot of other people (more normal people) would've missed was this stone table in the back of Cramond Kirk that very obviously was the location of Aslan's sacrifice for those of you who are familiar with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (which I assume is ALL of you).  On a more historical note, the back of Cramond Kirk also shows evidence of old barracks from WWII and especially terrifying trees that from a distance look totally normal....

But close up look like they have people tied to the bottom of them???!!!!  So. Scary.

Now that's some Halloweeny stuff right there!  Hope you all enjoy this next weekend as much as I know I plan to and if you get too scared of the creepy trees, just scroll back up to the top of the post where you'll be reminded of my impending inheritance of "The Manse".