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Foto: Miriam Steimer

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A bril l iant mysteryStruggle for words while visiting EdinburghAndrin 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 feel-ings 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!

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.

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.

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

and where the cars always come from the wrong side. Over the city there sits enthroned the Castle of Edin-burgh like a guardian of the past. And at every corner you come across the melodic sound either of the bagpipe or the Scottish language.

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.

Icon of Edinburgh: the Skye Terrier Bobby Foto: Miriam Steimer

One of the Edinburgh Book Sculptures made by an anonymous artist Foto: Julia Schweinberger

View onto Greyfriars Bobby`s Bar in Candlemaker Row Foto: Miriam Steimer

Also they are very proud that their town is meant to be the place of ori-gin 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 enigmasEven the book sculpture mystery of 2011 fits nowhere better than in Edin-burgh. For almost one year an anony-mous 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.

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 uglycommercial 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.

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There shall be a Scottish ParliamentSigrid 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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

INFOThere 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. The Chamber of the Scottish Parliament Fotos: Sigrid Scheler

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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 peri-ods in local history, when the under-ground was home to the poor of the Scottish capital.

After sunset the wrecked houses along Cowgate turn as black as black can be. The muddy puddles on the concrete floor mirror only few flick-ering neon signs. Near the pillars the remnants of a multi-storey building rise against the sky. Banshee Laby-rinth lies at the heart of what used to be one of the slums of Edinburgh. Beggars and prostitutes would sleep and die in its catacombs.

Turning down the lightIt is still a bad area today, Ken, one of the guides tells me. This night I am to enter the real underworld, as he puts it. It is 9 pm. Banshee Labyrinth has opened its doors. Live Heavy Metal music is splash-ing up from the basement. A com-pact, black-clothed doorman gives way to a set of stairs and corridors leading into the dark. The walls are all painted black. Spider nets are fluttering with the cool, damp air. Downstairs, a group of young people are playing billiards. Two girls with leather jackets are chatting in the corner. The smell of cold hot dog fat and beer mixes into the air.

Some three years ago this was an average club, barman Tim explains. But my boss is a Gothic, so hes turned down the light a bit, ha, ha. Tims voice is rising softly. His white, delicate fingers stroke a black strand from his cheek. He was born in Ed-inburgh, he tells me. Before he took up the job in the club he travelled the world: Kent, Surrey, London. He excuses himself to prepare a Blood Kiss for one of the custom-ers.

As in Banshee Labyrinth, the city has many doors to a world under the cobblestones. Some people say Edinburgh has an underground city, Poor & hip: The former slums of Cowgate Street under South Bridge are being turned into an area of clubbing and entertainment. Foto: Isabel Metzger

Back to BlackAn entombed part of Edinburghs history

Isabel Metzger

Working in the dark: barkeeper Tim at Banshee Labyrinth Foto: Monique Schmahl

Foto: Monique Schmahl

tour guide Ken says. I prefer to call it the city underneath because it was never meant to be an under-ground city. It is just the way it de-veloped, very organically. Up to the 19th century, Edinburgh had a con-stant housing problem. Its city walls allowed only limited space to build new flats. People were forced to use every single gap. The vaults under South Bridge became the bedrooms of the poorest. People started dig-ging holes into the slope of the Castle Hill to create more space for living. So many hollows they dug under the

houses in Old Town that the Scot-tish writer Robert Louis Stevenson described it as a rabbit warren.

People living in the vaults had to suf-fer terrible conditions: The smell of waste and smoke of open fires filled their dark, cramped homes. Many people died of diseases, nourishing myths about an underground ghost town. For that reason, the under-ground city has become a popular tourist attraction and the setting for ghost tours. Every day, hundreds of visitors explore the underground of South Bridge and of Mary Kings Close.

Banshee Labyrinth is supposed to be the only part of the vaults in every-day use. You can book us for birth-days, funerals, and storage of incon-venient bodies, a plate announces warmly at the bar. Poor living condi-tions have been turned into a legend of the lifestyle of the desperate and destitute of the time they were at their worst. The really poor no longer live underground, but many of the streets around South Bridge are still a dwelling area to many of them. And while the loudspeakers in the club are starting off their Highway to Hell, the homeless pop into the building of the Salvation Army next door, warming themselves up after a cool November day.

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Whisky and freedomThe Literary Pub Tour gives another exciting insight into the history of EdinburghChristiane Nnnig

The nightlife of Edinburgh is one of the pleasures the Scottish capital city offers its visitors. Thanks to the over-whelming range of historic pubs it is impossible to recommend only a few of them. But is there something else beneath the beer and whisky? Actu-ally 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 po-ets like Robert Burns work and where did Sir Walter Scott get his inspira-tion? 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:

The Beehive Inn at the Grassmarket

In a winding close along the Royal Mile you can find the Jolly Judge.

The Ensign Ewart is the nearest pub to Edinburgh Castle.

The Kenilworth is one of the lively pubs of Rose Street in New Town.Edinburgh by night has plenty to offer - even more than just a drink. Fotos: Sigrid Scheler

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 veri-fied, documented truth about the literary history of Edinburgh. This is the beginning of a witty debate between the rough and the intellec-tual about the merits of Edinburgh authors, their impact on Scottish life and especially their drinking habits.

A walk through timeAccording to the two main protago-nists, the lively taverns in the Old Town were the birthplace of Scot-lands 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?

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 dif-ferent, says the actor who played Mr. Clart, and it is a lot of fun to interact with the people. For us it was a re-ally 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!

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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.

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 Ed-inburgh 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 stair-ways, 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.

Outside the museum Edinburghs Book Lovers Tour is announced. That is where I go next.Allan Foster, the author of several books, like The Literary Traveller In Edinburgh or The Literary Traveller In Scotland, is in charge of the tours. It is obvious that he knows what he is talking about; a man who had always read classic Scottish literature like

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. Travelling was his passion. Much of his writing was inspired by his travels through Europe, America, the South Seas and Oceania. One of his first works, Travels with a Donkey in the Cvennes (1879) was inspired by a journey through south-central France in 1878. This fervour for travel was with him until he died in Samoa in 1894.

It is said that Stevenson was inspired by Cramond Island close to the city, when he wrote his book Treasure Is-land, 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 south-ern part of the city, we pass the for-mer 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 suppli-ers 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 scan-dalous 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 inspi-ration 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.

Makars Court Fotos: Monique Schmahl

Following

Monique Schmahl

Authorial Footsteps

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IMPRINTAuthorsMichael BernhardDaniela ElpersKathrin LotholzIsabel MetzgerChristiane NnnigMartina PetersSigrid SchelerMonique SchmahlAndrin Schumann Julia SchweinbergerInga SprnkenMiriam Steimer

Foto: Miriam Steimer

LayoutDaniela ElpersMartina PetersJulia SchweinbergerMiriam Steimer

Tiltshift by Daniela Elpers

This project has been funded with support from the European Commis-sion. 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.