My computer screen has been busy for a while now with the gorgeous Scottish and English-accented cast of the Starz broadcast Outlander appearing in the lush Scottish countryside. While I was listening to those poetic Scottish melodies, I decided to write this article. As a matter of fact – as an incorrigible city romantic – I missed being in Scotland! “Edinburgh is a great big bastard of a city where there are ghosts of all kinds.” ~ Sara Sheridan How do you know Scotland? I got on the bus from London to Edinburgh with lines from Lost’s Desmond (See ya in anotha life, brotha!), sounds from James Mcavoy’s incredibly entertaining accent and of course scenes from Braveheart… It was July. As we were leaving the country, the sun seemed determined to burn everywhere, people in Turkey were about to evaporate. However, when I got off the bus at a rest stop at sunrise in the queen’s lands, the temperature was 11 degrees and I had no choice but to shiver! A misty sky, drizzling rain, green hills that fascinate people with all their shades, silent, deserted roads… I thought shivering in summer was an interesting thing. Welcome to a completely different geography, said Edinburgh in the fog. Change is good. The Scots call the city we call Edinburgh as Edinbra. In fact, one should go to Scotland just to experience that Scottish accent (suggestion to language lovers). The city, which has been the capital of the country since 1437, is divided into two parts, the Old Town and the New Town, as in most carefully maintained European cities. While visiting these regions, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, you may suddenly come across men in kilts with bagpipes in their hands, playing delicious traditional music. 4 Scots one day Of course, various jokes are made about Scots wearing kilts. Rumor has it that true Scottish men (they call themselves True Scotsman) do not wear anything under their skirts! I’d be lying if I said I didn’t question whether the red-haired, burly Kilt men playing the bagpipes on that freezing July day were real Scots! A wonderful Couchsurfer hosted us in his home in Edinburgh. So we prepared him a menemen with the same quality for breakfast (I made the mistake of using cinnamon instead of cumin, but our host didn’t understand, no problem!). I don’t remember how we survived the night without freezing, but it was also fun to watch the rain from the window of our house without curtains! The day after we arrived in the city, we participated in a free tour and visited the most important points of the city with a group of young German, French, Italian, American and New Zealand tourists. Our guide was Irish and told us wonderful stories. While listening to the stories of the dungeons in the castle, the extinct volcano on which it was built, and the cruel kings and queens in front of Edinburgh Castle, with the music of street artists in the background, I literally felt like I was in the Middle Ages! At the end of the tour, you can leave a tip to the guide if you wish, no other fee is paid. Free tours are available every day, meeting at a specific location in the morning. I would definitely recommend it to anyone going there. “In Scotland, beautiful as it is, it was always raining. Even when it wasn’t raining, it was about to rain, or just had rain. It’s a very angry sky.” ~ Colin Hay Edinburgh (like all of Scotland) is a mysterious, mystical city. J.K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter here. Rowling, who had very little money, visited many cafes when she started her story, but only one of them, the Elephant Cafe, allowed the author to stay inside and write, drinking only one coffee all day. Sirius Black bless that operator! Now everyone is dying to live there… Of course, Edinburgh’s structures are similar to its climate; gothic, spooky, mysterious and interesting. St. Giles Cathedral, Scott Monument, Royal Mile, Calton Hill… Narrow streets, dark stones, wooden buildings… But the natural beauties of the city are more popular than its buildings… In addition to its beautiful natural parks, Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park is a Shaman like me with its 2000-year history. It fascinates souls. I recommend the Scottish National Gallery to those who want to visit a museum. Greyfriars Bobby’s statue is also one of Edinburgh’s tourist attractions. He is a Terrier dog that lived between 1855 and 1872. He waited by the grave of his deceased owner, Jon Gray, from the age of 2 until he was 16. The residents of Edinburgh honored this unrequited love and loyalty by building a statue of him. I am a traveler who likes to visit the cemeteries of the cities I visit. Edinburgh’s cemeteries were literally like picnic grounds; It is clean, green and full of interesting stones. According to a rumor, while writing Harry Potter – he must have a sick soul like me who loves gothic cemeteries – J.K. Rowling also wandered around here and used the names she saw on tombstones as characters in her books! The Scotch Whiskey Experience is also a must-visit while you’re there. It’s a fun place. Food and drink of giant men If you want to try whiskey, this is the place you should go; The Malt Scotch Whiskey Society. You can both eat and taste whiskey here. The menu is also incredibly fun. But don’t be tempted to order Haggis just because it’s their most famous dish! Because this offal, made with sheep’s heart and lungs (and other organs that my host kept talking about but I didn’t listen to!) and sauced with vegetables and whiskey, was one of the most disgusting foods I’ve ever eaten in my life! Haggis: One who eats it regrets it and one who does not. Scotland has no food worth mentioning except Haggis and Fish & Chips. But their drinks are amazing. Blackberry and strawberry beers are delicious. Potatoes are abundant in every menu. The portions are incredibly large and large enough to satisfy the stomachs of the average 1.90 people. (Although I think the fact that I am mistaken for a Scot, thanks to my thick, reddish hair and not-so-slender body, may have something to do with the large portions!) Tea with milk is God’s command. When it comes to tea, it comes right from there. If you want to order black tea; You need to specify the regurlar as tea/black tea. The 21st century and places closed due to ghosts There are many interesting tours in Edinburgh; ghost tour, torture tour, gothic tour, dungeon tour, etc. Even these names tell a little bit about the history and culture of the country, right? The city’s old dungeons function as cafes and bars today. Once upon a time, torture chambers now host entertaining music under dim lights. All that remains for visitors is to have fun with the madness of the dark age! There was a movie showing in one of them while I was there. It was also a beauty that The Lord of the Rings was being shown. It fit the environment very well. While we were wandering around with the free tour, our guide told us a story. There were once open-air prisons in Scotland. They tortured people and left them outside in the snow and winter! A famous torturer named John Mckenzie performed barbarities that will go down in history. Rumor has it that McKenzie’s ghost has been wandering around there ever since he died. This rumor became so popular that the municipality locked the prison, which was open to visitors until a few years ago, because a few of the tourists claimed that they saw a ghost and felt ill! Grassmarket Grassmarket, one of the most beautiful spots in the city, is within walking distance of the Royal Mile and the National Museum. In the area where you can feel the medieval atmosphere, execution ceremonies were also held, as well as barter and shopping! A woman named Maggie, who released her illegitimate child into the river but was caught red-handed, was hanged in this square, but while she was being taken from the rope to the grave, Maggie woke up! According to the law, he could not be sentenced to the same punishment twice, so he was released. Today, there is a pub in the square in his memory. This is where two friends named William Burke and William Hair ended up. These friends instilled great fear in the city at the time. The young people who presented the cadavers of the abandoned dead to science for examination at the famous Edinburgh University, became cunning over time and made it their business to kill the elderly and orphans, as they earned money from the cadavers! The mummy of Doly the sheep, the first cloned creature, is also in Edinburgh! Our Irish guide told us that the expression shitface drunk was also coined in these lands. Scots, who lack a sewer system, open their windows at the same time every day and pour toilet water onto the street. Something like a bell would be rung during unloading time. When the drunk Scots walking on the street at that hour heard the sound and involuntarily raised their heads, they became shitfaces! While I was in Edinburgh I also had the chance to see a comedy show. In a pub, two Scots were performing those famous English comedies on stage. In other words, it is a comedy that I cannot laugh at and find cold. I saw people laughing their heads off with giant beers in their hands. I wondered if they would care about Cem Yılmaz too, so I stopped. I was only in Edinburgh for two days, but my mind remained on this wild, beautiful land. It’s definitely one of the places I have to go again. I am already aware that since I am a city romantic, I am obliged to return wherever I go. Maybe next time I’ll actually see a ghost, maybe William Wallace will whisper “Freedom” into my ear with his Gaelic accent one night, who knows. Who died from gothism? Mavimore Turizm is a travel agency registered with TÜRSAB. Document number: A-8307