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Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh, Scotland: 400 Years of History, Previously Buried — Literally — Brought Alive

Fyllis Hockman — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 17:01:00 +0000

The year is 1645. The most virulent strain of the Bubonic Plague has immobilized Edinburgh, Scotland, claiming the lives of more than half the city’s population. The area hardest hit: Mary King’s Close on High Street, a busy thoroughfare and lively 17th century street of pubs, shops and residences. Cries of suffering have replaced the friendly chatter, and the stench of death, the pungent aroma of tea and scones.

Photography courtesy of The Real Mary King’s Close.

The place, the time, the horror have been resurrected as one of Edinburgh’s most unusual attractions. Archaeologically and historically accurate, the alleys you walk upon, the rooms you visit, the stories you hear are real. This is not a recreation; it is a resurrection of what already existed so many centuries ago.

Beneath the City Chambers on Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile, lies Mary King’s Close, a series of narrow, winding side streets with multi-level apartment houses looming on either side, which has been hidden for many years. In 1753, the houses at the top of the buildings were knocked down to make way for the then-new building. Parts of the lower sections were used as the foundation, leaving below a number of dark and mysterious underground alleyways steeped in mystery — and misery.

The exhibit breathes new life into this underground world dominated by death. Reconstructed as it was then — though without any contagious aspects — the Real Mary King’s Close provides amazing insight into a period of history with which many are totally unfamiliar — and it’s been preserved in an authentic environment and historically accurate depiction that defies most “commercial” historical reproductions.

Photography courtesy of The Real Mary King’s Close.

It is eerie meandering up and down along dark, circuitous unpaved passageways, beaten down earth floors (good walking shoes are a must; wheelchair accessible it is not) — past room after room, each with its own story to tell — a projection of people who lived in the Close in the mid-16th-19th centuries. I almost feel an intruder, the subtle lighting enhancing the effects of a shadowy past.

The inhabitants — ranging from those gracing a grand 16th century townhouse to plague victims of the 17th century to the third-generation saw makers who departed in 1902, when the last section was finally interred — are not composites of might-have-beens; the lives recounted are based on real people gleaned from primary documentation (written at the time) and preserved in the Scottish Office of Records and its archives.

Photography courtesy of The Real Mary King’s Close.

Lighting conveys the supernatural nature of the attraction as much as does the narrative. Only “practicals” — original methods of lighting the dwellings — are used, re-creating the actual lighting conditions of the 17th-18th centuries. Candle light illuminates one room, while the glow of firelight casts its spell in another. A single low-watt light bulb brings others into hazy focus.

The dark hallways are lit by lantern-like “bowats,” providing only as much light as was necessary to light the streets at night. The lighting levels in each room are just enough to highlight its architectural features, furniture or inhabitants — no more or less than was available to the tenants at the time. The concept of atmospheric lighting takes on a whole new dimension.

Photography courtesy of The Real Mary King’s Close.

Rounding one curve reveals a large window, lit by a gloomy, greenish, unhealthy light. A doctor emerges, tending to bed-ridden figures, covered with sores, boils and diseased skin. It’s the home of John Craig, a grave-digger who has already succumbed to the “visitation of the pestilence,” his body awaiting “collection.”

His wife, Janet, and three sons suffer from varying stages of the deadly malady. The Doctor is lancing a boil on the eldest son, Johnnie, with a hot iron to seal and disinfect the wound. Repellant odors arising from the family chamber pot of vomit provide a little more “reality” than even today’s cable TV has prepared me for. By the door there is bread, ale and coal delivered to the quarantined family. The townspeople want to ensure the afflicted stay in their homes, so the healthy have good reason to give generously.

And therein lies the tragedy of Mary King’s Close — much of its history parallels that of the plague. The epidemic struck its residents fiercely; as the deaths rose, the bodies accumulated outside to be carried away by those designated to perform the loathsome task. Mary King’s Close was a pariah in the neighborhood — and ultimately fell victim to its own diseased fate. It disappeared, as well.

With more than two dozen stops along the tour path — each accompanied by an intriguing bit of personal history — I became intimately acquainted with the residents who lived there.

Photography courtesy of The Real Mary King’s Close.

Mary King herself, of course, who moved here with her four children in 1635 after her husband died. You’ll get to meet her personally and boy, does she have some good stories to tell!

Photography courtesy of The Real Mary King’s Close.

Similar stories, some enthralling, others bizarre — all authenticated by original documentation — abound as we wend our way around the windy, up-and-down corridors. Shifts in lighting reflect the various circumstances.

Edinburgh native Jennifer West is awed by this backyard discovery. “This really brings to life all the stories I’ve heard over the years about this part of the city’s history. It’s hard to grasp that these underground chambers were once bustling street-side shops.” One of the most important — and saddest — among a multitude of rooms that witnessed much sadness is one in which eight-year-old Annie died of the plague in 1645. A Japanese psychic, visiting in 1992, could barely enter the room because of all the misery she felt there. As she turned away, she claimed to feel a tug at her leg. Annie, in rags with long dirty hair, was standing by the window, crying because she had lost her family, her dog and her doll. The psychic brought Annie a doll to comfort her — and people from around the world have been leaving trinkets and toys ever since.

Key chains, jewelry, dolls, stuffed animals line the walls as a shrine to the sad little child who has long since passed away. “What a sad story,” laments 10-year-old Harriet Peterson, visiting from London. She slowly adds the small stuffed teddy bear she is hugging to the other offerings.

There was a lot of life lived within these buildings — and a lot of lives lost. As one of the most fascinating and unique walks — literally — through history I’ve yet to tread, the unsettling stories, the ethereal lighting, the serpentine alleyways remained with me, even as I explored the many other, more traditional sites of Historic Edinburgh.

The Real Mary King’s Close is open daily, with tours at 15-minute intervals. For more information, please contact: VisitBritain at 1-877/899-8391 or visit Real Mary King’s Close.

The post Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh, Scotland: 400 Years of History, Previously Buried — Literally — Brought Alive appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Elvis, Global Etiquette, Famous Last Meals

Ed Boitano — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 08:29:24 +0000

How to Travel to Singapore ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Style for Cheap

Courtesy Sarah Berger

If you’ve seen the new movie “Crazy Rich Asians,” which follows an Asian-American woman who discovers that her boyfriend hails from one of the richest families in Singapore where it’s set, you’re probably already dreaming of visiting the Southeast Asian city.

Beatle Beat Trivia x 5

Q) In which Beatle song is there a reference to Edgar Allan Poe?

Q) Who is ‘Martha’ in “Martha My Dear”?

Q) To whom is John singing to in “Don’t Let Me Down”?

Q) What is ‘Norwegian Wood’?

Q) Who is ‘Mary’ in song “Let it Be”?

Scroll down for the answers

Check Out the Latest Inflight Meal Reviews!

Courtesy Nik Loukas, Inflight Feed

New Zealand’s national airline is well respected for its culinary offerings and the excellent in-flight wines available. Photo courtesy: © Air New Zealand

InFlight Feed an airline food information website for passengers that also features a blog of the inflight meal experiences of Nik Loukas on his various trips around the globe. Inflight Feed has been giving passengers information on over 150 airlines worldwide since 2012, telling them how to order special meals, find out what food might be for sale inflight, how to upgrade your inflight meal and general inflight meal information.

Burping Is Good Manners & 25 Other Global Etiquette Surprises

Courtesy The Daily Meal Staff

In Italy, Never Order A Cappuccino After A Meal

When you’re dining the Italian way, be sure to order an espresso or a coffee after a meal. Do not order a cappuccino, as Italians believe milk beverages slow down digestion.

MORE Global Etiquette Surprises

In First Lady’s Hometown in Slovenia, the Business Is Melania

Photo Source: Splash News

Courtesy The New York Times

Melania cake. Melania cream. Melania wine. Melania tea. Melania slippers. Melania salami. Melania chocolate-coated apple slices. There are few products that the enterprising burghers of Sevnica, a small, rural Slovenian town where Melania Trump spent her formative years, have not sought to brand in honor of the first lady of the United States.

Countries Difficult for Americans to Visit

In spite of broad generalizations that Americans have no interest in leaving their own borders, US citizens are traveling abroad in record numbers. According to the US National Tourism Office, nearly 67 million Americans chose to take an international trip in 2016. The world may be our oyster, but some countries impose harsh visa requirements that may hinder American tourism.

The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan doesn’t allow independent travelers. To gain access, interested visitors must hire a travel agent, who will require upfront payment of the entire trip.

10 of the World’s Craziest Landings

Courtesy Ashley Rossi

These 10 airports have some of the craziest landings in the world. Fretful flyers, you’ve been warned.

Flying can be a nerve-racking experience for fretful travelers; however, landings at these 10 airports are sure to frighten even the most frequent flyers. From an airport at the edge of a cliff to sandy beach landings, here are the world’s craziest runways — consider yourself warned.

Iain Macmillan, courtesy Apple Corps/via REUTERS

Beatle Beat Trivia Answers

Q) In which Beatle song is there a reference to Edgar Allan Poe?

A) “I am the Walrus.”

Q) Who is ‘Martha’ in “Martha My Dear”?

A) Paul’s sheepdog.

Q) To whom is John singing to in “Don’t Let Me Down”?

A) Yoko Ono.

Q) What is ‘Norwegian Wood’?

A) Norwegian pine. An inexpensive wood used in building, popular in the mid-60s.

Q) Who is ‘Mary’ in the song “Let it Be”?

A) Paul’s mother, Mary McCartney who died of cancer when he was 14-years-old.

Random Acts of Canine Kindness

Cedric the Dog takes a well-earned break after organizing a protest at an alt–right Neo-Nazi rally in South Dakota.

You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog. – Harry S. Truman

MORE Dog Quotations

Last Meals of 23 Famous People

Courtesy The Daily Meal

There is something fascinating about last meals. Eating is something we do multiple times on a daily basis; it is what gives us life. Surround yourself with chefs, cooks, and culinarily inclined guests at a dinner party, and you may very well be presented with a particular question: “What would you want for your last meal on Earth?”

On August 16, 1977, the King downed four scoops of ice cream and six chocolate chip cookies at his Graceland mansion in Memphis. After that, he went to bed, and then got up a few hours later to go to the bathroom, where he suffered a heart attack. Photo courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. Reproduction Number: LC-USZ6-2067 Location: NYWTS — BIOG, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

15 Surprising Things TSA Allows Past Airport Checkpoints

By Benet Wilson

Some items — like guns (real or replica), large scissors and flammable liquids — are never allowed. But the agency continues to make changes when it comes to what can get past the checkpoint.

Below are 15 surprise items you can actually take past the checkpoint. But in case you still have questions, you can take a photo of the item and send it to either AskTSA on Facebook Messenger or via Twitter. Staff are online with answers from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET during the week and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays

8 Popular Destinations Where Air Pollution Could Ruin Your Trip

Air pollution does a lot more than cause canceled or postponed vacations — it kills millions of people worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization. Some of the worst places for air pollution are also home to bucket-list-worthy sights. But missing them might be the least of your problems if smog ramps up during your visit: Symptoms of air pollution sickness include nausea, coughing, headache, itchy eyes — and air pollution can cause long-term breathing problems.

Here are some of the worst destinations for smog, especially if you already suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems.

India

Photo courtesy of Adithya0376, via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Taj Mahal attracts thousands of travelers every day, but the city it’s in is one of the worst in the world for air pollution. Smog in Agra can cut visibility so dramatically that you can’t see much more than an outline of the giant tomb, and visitors who don’t cancel their trip during a period of heavy smog can be seen wearing face masks to visit.

10 Most Misleading Travel Terms

Courtesy Jamie Ditaranto, SmarterTravel

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

If you spend enough time comparing hotels, flights, and tours, you’ll eventually realize that many words have very little meaning in the travel industry. You might think that there would be some sort of common agreement on travel terms across hotels that would define what makes a suite a suite or a deluxe room better than a standard room, but no such agreements exist. Travelers are often surprised to find that what they booked is not quite what they expected.

Here are some travel hype words you should take lightly, and that might even signal you should do a little more research.

Alone

By Edgar Allan Poe

From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue).

Send Deb your favorite travel poems

Time Capsule Cinema

Polanski’s “Cul-de-Sac”

By Walt Mundkowsky

By this viewer’s idiosyncratic standards, Cul-de-Sac (1966) is Roman Polanski’s sole brush with greatness, and the only feature to keep faith with the surrealist metaphors and perceptions of his celebrated short films. It’s his most bizarrely funny, as well as his most serious work.

The post Elvis, Global Etiquette, Famous Last Meals appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Melania Trump, Beatle Trivia, Edinburgh

Ed Boitano — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 18:07:51 +0000

Beatle Beat Trivia

In which Beatle song is there a reference to a character in a Bob Dylan song?

Scroll down for the answer

Plan an Edinburgh Bucket List Trip!

5 Reasons Travelers Shouldn’t Fear Sharks

Courtesy Jessica Macdonald, tripsavvy

If the fear of sharks keeps you from enjoying the ocean, you’re not alone. It’s a fear shared by millions — instilled into the public consciousness with the 1975 release of the movie Jaws, and perpetuated by films like Open Water and The Shallows ever since.

Sgt. Bill Mauldin’s Drawings a Great History Story

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

He meant so much to the millions of Americans who fought in World War II, and to those who had waited for them to come home. He was a kid cartoonist for Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper; Mauldin’s drawings of his muddy, exhausted, whisker-stubbled infantrymen Willie and Joe were the voice of truth about what it was like on the front lines.

8 Popular Destinations Where Air Pollution Could Ruin Your Trip

Here are some of the worst destinations for smog, especially if you already suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems.

India

Photo courtesy of Adithya0376, via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Norway’s Fjords to Become Zero Emission Zones

Courtesy Marie Donlon, Insights Global Spec

In eight years’ time, Norway’s fjords are expected to become zero emission zones — a move that would likely impact the cruise ships and ferries bringing tourists to one of Europe’s most popular destinations. According to the recent announcement from the Norwegian Parliament, officials hope to reduce the carbon footprint linked to these ships and ferries.

Countries Difficult for Americans to Visit

The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan doesn’t allow independent travelers. To gain access, interested visitors must hire a travel agent, who will require upfront payment of the entire trip.

Polanski’s “Cul-de-Sac”

By Walt Mundkowsky

In First Lady’s Hometown in Slovenia, the Business Is Melania

Photo Source: Splash News

Courtesy The New York Times

Random Acts of Canine Kindness

Cedric the Dog takes a well-earned break after organizing a protest at an alt–right Neo-Nazi rally in Nebraska.

Dog Quotations

10 Most Misleading Travel Terms

Courtesy Jamie Ditaranto, SmarterTravel

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Here are some travel hype words you should take lightly, and that might even signal you should do a little more research.

The Circus Animals’ Desertion

By William Butler Yeats

I sought a theme and sought for it in vain,
I sought it daily for six weeks or so.
Maybe at last being but a broken man
I must be satisfied with my heart, although
Winter and summer till old age began
My circus animals were all on show,
Those stilted boys, that burnished chariot,
Lion and woman and the Lord knows what.

What can I but enumerate old themes,
First that sea-rider Oisin led by the nose
Through three enchanted islands, allegorical dreams,
Vain gaiety, vain battle, vain repose,
Themes of the embittered heart, or so it seems,
That might adorn old songs or courtly shows;
But what cared I that set him on to ride,
I, starved for the bosom of his fairy bride.

And then a counter-truth filled out its play,
`The Countess Cathleen’ was the name I gave it,
She, pity-crazed, had given her soul away
But masterful Heaven had intervened to save it.
I thought my dear must her own soul destroy
So did fanaticism and hate enslave it,
And this brought forth a dream and soon enough
This dream itself had all my thought and love.

And when the Fool and Blind Man stole the bread
Cuchulain fought the ungovernable sea;
Heart mysteries there, and yet when all is said
It was the dream itself enchanted me:
Character isolated by a deed
To engross the present and dominate memory.
Players and painted stage took all my love
And not those things that they were emblems of.

III

Those masterful images because complete
Grew in pure mind but out of what began?
A mound of refuse or the sweepings of a street,
Old kettles, old bottles, and a broken can,
Old iron, old bones, old rags, that raving slut
Who keeps the till. Now that my ladder’s gone
I must lie down where all the ladders start
In the foul rag and bone shop of the heart.

Send Deb your favorite travel poems.

10 of the World’s Craziest Landings

Courtesy Ashley Rossi

These 10 airports have some of the craziest landings in the world. Fretful flyers, you’ve been warned.

Iain Macmillan, courtesy Apple Corps/via REUTERS

Beatle Beat Trivia Answers

Question: In which Beatle song is there a reference to a character in a Bob Dylan song?

Answer: “Mr. Jones” is the main character in the Bob Dylan song, Ballad of a Thin Man, which appears on Highway 61 Revisited.

Who Is Mr. Jones in Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man”?

Photo courtesy of Rowland Scherman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In Bob Dylan’s famed August 1965 interview with Nora Ephron and Susan Edmiston many silly questions were asked: “Where did you get that shirt?” At one point, Ephron had the gumption to ask Dylan, “Who is Mr. Jones in ‘Ballad of a Thin Man?’”

Dylan’s Answer

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