Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Greyfriars



We are back in in our new favorite city. We are staying in a lovely, comfortable apartment in an older building overlooking the Greyfriars graveyard, famous for many things, including serving as a jail for Protestants (aka Covanentors) back in the pre-Reformation days. They jailed them before hanging them in the Edinburgh market square, or sending the lucky (?) ones off to Australia. Many, many, hundreds died... Who knew?

This graveyard is even more famous for being the place where the master of that cute little dog, Greyfriar's Bobby, is buried. The dog is alleged to have sat by his master's grave every day for 16 years... Or maybe I exaggerate. Perhaps it was only 12. Anyway, I can't imagine the dog really lived that long or believed that the scent of decay really represented his beloved master...

But Disney made a movie about it, so it must be true. (What kind of boring movie would that be? Dog sits beside/above buried coffin, year after year after year after...)

The view from our window is of tombs and monuments to the dead. There is also a row of mausoleums right under our window, the nearest one topped with statues of women, one on each corner. The closest one is missing her head, and the next one around appears to be holding a couple of snakes. (My knowledge of saints is lacking... Is she meant to be a holy figure? A goddess? A muse? )

1 comment:

  1. I used to think that the people sent off to Austrlia got an astoundingly good deal--sent to a warm country where they could chill out on the beach. But then I realised that the heat was unbearable for the people used to Scotland/England plus there was more dieases than Canada because of the heat.

    Also I think Ginger would wait by your grave. She would do that. Actually more likely Annie, she would miss all your treats.

    ReplyDelete