Well I'm here - in Greyfriars Bobby's Bar. Its right next to Greyfriars Kirkyard and the little monument doubling as a drinking fountain for dogs dedicated to old Bobby.
After having a bit of lie in this morning i headed out to follow Greyfriars Bobby's trail. I walked along Princess street, went left towards Grassmarket, onto the Cowgate up to Candlemaker Row and then to Greyfriars Kirkyard, which btw, still doesn't allow dogs within its grounds. Directly in front of the entrance is little Bobby's grave and a few steps down to the right, Auld Jock's (John Grey's) grave and that of James Brown the then keeper of the Kirk.
Just in case you don't know, Eleanor Atkinson is the American author who wrote the classic story Greyfriars Bobby set here in Edinburgh and was later made into a Disney movie. The story is based on a very real Bobby and Auld Jock though there are 2 other versions of the story that dispute some of her details. One is written by Gilhhooley and the other is Macgregor. Either way they all agree that John Grey and Bobby existed and that after Grey died Bobby stayed loyally by his side till he died 14 years later. A very sweet and touching story of loyalty and good, one cant help but fall for the little rascal Bobby.
Yesterday i visited the famed Edinburgh Castle and as usual had the audio tour to tell me about history and whatnot - there is a lot of info there. The views from the Castle...wow! And the Royal Mile (aka the highstreet which stretches from the Castle to Holyrood Palace) is full of points of interest including St Giles Cathedral (also mentioned in Greyfriars Bobby). At the end of the Mile, to the right, past the palace is a great view of Arthur's Seat which seems popular with hikers and photographer and i can only imagine the view! I'll upload photos when i get home and give you a visual tour. EDIT: Photos of Edinburgh Castle uploaded onto post with yesterdays date.
Tomorrow I've booked 2 tours with Mercat Tours. One on the History of the Royal Mile at 2.30pm and the other a ghost tour at 9.30pm which includes a graveyard visit and a trip into the haunted underground vaults. Cant wait.
VP
Bobby's Bar - The little fountain/statue is to the right.
Close-up of the life sized bronze statue of little Bobby and his fountain. It was originally directly across from where Bobby was buried but a few mishaps through the years moved it to its current location. I don't think it works now.
The entrance to Greyfriars Kirkyard, you can see the headstone for Bobby directly in front and the sign at the entrance still claiming "No Dogs Allowed".
The headstone for Bobby, John Grey and James Brown.
Views of Edinburgh Castle as i walked by in the morning and it all lit up in the evening.
The monument to Sir Walter Scott on Princess Street.
No comments:
Post a Comment