Y... is for Yeats

You will LOVE this poem. Enjoy!

Lake Isle of Innisfree

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

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This is the twenty-fifth post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism, British literature, Critical Analysis, Drama, Edinburgh, Faust, Gothic Fiction, Humour, Interpretation, Journalling, Keats, Language, Metaphysical Poetry, Narration, Ode, Papillion(ed), Quatrain, Romanticism, Shakespeare, Tone, University, Victorian Literature, Wilde's Wit, Xenophobia

Travels

Walk with me on empty streets,

Teach me how to be the rain...

Taken on the High Street, Fort William, Highlands, Scotland

T... is for Tantallon Castle!

No theme of Scotland is complete without at least two hundred pages on Castles! And so, as I racked my brains before the challenge began, about which one was going to be my highlight(s), I had to choose Tantallon, probably because I like the lesser known ones :)
This was the first castle I visited and by far, the best. So far I have been to six other ones, and not one of them can compare to the view from this one! They are much better in terms of political/strategic importance, yes, and even how well maintained or imposing they are. But the view, oh the view!
From Wiki, "Tantallon Castle is a semi-ruined mid-14th-century fortress, located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth. The last medieval curtain wall castle to be constructed in Scotland, Tantallon comprises a single wall blocking off the headland, with the other three sides naturally protected by sea cliffs."
I was there on the last day of last year, watching the last sunset of the year, the sun sinking down beyond and  the Bass Rock in the sea slowly being taken over by shadows of the night. Very poignant place. Must go again.

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow, Hamish, Isle of Skye, John o' Groats, Kirk, Loch Lomond and Luss, Mogwai, Necropolis, Old Man of Storr, Portobello, Queen of Scots, Robert Burns, Stirling.

S... is for Stirling!

Stirling is the perfect day out from Edinburgh. It is a tiny town about and hour away by bus ans id packed with things to do! The Stirling Castle, for one, is an attraction that can easily take up all day! It is a big big castle, overlooking the city much like Edinburgh, except that it looks much bigger. The views onto the city and beyond are absolutely fabulous! And since I was lucky to have gone on a sunny day, you could see for miles until your eyes found the snow capped peaks in the North.
Another popular place is the National Wallace Monument, that stands tall as a proud monument for Scotland's favourite freedom fighter, immortalized by Mel Gibson's Braveheart (don't believe everything you see in the movie, though!). The Bridge of Allan is close by as well, and for those who have seen enough, the city centre has a lovely selection of restaurants, pubs, and cafes.
Stirling is the kind of place to take off for without a prior plan... just get up and go, no matter what the weather, you'll still love it!

Look at the view!

In the gardens, Stirling Castle

Wallace Monument

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow, Hamish, Isle of Skye, John o' Groats, Kirk, Loch Lomond and Luss, Mogwai, Necropolis, Old Man of Storr, Portobello, Queen of Scots, Robert Burns.

P... is for Portobello!

Portobello is the nearest beach from my place in Edinburgh. It is a medium stretch of mud+sand beach on the North Sea, where families and students throng in scores. The first time I went there was on impulse, V has grown up in Delhi, India and had never ever seen a beach before!
'Outrageous!' I said; 'that's 24 years of unacceptable existence!' and we jumped on a bus and were there in half an hour, on a very cold and windy day. He was very happy, obviously never having seen one before. I, however, was not as impressed... the water was too cold. Gah - I suppose you can't complain of that in Scotland.
Anyway, it's a pretty beach, and it's a nice Sunday afternoon picnic with the kids and dog kind of place...

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow, Hamish, Isle of Skye, John o' Groats, Kirk, Loch Lomond and Luss, Mogwai, Necropolis, Old Man of Storr.

O... is for Old Man of Storr!

At 719 m, the Old man is the highest point of the Trotternish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye. An old man and his wife, that lived close to the foot of the hill climbed up everyday and when they reached the summit, they told stories to the faeries. They told great lovely stories and the wee folk loved them! This went on for years and years until every fairy in the fairy land came to listen to their stories every evening.
Then one day, the Old man announced that this was his last visit to the top because he was old, his knees weren't so good anymore and he needed rest. The faeries were very sad, they pleaded, but he couldn't have done anything about it. That evening, the Old Man and his wife stayed longer. It was pitch dark by the time they began their descent. The nasty faeries, however, are very nasty. They did not share the love that the good faeries had for the old couple. And they charmed them! As the man and his wife began walking, they slowly turned to stone...
To this day, the Old Man of Storr stands tall and proud. His wife stood beside him for many many years; but in the late 19th century, her knees finally gave way and she crumbled.

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow, Hamish, Isle of Skye, John o' Groats, Kirk, Loch Lomond and Luss, Mogwai, Necropolis.

N... is for Necropolis!

There is something infinitely sinister about the world Necropolis, City of the Dead. Dark, depressing, and creepy are the feelings I'd associate with the word. The Glasgow Necropolis is all those feelings, and one more, that of sheer beauty.
For a bit of background, Wiki says, "Following the creation of Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris a wave of pressure began for cemeteries in Britain. This required a change in the law to allow burial for profit. Previously the parish church held responsibility for burying the dead but there was a growing need to give an alternative solution. Glasgow was one of the first to join this campaign, having a growing population, with fewer and fewer attending church. The planning of the cemetery began formally by the Merchants' House of Glasgow in 1831, in anticipation of a change in the law. The Cemeteries Act was passed in 1832 and the floodgates opened. Glasgow Necropolis officially opened in April 1833."
This place is stunningly beautiful. Among the buried are actors, musicians, and scientists. Almost every grave has a massive and prominent tombstone, mostly having something to do with the profession of the person buried there. This place is free and very close to the city center, so if you are, say, changing trains or have a couple of hours in Glasgow, go to this place. I have seldom felt so powerless and humble in front of anything that is man made.

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow, Hamish, Isle of Skye, John o' Groats, Kirk, Loch Lomond and Luss, Mogwai.

L... is for Loch Lomond and Luss

Loch Lomond is very very popular. Almost everyone who I know that has been to Scotland has been to Lomond. And it doesn't disappoint! The largest freshwater lake in the UK (nope, it isn't Loch Ness, with its monsters, that's the deepest), its waters are an absolute delight to look at. Silvery and ripling, the waters have a beautiful, serene quality with hardly any waves. The sides are dotted with low hills, and in autumn, the contrast of the yellows of the tops of pines with the surrounding dark greens is magnificient to look at!
Little known, and very close to the main tourist area of the Loch, is the village Luss. I only got to go there because I was with Scottish friends, who have lived in Glasgow all their lives! Luss is tiny, maybe a hundred or so houses. It is pretty and has this absolutely wonderful coffee shop where I had the most heavenly scones! Most of you will go to Lomond, if you can spare an extra hour, go to Luss, feed the duckies by the Loch, have a scone, you will have made a lovely headful of memories!

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow, Hamish, Isle of Skye, John o' Groats, Kirk.

I... is for Isle of Skye

Last weekend, I went on a three day trip to the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye. The entirety of Sunday was spent in exploring the Isle. I loved it. It was an organised trip, so we had a lovely guide explaining to us what on earth it was that we were looking at, where it all began, and how everything was beyond pretty!
According to Wikipedia, Skye  is the largest and most northerly large island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillins, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country. It isn't very tiny really, it's just that there's not much to do. The island is 67 miles long, there are 3 -4 small towns, and the total population is about 10,000. It is connected to the mainland by way of the Skye Road Bridge.
The scenery is stunning. It is dotted with bens (mountains) and glens (valleys). The hills are not very high (certainly for me, I have been to the Himalayas too many times), but they are older and more rounded, no spikes. And they get snow because of the latitude rather than their altitudes. It is also home of Drambuie, a fine Scottish whiskey liqueur. It is said that Bonnie Prince Charlie's supporters gave the recipe away to the islanders as a way of saying thanks for sheltering him and helping him escape after the Battle of Culloden (which, by the way, is the last battle to have taken place in the UK).
Most of the rivers are enchanted, they are dotted with the wee folk (faeries), and they glitter and gurgle. Skye is very very beautiful; all of you that have been expressing their wishes to visit Scotland should know that your visit would be incomplete without your footprints in Skye.

The River Sligachan

On top of the Old Man of Storr

Trotternish Peninsula 

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow, Hamish.

G... is for Glasgow!

Glasgow is to Edinburgh what groom is to a bride. He is west to her east, handsome to her pretty, strong to her fragile, imposing to her shy. Glasgow is the most handsome city I know. The gravity of George Square, the somber plaques that say Merchant City, the burnished dark gold of its buildings... they make you take it seriously. They speak to you in a gruff edgy voice.
It is big, busy, important, and fun. It looks like a proper city and it has the steepest streets; they seem vertical to me! I love Glasgow too, in a way different from how I love Edinburgh. I like the bustling-ness, I like how I usually can't understand a word Glaswegians say, I get excited at flyovers! (yep, no flyovers in lil' Edin).
I do not understand the sense of fashion though... if I had the money to spend and the option of shopping at Glasgow stores, I'd look fabulous! I'd look effortlessly chic, is what I think to myself every time I look at the windows of shops there... Scotland's pretty incomplete without good ol' west coast!

Winter evening, George Square

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge.

C... is for Cramond!

Cramond is a beach. It is located about a half hour's bus ride from Edinburgh towards the north-west, where the River Almond enters the Firth of Forth. I went to Cramond during winter break, it was a very cold day. The bus dropped us off at a place which seemed like the end of the world, no trees, just a few shrubs, a few sheep on the hill slopes, and wind. Oh wind... it was blowing and whistling and generally creating a ruckus.
The seaside is beautiful, not a traditional sandy beach, but more of a driveway. People jogging, walking their dogs, kids playing, the usual.

There's an island a little way off into the sea called Cramond island. Wiki tells me that it's a mile into the sea. The really cool thing is that it is connected to the mainland by a really narrow, ledge-like path that gets exposed at low tide. You can walk into the sea! I haven't been there, we didn't know about it and by the time we were there the tide was up and there was no sign of a path :P

Someday, for sure, must go back.

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick.

B... is for Berwick!

Berwick, or North Berwick, is a tiny little town about an hour's drive northwards from Edinburgh. I've been here twice. Both long and lovely stories. Take 1, V's friend lived in Edinburgh a couple of years ago and came up to spend a week in winter 2012 from Birmingham. His ex-landlady, who must be between 75 and 80, drove the three of us upto Tantallon Castle on 31st December. On the way back, we stopped in Berwick at her friends'. A group of 5 - 6 people who fed us cakes, biscuits, cheeses, and lots of tea just sat around in a warm room on a cold night and talked, about various things. It was the last evening of 2012 and it was so random, yet so beautiful.

 Take two: Su's parents, 5 days later, drove us to a beach nearby... and obviously, we headed to Berwick again after a day of picnic and hiking. This time, it was a ball! We went to Daffodil Cafe, I HIGHLY recommend it. It is owned and run by a slightly eccentric Greek and he makes the most delicious blueberry scones, when he has fresh berries and he feels like making them! They are usually announced by the clanging of plates, and it's a small and packed cafe, so that's pretty darn noisy. And I'm sure they are what heaven must smell like!

Anyway, my memories of North Berwick, unlike Harold Fry's, are far from depressing. It is a quaint town with some lovely beaches and you all should visit!
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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, A.