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CHAS’ & RUBY’S |
While RUBY enjoyed her Fyne Dining, I Taxied back to the city center, and signed up
for a “TERROR TOUR” of Edinburgh’s Underground VAULTS.
Some BACKGROUND info:
My gude friend, CHET, visited Edinburgh in 2005, and went on the
McEwan Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour.
She gave it a RAVE review! So, I wanted to do THAT tour also.
But, I ended up being too tired to do BOTH.
Since I really wanted to see the OLD EDINBURGH Underground VAULTS,
I decided to do the “AULD REEKIE TERROR TOUR!”
WRONG CHOICE, CHUCK!!!
Instead of enjoying an INTERESTING and ENTERTAINING TOUR, soaking up
the literary history of Edinburgh while LEISURELY strolling from PUB to PUB …
[Hello! Emphasis on both “LEISURELY” and “PUB to PUB”!!!]
I ended up on the ROMP from HELL!LOL
Basically, you spend almost an HOUR being led all over the place, at a PACE that almost
– but not QUITE – FORCES you to break into a RUN!
You’re led up and down terrifically STEEP and uneven cobblestone streets …
Up and down terrifically STEEP stone stairs …
You see ABSOLUTELY NOTHING of very much interest …
While ONE “costumed guide” (a chickie in a push-up bodice – like THATZ
something NEW – HAR!) tells you some slightly interesting stuff about living conditions in medieval Edinburgh.
While on this “tour” I only managed to take a few, completely krappy, pix.
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begins with the Push-Up-Bodice Chickie RUNNING YOU alloverHELLandback, for NO GOOD REASON!
(No reason other than to |
ALMOST-RUN back to the starting point of the flippin’ “TOUR” (the OFFICE), and taken into a room that has a very small – BUT INTERESTING! – display of MEDIEVAL TORTURE IMPLEMENTS. [Pic @ right from Internet] |
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Admittedly; the Push-Up-Bodice-CHICKIE rather artfully spun some spooky
GHOST STORIES while we were IN the “vaults.”
But, I found the whole shebang rather … “SOPHOMORIC.”
[JeeZe! I’m such a BITCH! LOL]
Plz understand! The underground Edinburgh Vaults ARE incredibly interesting!
To prove it, here is some General INFO about them.
(Just scroll past the small print if you’re not interested in Edinburgh history!)
“Beneath the busy streets of Edinburgh lies the mysterious ‘Vaults’. This maze of rooms, under Edinburgh’s South Bridge, one of the city's main thoroughfares, lay forgotten for centuries until they were ‘discovered’ in the mid 1980’s and reopened as a tourist attraction.”
“For almost 250 years, Edinburgh was surrounded by a giant defensive wall and, unable to expand its boundaries, it became the most densely populated city in Europe. When buildings could go no higher, people were forced to construct new edifices over the existing structures. An underground slum developed, where subterranean dwellers lived in darkness and abject poverty”
“The underground vaults were created in the late 18th century, abandoned by the 1830s - and only opened again to the public in 1994. The labyrinth of corridors and chambers you visit remain unchanged from two hundred years ago. Visit this unique attraction and capture a very special moment in the evolution of this city.”
Perhaps I simply picked the wrong Edinburgh Vaults Tour Company.
There are several companies advertised on the Internet.
Underground Edinburgh looks WONDERFUL! But, the THREE events advertised there seem to be reserved for GROUPS. (I can’t tell from their website whether or not one or two people could DO these things!)
Here is a link to several pix taken by someone who went on a MERCAT TOUR!
They show MUCH more interesting vaults than the “AULD REEKIE” krappe.
I couldn’t “snag” any of them to put HERE …
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If you WANT to see the Edinburgh Underground Vaults, Go on one of the MERCAT TOURS! |
GO TO THE NEXT PAGE: Saturday, June 3rd
DALHOUSIE CASTLE!
c-d-miller@neb.rr.com
