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Edinburgh is a fantastic seachange from London. A smaller laid back city with friendly people and a chilled out vibe. Someone ran into me and even apologised. I was lost for words. The buildings are grand, the history interesting, prices reasonable so within the first few hours of arriving I'd decided it would be a suitable replacement for London (in summer at least). Within a few hours of London I was ready to leave so Edinburgh showed much promise.
The trip was salvaged by awesome days wandering the cemeteries, mazes of alleys and 'closes' (short for enclosure, like a small pedestrian cul de sac) and a really decent free guided walking tour of the city. Edinburgh has a very famous medical school with a dubious and dark history. Cadavers in good condition were highly sought after by the school for student education and practical classes so two enterprising Irishmen, Burke and Hare, set up business luring the downtrodden and poor with alcohol, friendship and ultimately a pillow to the face. The law caught up with them eventually, after 17 people officially vanished.
Hare turned crown witness against Burke who was strung up at the gallows. Ironically Burke was dissected by the medical department and his remains turned into souvenirs of sorts. Spend a day at the Museum of Surgeons and you can see a wallet made from his skin. Come for the skin-wallet, stay for the sliced off face, deformed fetuses and gangrene feet in jars. It's one of the lesser known Edinburgh stops but this creepy Museum is a must do. In addition to the creepy human remains, century old amputation kits and dental tools fill the shelves. Looking at the bone saw which might as well come from Homebase, it's obvious the NHS has come further than you think, just. 
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I shouldered my pack and journeyed north to Scotland to pay homage to the once home of Great Drainer Siologen. I never got around to that, or anything else I planned to do unfortunately. Glasgow, nope. The much raped Inverkip PS, nope. Scotland Street tunnel, nope.
Edinburgh is a fantastic seachange from London. A smaller laid back city with friendly people and a chilled out vibe. Someone ran into me and even apologised. I was lost for words. The buildings are grand, the history interesting, prices reasonable so within the first few hours of arriving I'd decided it would be a suitable replacement for London (in summer at least). Within a few hours of London I was ready to leave so Edinburgh showed much promise.
The trip was salvaged by awesome days wandering the cemeteries, mazes of alleys and 'closes' (short for enclosure, like a small pedestrian cul de sac) and a really decent free guided walking tour of the city. Edinburgh has a very famous medical school with a dubious and dark history. Cadavers in good condition were highly sought after by the school for student education and practical classes so two enterprising Irishmen, Burke and Hare, set up business luring the downtrodden and poor with alcohol, friendship and ultimately a pillow to the face. The law caught up with them eventually, after 17 people officially vanished.
Hare turned crown witness against Burke who was strung up at the gallows. Ironically Burke was dissected by the medical department and his remains turned into souvenirs of sorts. Spend a day at the Museum of Surgeons and you can see a wallet made from his skin. Come for the skin-wallet, stay for the sliced off face, deformed fetuses and gangrene feet in jars. It's one of the lesser known Edinburgh stops but this creepy Museum is a must do. In addition to the creepy human remains, century old amputation kits and dental tools fill the shelves. Looking at the bone saw which might as well come from Homebase, it's obvious the NHS has come further than you think, just.
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Comments on Edinburgh
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#1 - 2008-04-18 19:02 - Reply
Zero
#2 - 2008-05-18 17:03 - Reply
Flicka
#3 - 2009-06-04 19:47 - Reply