architecture
Edinburgh is a magic potion
observations, impressions, some places to see
-Folks, it’s ok, I’ve done this 10 years ago already - says a man standing on his knee in front of his wife, recreating their proposal photo. She tells us the story of how on this day exactly 10 years ago she just wondered why they had to climb up the hill on the cold November day, with the wind blowing her away, feeling cold and, apparently, not entirely happy with the hike. Little did she know that by the end of it, she would say yes to her future husband, and here they were, talking to us 10 years later. We at Arthur’s seat, the vast hills right at Edinburgh’s doorstep, rising above it, opening the view to its Georgian streets.
Edinburgh is surely a place to be visited – but subtly, disappearing in its murmur and lively Scottish chatter, the natural stone facades, and the dialogue that it enters with the pavement. You ought to explore it as a labyrinth, a narrow tunnel you do not expect when you see a door, but the door unveils its mysterious inner world. The door becomes a threshold – but it is not a tale of the exterior versus the interior, it is a narrative of one world opening into another.
Edinburgh is, of course, about stairs and slopes. Up and down, down and up, somewhere on a flat terrain, but then on a slope again. You find a hill and your gaze falls on the rest of the city – calm, graceful, presenting itself with honor. You will reach the castle, turn around, and say a quiet ‘wow’ as the street unveils in front of you as you stand on the broad square amidst everyone taking pictures (and you are, probably, not an exception).
In the three days we spent in Edinburgh, I was enchanted by its views, atmosphere, music, and lightness with which people would start conversations (even when I could only understand half of it because of the Scottish accent). When by the end of the trip Nipun and I reflected on our favourite moments, they varied in their character, privacy, or merely the seriousness of such.
One of my highlights from the trip was right after our walk around the Dean village – a place within a place, a fairytale, pathways through the green and by the water, and one of the first spots you will see if you search what to visit in Edinburgh – and for a good reason. To me, however, the special part was about the Modern art gallery located next to it, where we could see the work of Everlyn Nicodemus, a Tanzanian-born artist based in Edinburgh. In her art Everlyn talks about personal and cultural trauma, tackling themes such as sexism and racism by various means and techniques.
One of my highlights from the trip was right after our walk around the Dean village – a place within a place, a fairytale, pathways through the green and by the water, and one of the first spots you will see if you search what to visit in Edinburgh – and for a good reason. To me, however, the special part was about the Modern art gallery located next to it, where we could see the work of Everlyn Nicodemus, a Tanzanian-born artist based in Edinburgh. In her art Everlyn talks about personal and cultural trauma, tackling themes such as sexism and racism by various means and techniques.
As I was looking at her self-portrait, a woman beside me initiated the conversation, as we ended up discussing the painting in front of us, racism in Sweden in the 80s, and the experiences and struggles that come across women, and dealing with their bodies. It is in these spontaneous conversations that Scotland is comprised; in people smiling and joking, talking to you, and being able to tell you everything they know about, even if you are in a steam room and the opponent is counting seconds.
Scottish humour, small talk, the Magic Potion bar, or a dish on the menu in the Wings restaurant (that was our absolute favourite) with the name “none of your goddamn business”. A night shop and talking to the cashier in Hindi (not me, apparently) or a Musical Theatre workshop in Edinburgh playhouse with us singing ‘I love you Baltimore’ from the Hairspray.
Scottish humour, small talk, the Magic Potion bar, or a dish on the menu in the Wings restaurant (that was our absolute favourite) with the name “none of your goddamn business”. A night shop and talking to the cashier in Hindi (not me, apparently) or a Musical Theatre workshop in Edinburgh playhouse with us singing ‘I love you Baltimore’ from the Hairspray.
Despite not having the sun – at least, on these days in November, - and constantly being gray and foggy, the sunlight and warmth are being shared by people. Edinburgh has become a feel-good city (and perhaps in constant need of a vitamin D supplement), cold in its weather that people have to warm each other up by creating such ambiance. Edinburgh is about a feeling of appearing in a fantasy and you are about to get your letter from Hogwarts – or a cocktail from a Magic Potion bar. My portion of magic was a tour around Dynamic Earth experience that told a history of the universe and the movie we watched in its planetarium. My magic was the tunnels that almost felt like a portal between two worlds, or the haggis sandwich at Oink (but I think I was just super hungry). My magic was the paintings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, well-known within architecture, that made me hopeful about pursuing my right path.
My head is on Nipun’s shoulder as we sit on top of the Calton Hill. It is not lit up as you would expect from most sightseeing spots, which makes it especially mysterious at night, opposing the city lights. I feel calm – or we feel calm? – the days and nights were beautiful here in Edinburgh, and allowed to recharge, before coming back to the active work and study pace, in a city interwoven with nature and hills.
(And, as it happens in a relationship, your partner involuntarily becomes your main photo-model, so here are some portraits I took of Nipun that I like. Did not use my digital camera for a while, so a series of lovely portraits as a small celebration)
(And, as it happens in a relationship, your partner involuntarily becomes your main photo-model, so here are some portraits I took of Nipun that I like. Did not use my digital camera for a while, so a series of lovely portraits as a small celebration)
