Day 15
Edinburgh Fermentarium
Our visit to Edinburgh Fermentarium was so much fun. The owner was friendly and knowledgeable. She had a bunch of kombucha and sauerkraut samples for us to try. We even got to taste the SCOBY, which stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It wasn’t bad, though the gummy texture was interesting.
I already knew a lot of the differences between American and British English, but one word that caused some confusion on both sides was “sherbet.” In America, sherbet is a frozen, creamy, fruity dessert, like a milky sorbet. In Britain, apparently, it’s a sweet powder, like what we call Pixy-Stix (brand). (I forget why the topic of sherbet came up, we did not see any.)
Greyfriars
Gelato doughnut. Need I say more? It was just as good as I had hoped.
During our free time, some of us went back to Greyfriars Kirkyard to look for some stones that likely inspired J.K. Rowling’s character names. Thomas Riddell was one of them. It’s just a cool-looking place. Our guide told us that the top level of graves is very shallow, so it’s not out of the question to stumble upon old bones.
National Museum of Scotland (again)
As a surprise to me, our group headed to the National Museum to look at Dolly and for more free time. I was finally able to find the Early People exhibit with Pictish stones.
One thing I learned in this exhibit was about ogham, an early writing system. It takes the form of a series of lines across a central line or edge. More about this stone
Blood & Guts tour with Surgeon’s Hall
Our tour guide for this tour was super entertaining and informative. He kept us on the edge of our seats (and feet, it was a walking tour) with his storytelling. We learned about the Burke and Hare murders, Dr. Robert Liston whose claim to fame was the speed with which he could amputate a leg, and some of the history of anesthesia.
The Surgeon’s Hall museum is worth a look if you are interested in anatomy or disease. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who gets queasy at the sight of preserved organs. We were asked not to take pictures out of respect for the remains.
Key Moment of the Day: There’s just something remarkable about being face-to-face with the work of people who lived over a thousand years ago. My favorite was the boar.