EDINBURGH CASTLE

        Or The Rock

It seems that everyone who goes to Scotland, runs up from England to spend a bit of time in Edinburgh, with of course a visit to the famous castle. Therefore, I hesitate to even write about the castle. Personally I love Glasgow and if I had to chose between the two cities I’d chose the lovely Victorian city over the more popular Edinburgh. If all you’ve seen is Edinburgh and you think you’ve seen Scotland, think again. The country has so much more to offer!

The majestic landmark, Edinburgh Castle, dominates the city’s skyline just as it has colored Scotland’s long and colorful, albeit bloody, history. The fort was built right into the rock, and good evidence of that can be seen as one walks around the castle. At one time 5000 people lived on the rock, today only about 500 live there. After New Town was built in the mid 1700s, people of means moved off the rock. Buildings were 12-14 stories high with no plumbing or running water. A warning shout of gardie loo was given before waste water was thrown out of the windows! Built on a plug of volcanic rock left by glaciers, there were seven barriers to get into the fort. After Mary, Queen of Scots’, husband stabbed her secretary, David Rizzio, 56 times in her presence, she moved to the castle not desiring to stay any longer  at Holyroodhouse. She delivered her son in the castle.

The castle has been a fortress, a palace, a military garrison, and a state prison. Much of the castle today is home to the military with men living in the barracks on the rock.

We climbed the tower to see the crown jewels as well as the 26 X 16-inch sandstone Stone of Destiny, weighing 336 pounds, housed there. In 1296 Edward I took the Stone of Destiny to England where it stayed under the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey. England returned the Stone of Destiny to Scotland in 1996 after holding it for 700 years. Several kings were crowned on the sandstone block.

Afterward, we stepped into the small 12^th century St. Margaret’s chapel which is the oldest building in Edinburgh. King David I dedicated it to his mother after she became a saint in 1250.

            The Castle cannon fires at 1PM each day as a time check. Our docent was cute when she said, “Most cities sound bells or some another signal at noontime, right?  But we’re Scots and we are frugal. If we send off the cannon at noon we have to shoot it 12 times, at one o’clock we only have to shoot it once.” 

            Believe it or not the crowd gathered, cameras were poised, and the cannon misfired! Why me?

            The castle was the last stop on a long city tour. After the cannon misfire we retreated to the café for a good lunch of summer cullen skink--- haddock and potato soup.Who could resist anything with a name like that? It was excellent. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and respite before tacking the walk down the Royal Mile.

DACHAU

 The First POW Camp

At Dachau, the WW II concentration camp, just outside Munich, there are no docents so it is a self-guided tour. 

Dachau was being built in 1933, even before the war started! It was the first concentration camp and the only one that lasted the whole twelve years. It was constructed under the direction of Heimlich Himmler. There were only 30,000 documented deaths; the operative word here is documented. At the time of liberation it is estimated that at least 67,000 deaths had occurred.

Dachau became the model for other camps. It occupied a closed munitions factory. The first prisoners had to make electrical and plumbing repairs, build a fence, lookout towers and kitchen. By the end of 1933 prisoners numbered 2700. The camp was planned for 6000.

Looking at a map on display I counted 75 camps had been built by the end of 1935! Nine more were added between 1936-1939.  After 1939 and the start of the war, conditions within the Dachau deteriorated considerably.

On arrival each prisoner surrendered his property, his rights, and his human dignity. Men from 26 countries found themselves inside the walls of Dachau. At times 400 men were in a room meant for 50. The camp was liberated on May 1, 1945 and 2226 prisoners died after that from illness and starvation.

A memorial plaque in the front courtyard at Dachau reads: May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933-1945, because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defense of peace and freedom and in respect for their fellow man. The message is written in four languages on the black marble plaque.

Solidarity and brotherly love within the camp meant survival. For some reason the gas chamber at this camp was never used. No one seems to know why. All priests imprisoned were sent to Dachau and there were over 2000 of them. They were not prisoners, they were just sent there for protective custody!

Since this was my fourth concentration camp visit, I felt Dachau was rather sterile and of the four camps I found it the least compelling; maybe because this is a reconstructed memorial rather than the original camp. Others did not agree with me, especially those who had seen only Dachau.

Only one barracks was erected. Behind it was the foundation outline of others.

I have been unable to find how the original camp was destroyed or to what extent it was destroyed.  But the present memorial is from the efforts of those imprisoned there who somehow formed an organized effort to memorialize the camp after the war.