I Put My Hands in My Pockets 7/15 Part Three (Yeah, it was a long day)

A few of us wanted to go to the Scotch Whiskey Experience, so we booked it from the NRS across town, in order to make it before it closed. I don’t know what I was expecting the SWE to be like, but I was surprised. The Experience started out like a Disney ride, where you sit in a motorized seat (like Epcot) and learn how whiskey is made. I kept wondering when we’d see the velociraptor being hatched. After the ride, we had a whiskey tasting, where I remembered that I don’t like whiskey, and got to see an awesome vault of whiskey bottles. We saw priceless bottles, and really, really old bottles, and strangely named bottles. It was pretty cool. We also got to see the largest bottle of whiskey in the world.

After we left the Scotch Whiskey Experience, several of us found our way to a wonderful vegetarian restaurant. I know I wasn’t as thankful for the restaurant as poor Liz and Dannie, who had been suffering with the same vegetarian options the whole trip, but I did love having some vegetables back in my diet! When we’d stuffed ourselves, we walked up the main avenue in Edinburgh, enjoying the late afternoon.

I found a fantastic jewelry store filled with Celtic jewelry. I’d been tempted by some of the stalls on the street, but those options were made of pewter, and if I was buying jewelry, I wanted it to be worth it. I think the shop was actually about to close when I arrived, but the workers in no way intimated that my presence was unwelcome or tried to rush me. I rewarded their patience when I ended up buying souvenirs for myself, my mother, sister, and even my nieces, for whom I purchased tiny matching heart pendants made of Celtic knots. It was a relief to get so many souvenirs off my list, and I felt good about the value and meaning of the purchases.

Early that morning, as we’d arrived in Edinburgh, I had found a pamphlet for a ghost tour of Edinburgh’s underground vaults. Still upset about missing out on Paris’s catacombs, I wanted to go, and Liz and Allison both did, too. We met with the tour guide that evening, and had a fabulous time. Our tour guide was knowledgeable about the history of Edinburgh, and told us about some of the city’s not-so-fine moments. Then we filed into the underground vaults, which had originally been planned as storage under the bridges, but became a last resort for Edinburgh’s poor, and a hiding place for her criminals. The dark, dank vaults were scary in the traditional sense, but there was an added layer of unease as our guide described the horrific conditions that those in the vaults lived and often died under. When a fire swept through Edinburgh, those who sheltered in the vaults died from the heat, and the average person who moved down there had a life expectancy of 18 months, between the unsanitary conditions and the likelihood of assault or murder. Many who died down in the vaults had their bodies sealed up behind new walls. Apparently, the Hellfire Club even attempted to raise a demon down the vaults.

We heard about the ghosts of the vaults, as well. There’s a ghost who apparently often appears at the back of groups, often leading group members to hold doors open for him, until they realize he isn’t one of them. What was freaky about that story was that I had already had the back of my neck crawling, and I kept turning around to see if anyone was there. Allison stated that she had felt the same way. We also learned about a ghost of a young boy, who will occasionally grab the hand of female visitors, but also has the annoying tendency to steal jewelry off visitors. Liz tucked her necklace in her shirt, and I put my hands in my pocket. How do you react to a ghost boy grabbing your hand? I didn’t want to deal with that dilemma.

She ended by telling us about a malevolent spirit who dwells in the last vault we visited, who will occasionally scratch or hit visitors. She told us an absolutely terrifying story about when a torch went out in the vault and a little girl went missing, but was found in the far corner of the room from the rest of the group. When her hysterical mother demanded to know why the girl wandered off, the girl said that someone grabbed her hand and led her there. When the mother asked if the little girl had thought it was her she replied, “Of course not, Mommy. Your hand doesn’t have claws.” Whelp. Yeah. I am taking the ghost stories with a grain of salt, but between the horrific events that occurred in the vaults, and the terrifying atmosphere where we heard the ghost stories, I know that they’ll stick with me for a while.

I think we all really enjoyed the ghost tour, and it ended early enough for us to catch regular bus back to Dalkeith, so we didn’t have to try to figure out the night bus!