Motherland of democracy and military festivals
Once, Vladimir Putin stayed at the English Queen. He was offered to visit several cities that the monarch family is especially proud of. President went to Edinburgh, extremely suitable for high visits – aristocratic, exquisite and inaccessible. However, anyone will feel nice in the Scottish capital, because in her history will certainly find something consonant with their interests, feelings, mood. Take at least democracy. She originated in Edinburgh, literally on the staircase. Where it is seen to nobles, merchants and artisans live under one roof? For Edinburgh, there was nothing strange in such a neighborhood. Around the city of one fop, swamps and forests, he could not grow. Yes, he originated on the frozen lava, on a limited flat surface, which ended with sheer cliffs from all sides. Therefore, the housing problem was solved by high-rise construction and a democratic distribution of apartments – already in the XVII century, six seven-story houses appeared in Edinburgh. The best floors in them, the third and fourth, occupied rich people. I did not want to live above, as the elevator has not yet invented and the water supply was not. The lower floors were also not suitable – there were benches on the first, and the smells came from unclean – sewage was also not. These high houses literally scraped the low northern sky, hence the word "Skyscrapers".
The main street of the city, the royal mile, joined the Edinburgh Castle and the Palace Holyour. On the sides of it are scattered by the alleys. Only in Edinburgh because of the relief, they go down the steps, and the city resembles a huge turtle, on the shell of which cute houses are crowded. By the royal mile, Maria Steward went for six years, she lived in the Holyrood Palace. Here, in her bedroom, a jealous husband and his accomplices was killed by her personal secretary, Italian David Rizzio. It is said that a bloody spot on the scene of the crime has been preserved for several centuries, despite all attempts to remove it.
Edinburgh is saturated with mystics and mysteriousness. Even the main landmark, Edinburgh Castle, has not only a unique architectural style and interior, but also an individual set of legends and ghosts.
Ghosts at the Scots are especially demand, there are even special museums of ghosts. One of those – "Museum Mary Kings". He originated for that. In the XVII century, a terrible epidemic of plague happened, people died in quarters. In the end, the epidemic managed to stop, the life began to revive, people occupied empty houses. However, in one of the neighborhoods of the city, people lived to live – everywhere they were killed by strange sounds, moans, shadows of people. Many at home in this quarter belonged to the lady named Mary Kings, so he was called. Wishing to settle in this place never found, the quarter was sealed.
In the XVIII century, the bridge began to build in Edinburgh, which joined the old part of the city with a new. The quarter turned out to be practically underground. All this time, Edinburghtsy and guests of the city went to Mary Kings for acute sensations – she was eager for ghosts. And a few years ago there was an open-air museum. Guides are dressed as ghosts, in black raincoats, white masks, cylinders. They, as it were, the inhabitants of the quarter, who invite you to walk. Excursants arises a terrible feeling – abandoned houses, windows without glasses, the rest of the stairs that do not lead anywhere. Some homes have a wine cellar, bread stoves, buffets, storage rooms. You can enter any house, in some apartments are especially scary, because they are inhabited by wax figures. Want you do not want, but you will see ghosts and hear moans.
However, most people take more pleasant impressions from Edinburgh. In August, the Edinburgh International Art Festival is held here, during which the city’s population increases twice, to 800 thousand. human. The festival is so ambitious and spectacular, which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. For three weeks, Edinburgh turns into huge theatrical frames. On each free patch, artists act: juggle with torches, dancing, sword swallowed, show the pantomime, sing. Walking do not stop even at night. However, at the time the noise still calms down, because in the evening the main action of the festival -Military Tattoo begins, in other words, a military parade. This is a very popular and only parade of military orchestras in the world, to participate in it is a great honor. Tickets for it can be booking for half a year ago. The show is held in front of the Edinburgh Castle, next to which the tribunes are installed.
There was this parade in 1947. After the war in the country, destruction reigned. To support the British, give them a feeling of a holiday, the government decided to hold military parades that later turned into a festival. Now in breaks between speeches of military orchestras show spectacular numbers, approximately the same bright and massive, as at the opening-closing Olympiad. Complements the action illumination – the lock is changing like theatrical scenery. Ends show festive fireworks.
