Off we go to Melrose and the Scottish borders

Journal entry from September 17, 2016

Everything went smoothly getting checked out of the Cairn Hotel. We had too little hot water for our morning showers, but the cheery tooth-challenged desk clerk said it was "all fixed now." So that was good, but not awfully useful, news — at least not for us. Despite that and the less than delicious breakfast the first morning, the Cairn was a most serviceable place to stay.

As before, we breakfasted  around the corner at the "Taste of Italy" and then walked the half-mile or so back to the Waverley train station. It was  mostly uphill, but we were "used to it now."  

We got on the 10:25 am Borders Railway south to Tweedbank  and were there by 11:25 am. The previous year on September 9th, the day of her becoming Britain's longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth had re-opened the rail line and  then traveled along it to Tweedbank, just as we did.  (However, unlike her Majesty, we  weren't treated to fireworks.)

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-34177585

On an average weekday, there are "48 trains per day travelling from Edinburgh south to Tweedbank" (www. thetrainline.com). I love the Scottish rail system; oh that we might have something like it here in Parkhill so we could get to Grand Bend, Exeter, and London by train (or even bus!).

Then we took a bus on to Melrose ("got a return ticket") and had our bags stashed in our room at the Braidwood Bed and Breakfast by noon.  The bus stop was only steps away.

Source http://www.braidwoodmelrose.co.uk/ caption

Exploring the town, we bought Cornish pastries, fruit, and water for lunch, which we ate sitting on a bench at Melrose Abbey. The abbey, founded by Cistercian monks almost a thousand years ago, was another highlight of our trip. We used the audio guide and wandered around for a couple of hours — very serene place.

Seen from the west: Source: http://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/
Building_stones_of_the_Border_Abbeys_-_an_excursion

Founded by David I of Scotland in 1136, it is best known as the resting place of the heart of  his descendant Robert the Bruce. (The rest of the latter's mortal remains are at Dumferline Abbey.)

David was the paternal fourth great-grandfather of Robert the Bruce. (Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Bruce)

The abbey suffered numerous attacks during the border wars with the English beginning in 1296.

This is the north side of the Abbey.

In the background is one of the Eildon Hills, which we climbed the next day

The abbey was  rebuilt after an attack by Richard II in 1385:




Local quarries provided  sandstone and red trachyte (a type of feldspar), which gave the abbey its pinkish tone: 

The monks' rule of life (a combination of frugality and hard work) had the unintended, but not surprising, consequence of bringing prosperity to the abbey. The monks adopted new farming methods and sold Melrose wool throughout Europe, thereby providing employment for the local people. They also fed the locals during times of famine.  The photo below shows where the refectory was:

Water was diverted from the River Tweed and ran along this drainage ditch through the abbey, a fairly detailed engineering feat in the middle ages:

After the Reformation,when its land and goods were seized by the crown during the dissolution of the monasteries, the abbey fell into disrepair. However, in the early 19th century, Sir Walter Scott began a restoration.

A century later, during more work at the site in 1921, a small casket containing a heart was found and reburied; Robert the Bruce's heart  had been reputedly buried in the church. By coincidence, the  lead container was unearthed during an archaeological dig in 1996. An engraving said it had been found in 1921 under the chapter house floor and that it contained a heart. In June 1998, it was reburied under this memorial stone in the lawn on the east side of the abbey:

"A noble hart may have nane ease. Gif freedom failye:" from the poem The Bruce by John Barbour

Or was it? No tests were done on it, but I like to think it was The Bruce's:

In any event, Melrose Abbey is reputed to be one of the finest examples of medieval church architecture in the British Isles and was a pilgrimage destination at the height of its influence.

The juxtaposition of the contrail and the ruins:What would the monks have thought of jet travel!

While I explored the graveyard, Greg climbed the 74 steps to the bell-tower; I doubt if he climbed on these. If he did, he didn't mention it:

The view from the top of the roof is made more stunning by the apparent lack of a railing: 

Greg was trying to get a shot of the bagpipe-playing pig, which is likely one of the figures carved on these two columns:

 This shot provides a glimpse of the construction methods: 

 Then to our delight, we were treated to this:

The two people had used one of the Eildon Hills as a take-off point and were drifting towards the abbey. We could hear them talking in the sky.

As they floated off towards the River Tweed, we left Melrose Abbey and found the tourist centre and a lovely garden just beside it. The tourist official helped us find the right path to Eildon Hall, home of my fourth great-grandfather Dr. Thomas Mein RN. Then he also searched the Internet but come up with the other Eildon Hall — the one at Jackson's Point in Ontario. My third great-grandmother named her home in the backwoods of Ontario after her father's near Melrose. More about that in the next blog.

My journal continues: "We will will attempt  to go there tomorrow. The present owner, a duke of Buccleugh  may not be too pleased with trespassers. The house is not listed in any of the guidebooks, so we may not get too far... Nice dinner at the Marmion Brasserie across the street from the Braidwood. Then we shared an orange later in our room."

And that was all the excitement for that day!