Ten Years Ago

Ten years ago, there was no Brown Knowser. I wasn't on Twitter. Nor on Facebook. Nor on Instagram.

Also, to be precise, the Monday that was 10 years ago was actually a May 31. But on the Monday that was 10 years ago, I arrived in Scotland, UK. It was one of the briefest getaways to another country—other than to the US—that I have ever made. It was also one of the best getaways.

You see, it was with my best friend, Stu, and we were in one of my most-favourite spots in the world.

I was finishing up my work on my novel, Songsaengnim: A Korea Diary, and I was starting to put information together for the sequel, Gyeosunim. I was writing about Roland's home, in North Berwick, where I had visited some 22 years earlier.

Shit... that's now 32 years ago. Man, I'm getting old...

For a couple of months leading up to the trip, I was telling DW that my memory of North Berwick and Edinburgh was getting foggy, and that I should go back to refresh that memory and to get inspiration to work on my next book. I had found where my main character's sister, Siobhan, lived in Edinburgh: what I now needed was to find the home where Roland Axam grew up.

Salisbury Green Hotel

I had accrued more than enough points on my Aeroplan account to fly pretty much anywhere I wanted and I had scoped out some inexpensive hotels and B&Bs in Edinburgh to make a compelling case to DW. But when Stu told me that he was attending a conference in Scotland's capital city and said he had a hotel that we could share, DW knew there wouldn't be a better time for me to go.

Stu flew from Toronto to Glasgow, from where he caught a bus to Edinburgh. I flew from Ottawa to London, and transferred flights directly to Edinburgh. We met at our hotel, Salisbury Green, on Dalkeith Road, just south of Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat. The hotel looked more like a castle than a public lodging, and our top-floor room had ample space and a view of Arthur's Seat.

Room with a view.

Though Stu was exhausted and jet-lagged (having arrived in Glasgow in the early hours of the morning and having to wait until the afternoon to check in), I arrived at our hotel about an hour after he checked in, ready to explore the heart of the town. It was my best friend's birthday, after all, and I had made plans.

We ate at Greyfriars Bobby's Bar, a historic pub on Candlemaker Row that backs onto a centuries-old cemetery, Greyfriars. Unbeknownst to Stu, I had also purchased tickets to a literary pub crawl, and had to spill the beans when he begged to call it an early evening.

Though fatigued, he persevered and we had a great time, moving from Grassmarket Square up to the Royal Mile, onward to the Writer's Museum, across the Mound, and into New Town and St.Andrew Square Garden.

The Grassmarket district, with Edinburgh Castle above.

Starting the pub crawl off right, at the Beehive Inn.

Stopping for a quick one at the Jolly Judge.

Our guide and a woman who was ready to contradict his literary knowledge.

Both are actors. Both thoroughly entertaining.

The next day, on June 1, Stu and I arose early, enjoyed a haggis and blood pudding breakfast in the hotel, and went our separate ways: he, to his conference; me, to find Roland's sister's home. Though the actual calendar dates are off by one day, I'll share that Tuesday's adventure, tomorrow.