E is for…Edinburgh

Having never been to Scotland, colourful postcards from Edinburgh must come with men wearing kilts and playing bagpipes, I suppose

One of the arguably best features of the Erich Sontag Postcard Collection is that it permits me to armchair-travel to places I’ve never been to, and it does so from the comfort of my own study.

Today is such an occasion, and I’m inspired to do so because a) I’ve never been to Scotland (I know, shame on me) and b) two days ago I saw that it was quite warm (14 degrees centigrade) there—and now it’s not quite as warm as that, but most snow has melted in the comparatively warm weather. As far as the weather forecast may be believed, we might get some new snow on the weekend (but, as always, I’ll wait and see).

Hence, without much further ado, a few postcards from Edinburgh, mainly for my own—and hopefully also for your—edification. Enjoy.

Edin-BURGH in the Early 1960s

The following two postcards were mailed in the very early 1960s, one in 1961 and the other in rather close temporal proximity, if the materiality, text, and postage is any indication:

I quite like such postcards that don’t require me to add much, if any, caption. Behold, though, the next one (below) that offers the opposite vantage point:

“Places (Not) Typically Seen” on Postcards

There are quite a few more colourful examples of Scotlands’s metropolis (sorry, Glasgow and Aberdeen, no offence meant), but I think the next couple of them are particularly nice as they don’t just show “street views” in the 1970s, but they do so showing of some “places not typically seen” on postcards:

Above, apart from the Castle and the Floral Clock in Princes St. Gardens, there’s the Greyfriar’s Bobby, “a Skye Terrier or Dandie Dinmont Terrier^[1] who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for reportedly spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until his death. The story continues to be well known in Scotland, through several books and films, though its accuracy is disputed. A prominent commemorative statue and nearby graves are tourist attractions.” (source)

Whatever the structural advantages of new and supposedly “better” (mostly bigger) bridges, and much in line with my preference for “old cars” over today’s ugly vehicles, I also prefer that Old Forth Railway Bridge over the New Forth Road Bridge (personal opinion).

Above, the White Horse Close (top left), the Castle (top right), Princess Street Gardens (bottom left), and the Scott Monument, the world’s second-largest monument to a writer, which deserves a shout-out for simply that reason (the largest one, apparently, is the José Martí monument in Havana).

For more such “places not typically seen” on postcards, please refer to the below posting:

Places Not Typically Seen on Postcards

Of Kilts, Pipes, and Tattoos

No trip to Scotland may ever be complete, I have heard, without Men in Kilts playing Bagpipes, and thus we shall look at some postcards showing them:

What an impressive bunch of Scotsmen with equally marvellous bagpipes, eh?

Speaking of tattoos, here’s an entire group of them, for which Edinburgh is apparently quite well-known for:

And with one more military marching band reference (albeit to an Austrian one), I’ll conclude this posting (click on the link and scroll all the way down):

"Oh, thou my Austria!" Leoben in Styria Through the 20th Century

I would have some more postcards from Edinburgh, but I’m unsure if you, dear readers, would like to see them, too? If so, please let me know in the comments.