火曜日, 7月 18, 2006
Finding King Arthur
I know exactly where I was going. I've looked at Edinburgh's highest peak from the moment I step foot in Scottish land. From afar it looked small and abandoned, but it's surrounded by green and, surprisingly hills. This picture shows the half-side of my trek.
When I looked back, a beautiful horizon greeted me. I could see the Holyrood Palace, the shoreline and the rustic old Edinburgh town were like living paintings that reward my already tired body.
I zoomed in at the edge of the lower cliff to the left of Arthur's seat and noticed this ruin which looked like a castle. It was a certain abby and it was said that people go there on pilgrimage to be healed of skin diseases. Could that abby once be the home of powerful hermits during King Arthur's time?!~ I am beginning to run my imagination wild.
But...as fate would put it, I was not bound to set eyes on King Arthur's place. As I neared the next hill towards Salisbury Craig, the path leading to the peak was closed and it was impossible to climb from where I was. The police told us that we need to encircle the hill in order to get up.
I am dead tired to spend another two hours hiking. I was not prepared for this. So..I decided, what the heck, I'd lie for a while and reward my efforts with a nap!
After that much needed rest, I decided to go by the other side of the hill where I came from and to my delight, I discovered these interesting and eerie-looking rock formation. They seem as if they are hidden sculpture of faces. Mystic isn't it?
By this time the sun was already starting to set. It was past 10pm already. I couldn't resist contemplating on the serene moment in front of me. How else could peace be drawn, if not like this? It's as if heaven and earth begin to be intimate as they come closer together. The steady wind blowing in my skin was like the angels cradling my soul. It was a wonderul feeling that I wanted to freeze it.
I failed to set foot at Arthur's seat but I found another form of peace that washed away the craziness of cosmopolitan living. It's this profound feeling of being one with nature that makes this trip truly worth while. I had a few bruises and blisters out of walking but the payback is ten-folds.
Thanks for visiting!