Edinburgh
In which Lis crosses the pond and reunites with a friend she met 20 years ago in the Canadian Arctic.
Somehow, everyone I know in Scotland I met in the Canadian Arctic. The tables have turned since the Gesch sisters met some backpackers from the UK in 2006 (I think) in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Now I’m the one with a backpack and Scotty and his family offered wonderful hospitality. (The wee child greeted me at the door with a hug, a card and a stuffed penguin, and a house tour.) I felt immediately at home with Scotty and Kaire and had grand chats about travels, life struggles, butterflies and bees, and so much more. [Kaire is the reason I discovered The Singing Revolution, which I highly recommend!
Into the city
In which Lis goes to Scotland and finds Palestinian solidarity everywhere.
I hopped a bus into the city centre the last two days to do some exploring. Becca recommended the Palestine Museum, which I highly recommend. https://www.palestinemuseum.us/palestine-musuem-us-information-1 It’s essentially a gallery on everything related to Palestine, its people and the struggle for freedom and justice. The volunteers there also pointed me in the direction of Hadeel, a Palestinian fair trade shop nearby. https://www.hadeel.org/our-story/
The following day, when I was heading for a walk up Arthur’s Seat, I encountered two protests in front of the Scottish Parliament. One of the speakers at the Palestine protest highlighted the shared purposes of the two protests (Palestine and anti-data centre) as AI is being used both for surveillance and military capabilities against Palestinians – and the technology has been battle tested on Palestinians, which Israeli arms dealers use as a selling point. The struggles for justice and against colonialism, and for ecological responsibility are all interconnected.
Arthur’s Seat
Onwards to climb Arthur’s Seat, an ancient volcanic hill overlooking the city. I encountered gorse, heather, fireweed and harebells. Also, a wedding near the ruins of a chapel, steep paths and grand views.
Edinburgh definitely warrants a repeat visit for more exploring. I meant to wander around some of the historic cemeteries, and one other overgrown one I saw from the bus. Next time!