Edinburgh was more than just the castle. Things like a tall, dark stranger, Harris Tweed and a shop that has everything. 
As expected, Edinburgh was not very sunny, but it didn’t rain, which was a relief. The Old Town is the oldest part of the city and the most obvious choice for travelers. The road is lined up with souvenir shops, whisky shops, fish and chips shops and it eventually leads up to the famous Edinburgh Castle. Being very well acquainted by various Scottish whisky brands at the time, we went in and checked if they in fact had all the brands we knew and learned about. Of course they did. I don’t think I will ever be that smart about whiskies again, thanks to all the distillery tours. There were a lot of places that claimed themselves as the best, the oldest and the most popular, but to be honest, it seemed most shops had everything they were supposed to have. Other souvenirs include jackets, Harris Tweed anything, stuffed animals, scarves and other types of clothing, but I preferred to buy a bunch of postcards and send them on their way to wherever. Affordable, personal, light and memorable.
위스키 가게들이 넘쳐났던 에딘버러. 우리나라의 두번째로 잘하는 집 느낌의 상술로 유혹하는데 가게들마다 비슷한 가격, 비슷한 종류의 위스키를 팔고 있어 어디서 사나 큰 차이는 없다. 이미 위스키 투어를 네다섯번 하고 난 후에 간 곳이라 머릿속에는 위스키가 만들어지는 과정부터 종류, 브랜드 등 가득 차 있었는데 지금은 역시나 기억이 흐릿해짐. 에딘버러 기념품들의 특징이 있다면 종류는 엄청 많은데 막상 돈을 주고 사고 싶은 것은 없다는 것. 크고 작은 기념품 가게들은 많은데 개인적으로 살것이라고는 엽서뿐이었다. 목도리가 특히나 인기가 많았는데 100% 캐시미어라고 써있는데도 우리나라나 일본의 수준은 아니라서 무작정 사기도 고민이 될 정도. 그래서 나는 엽서를 몇장 사서 그 자리에서 써서 우체국에서 보냈다. 유럽에서 한국을 보내는 엽서는 일반적으로 일주일정도 걸리는 것 같다.
The St. Giles’ Cathedral, or the high Kirk of Edinburgh was like a dark, mysterious old man. There’s nothing pretty and overly beautiful about it, but it’s tall, dark with a lot of shadows and very old and rusty decorations and sculptures around it. If it had a voice, I believe it would sound like Bill Nighy from the film Underworld, so deep, thundering and dark.
다른 성당이나 교회들보다도 유독 검고 어두운 느낌의 성 가일즈 성당. 날씨가 흐린 탓도 있었겠지만 유독 어두운 뱀파이어 느낌의 성당. 이탈리아의 성당들은 환하고 예쁘고 아기자기한 느낌이 있는 반면 이 성당은 너무 어두워서 들어가기가 무서울 정도. 들어가자마자 고해성사를 해야할것만 같은 분위기.
One of my favorite shops in Edinburgh was this little one called Old Town Context. They have everything I like: clocks, globes, stationary, posters (oh the posters), cards, postcards, stamps, lamps, mugs and other strange bits and pieces. Their cards and posters are hilarious and they do make a lot of people stop their tracks for a good laugh. Like the couple below. And they also have an online shop.
길가다가 눈에 띈 한 가게 Old Town Context. 내가 좋아하는 아이템으로 가득. 예를 들면, 벽시계, 지구본, 편지지, 카드, 사진, 포스터, 엽서, 우표, 머그 등. 지나가는 사람들 하나같이 앞에 서서 구경하다가 들어가게 하는 마성이 있는 가게. 찾아보니 온라인 샵도 있었다.
One of the most famous souvenirs: the Harris Tweed. It’s a “cloth or fabric made from pure virgin wool and handwoven by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides,” an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The emphasis on “handwoven,” “islanders” and “at their homes.” It’s protected by the Harris Tweed Act of Parliament 1993, which outlines and controls the conditions in which the cloth is made. The famous trademark known as the Harris Tweed Orb mark is the oldest registered trademark in the United Kingdom. It was registered in 1909. And the popularity is still going strong.
The cloths were originally made for personal, home use or simply for the local market. Considering the colder climate up on the northern part of Scotland, it was an essential to keep warm and was also produced and traded for other goods, such as dry hides, goat and deer skins. The name Harris comes from one of the islands of Outer Hebrides. I found it interesting that the industry of the trademark is quite a complicated one, as it involves various groups and interests working together under it, including the Harris Tweed Authority, Harris Tweed mills, independent weavers, the Association of Harris Tweed Weavers and the Harris Tweed Industry Liaison Group. There’s also a quite sweet historical background on how the Harris Tweed became one of the most popular and sought after cloths in the world, captured in the video below.
우리나라에서도 유명한 Harris Tweed. 특정 지역, 즉 Outer Hebrides의 해리스 섬에서 만들어지고 손으로 직접 짠 천을 뜻하는데 스코틀랜드 어느 지역에서나 볼 수 있는 유명한 기념품이다. 전국에서 구입할 수 있지만 전통적으로 해리스 섬에 살고 있는 전문가들이 본인의 집에서 직접 만들어야 비로소 해리스 트위드다. 옷이나 머플러가 기본이지만 인형, 이불, 신발, 모자, 가방 등 다양한 방면에 사용. 해리스 트위드에 대한 사랑과 존경은 엄청나서 영국 왕실의 보호와 영국에서 가장 오래된 트레이드마크로 알려졌을 정도로 역사적으로 중요한 아이템.
Traditionally, the colors of the tweed were inspired from the landscapes, quite literally. The dyeing process included various plants found on the island, thus bringing out the true natural colors of the Scotland. The BBC documentary tells it all.
스코틀랜드의 색을 그대로 간직하고 있다고 알려진 트위드. 거기에는 그만한 이유가 있다. 염색의 과정에서 섬에 흩어져 있는 다양한 색의 식물들을 뜯어다가 함께 염색했기 때문이다.
All photos by rachelsanghee. June, 2014.