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Re: Sinclairs in "Sinclair Land"



Steve,
    Your suggestion to Sally to visit Edinburgh's "underground city"
is a good one; it is a "must see" for visitors to the capital city.  I
would emphasize, however, that tourists do not necessarily have to
make arrangements through a city councilmen in order to tour the
underground city.
     Mercat Tours offers daily tours of the underground city of Mary
King's Close and the vaults beneath the South Bridge.  Tours start at
the Mercat Cross near St. Giles on the Royal Mile.  Tours are
conducted daily, but  times for the several daily tours that are
conducted vary by season.  Mercat Tours' telephone/fax number is 0131
557 6464.  Mercat Tours will soon have a new web site at
www.MercatTours.com.  Tour guides are claimed to be university trained
historians, and prospective tourists are forewarned that these tour
guides have a "flair for dramatic presentation," particularly when
guiding you through the maze of dark, damp--and some say, haunted,
underground passageways and vaults. Tours are only 5 pounds per
person.  I highly recommend the Mercat guided tours if you have the
time and interest in visiting the hidden realm of Edinburgh's ancient,
plague infested city.
    Largely responsible for giving the portion of Edinburgh's
underground city called "Mary King's Close" a ghostly reputation,  was
Glasgow University Professor, George Sinclair who in 1645 authored the
book "Satan's Invisible World."  The book is a compendium of grisly
tales of supernatural happenings in Edinburgh, including the evil
Thomas Weir of West Bow, devil worshipping witches and the ghostly
apparitions of Mary King's Close. It is said that George Sinclair's
purpose for writing the book was to scare people.  While the
historical accuracy of "Satan's Invisible World" is questionable, it
is a fine example of scaremongering and how legends are made. Given
its author, the book, or a reprint, would be a worthy addition to the
library at Noss Head.

WLG

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve St. Clair" <steve@planetcentral.com>
To: <sinclair@quarterman.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2002 7:17 PM
Subject: Sinclairs in "Sinclair Land"


Sally,

If you're in Edinburgh, you should talk to me about seeing the
underground city. It's not on
any of the tourist maps, and it's a fascinating part of the city's

[ Excess quotations omitted. ]