Our little expedition went to Edinburgh a few days before the match with the aim of, in the vernacular, to walk around a bit and feel the spirit of the city. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, which is deservedly nicknamed the Athens of the North. The city is beautiful and everything in it exudes the spirit of old Scotland. When you come to Edinburgh, you literally don’t know where you will go first, from good pubs that invite you to good beer and traditional Scottish haggis, to visiting the sights of the old town.
Landing at the airport in Edinburgh after a couple of hours of flight, we quickly went through passport control and headed to Hotel Britannia. Personally, I found it interesting that while buying a bus ticket, the popular double-decker driver informs us that he does not return the change, so we are forced to pay for the bus ticket with a credit card. The express bus from the airport to the center stops at only a few stops and very quickly we arrive in the center where the Britannia Hotel is located. Hotels have raised their prices because the 6 Nations tournament is being played and they are outrageously expensive at that time of year because they know they will be full because of the games. If we paid for the flight through Ryanair cheaply, the hotel “scraped” us a little, in the popular saying. I think that we in Serbia have much better hotels than this one and similar ones that I saw in Edinburgh, but unfortunately we always think that everything here is worse than in the world, so we underestimate everything. We quickly finished checking in at the hotel, left our bags and headed to our next destination, which is the famous Guilford Arms pub located near our hotel because we were thirsty after a long journey.
We decided to go around Edinburgh tomorrow before the game, and we also want to feel the spirit of the local pubs that are being lived to the fullest before tomorrow’s match. Local pubs were packed to capacity with Welsh fans who came to Edinburgh in large numbers, but also with local Scots who traditionally went out for a beer on a Friday night. Of course the main topic in all pubs is rugby and the Scotland-Wales match. The pubs are decorated with the flags of the countries that play the 6 Nations, and beer is poured in large quantities. One part of our expedition is already in the Guilford Arms, while the other part and my childhood are just coming to this legendary pub.
The Guildford Arms is an old pub from 1895 and is still owned by an old Scottish family. The pub is Victorian in style and has a large bar and beautiful chandeliers while the floors are decorated with carpet which is a must in all pubs on the island. We arrive at the pub and order a Mrafis Black Stout which is brewed in Cork, Ireland and which isn’t cheap at all, £5.50 a pint. pubs are extremely pleasant and in most cases they are rugby fans. Of course the atmosphere is great and the Welsh people don’t stop singing their songs throughout the evening, and we get to know other guests and spend time chatting with them.
Everyone asks us where we are from and they are a little surprised that we came to the game and that rugby is played in our country, which they listen to with enthusiasm. An older gentleman tells me that he thought we were a soccer country because we have a lot of good soccer players, but now he learns from me that we can also play rugby. Scots and Welsh know very little about Serbia and us Serbs. If they know anything, it’s that we have good players in football and that Novak Djokovic is from Serbia. A nice evening spent with a nice rugby meeting with the other guests ends late at night with a dinner in the mentioned pub and returning to the hotel for a well-deserved rest, because tomorrow we have a long and tiring day ahead of us.
Saturday is the day of the game and we get up early to get everything we planned on the day of the game. When we are in Scotland and beautiful Edinburgh we have to try the Scottish traditional breakfast which is the same as the English one. The only difference is in the name. We go to the Haymarket pub which is close to our hotel and order breakfast. I must say that at first glance the breakfast looks smaller, but when you finish it, you realize that it is quite acceptable for us Serbs, because we are always hungry, so the size of the portion is the main criterion. All kidding aside, after breakfast we head to Herioters school which is in the center. Surely all of you who follow rugby know the story of our Herioters who in 1914 as children war orphans by our government sent to study in Scotland where they finish school and discover the sport of rugby which they bring in 1918 in Serbia. The school has a beautiful appearance and is now private. It is possible to visit the school if you write or send them an email and ask them to visit the school where the Serbian Herioters studied and studied. At the door of the school, a guard is waiting for us, who, when we said who we are, informed us that he was waiting for us and welcomed us.
I have to mention that the school looks like a small castle and while we are waiting for admission, the school director comes to say hello to us and tells us that she is happy that people from Serbia know about their school and that she hopes that we will like the school. We are waiting for Mr. Sim Fraser, the school’s archivist, with coffee and tea, a little surprised by such a warm welcome. We did not wait long, Mr. Sim came and introduced himself to us with a smile, welcoming us.
We are going on a tour of the school. All around us, children in uniforms preparing for the start of classes. Mr. Sim tells us that the school is very proud of the Serbian Herioters and that it preserves their memory. We go out into the school lobby and Mr. Sim shows us the places where the students used to line up before classes started. We are standing in the places where our Herioters stood 100 years ago. We literally got goosebumps. Mr. Sim tells us about the history of the school and how the school once functioned, and how it functions now in these modern times to which it has had to adapt. We learn that apart from the fact that it is private, nothing else has changed. Children at school are educated and wear the same ties as our Herioters did 100 years ago. Of course rugby is still played at school which brings a smile to our faces. The school is large with large halls and classrooms. I think it is beautiful to study in a school like this, and Mr. Sim leads us to the hall where there is a plaque in honor of the Serbian Herioters. The Scots are very proud of the Serbian Herioters.
Mr. Sim brings us the school archive with photos, testimonials, letters from our Herioters. Mr. Sim is a real encyclopedia and asks us if there is anyone from Šabac, Leskovac because he knows that some of the Herioters were natives of those towns. I hold in my hands the 100-year-old photographs of our Herioters and read their letters, looking at their testimonies. They were all excellent students. Fascinating. Mr. Sim looks at us and says that when he sees us, he understands why Toma Tomić, the most famous Herioter, was big because he says you Serbs are tall and big people, which makes us smile and proud. We spend time with Mr. Sim talking about rugby, Serbia and other topics, but due to lack of time we have to move on because the game starts at 5:00 p.m., and we have to have lunch and go around the city. We thank Mr Sim and Heriots School for their hospitality and hope to visit again. Goodbye Serbs, enjoy the rugby on parting, says Mr. Sim, and we leave the school full of impressions with a smile on our face.
Let’s go on a tour of the city, which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. I have been to Vienna, Prague, Krakow, Brussels, Budapest, Rome and other cities, but Edinburgh is beautiful and exudes the beauty and spirit of old times. We start from Victoria Street, where the old Harry Potter movie was filmed, to Holyrood Palace, where the royal family stays when they visit Edinburgh. It is possible to visit the palace and the ticket is not cheap at £15. After the visit to the palace, we walk along the Royal Mail Street to the main and largest fortress in Edinburgh, which we also visit along with the cathedral. The tour of the cathedral is free while the tour of the fort is paid, but it is worth a visit because it is beautiful and contains the whole history of Scotland.
We enter the stadium and go to the fan zone to watch Ireland-France on the huge monitor. Stadium tickets are no longer paper-based and available on mobile in the Scottish Rugby Union app. We are a little sad because paper is paper and a memory of the game. The modern era and modern times bring new changes. The Ireland-France match has started and a crowd of Scots are watching it on the monitor with beers in hand. I get the impression that most people support the Irish. We buy a match program for £5 that looks like a book and stand in line for a beer and a sausage. There are huge queues for drinks and food which we buy and go to watch the Ireland-France game.
The Irish beat the French in a great game, and we leave to await the arrival of the Scottish players. A crowd of people has gathered, and the bus arrives exactly on time as written. The players got off the bus to place their jerseys at the memorial to the recently deceased Scotland player Doddy Ware and continued towards the stadium on foot to a standing ovation as a band of Scottish bagpipes marched in front of them playing traditional Scottish songs. The players pass within a meter of us, and I notice Russell, Hogg and the other stars of the Scottish team.
It’s a great feeling to see the players of the Scotland team so close as the Scots chant their names and shout loudly Scotland, Scotland. The players enter the stadium and we head to the nearby souvenir shop to buy something as a souvenir. The souvenir shop is very crowded and we decide to visit it after the game.
We enter the stadium and comment that it will be sold out, with 70,000 people in the stands. because for matches when the national team plays, a higher ticket is always required. All tickets are sold out immediately through the clubs. Most Scots watch the game in pubs and at home.
The players go out for training before the game, and we listen to the announcer who says loud and clear that we are welcome to the temple of Scottish rugby BT Murrayfield Stadium. We are watching the preparation for the match between the Scots and the Welsh with a beer. We are sitting in the first row of the stadium and in front of us is a perfectly arranged grass field.
The match starts right on time, and before the match traditionally members of the royal family meet the players accompanied by the captains of both teams. The chanting of the anthem is something very special where both anthems are sung by the entire stadium. With the sounds of bagpipes, the anthem of Scotland sounds fascinating.
The match starts without any delay, and we start to enjoy the rugby, the main reason for our arrival in beautiful Edinburgh. Personally, I’m a big Scotland fan, but I also love Wales. The stadium is filled to capacity, and next to me sits an elderly gentleman in a kilt who asks me where I’m from after seeing my flag. When he heard that I’m from Serbia, he says that it’s great that I came to Edinburgh for rugby and asks me who I support? When he heard that I was cheering for Scotland, he patted me on the shoulder and with a smile offered me whiskey from a small flask. Of course I didn’t refuse.
A great game where a lot of essays fall just a few meters from us. Murrayfield is a great stadium. Of course it’s not a newer stadium like the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, but Murrayfield just because it’s older has its own swagger and corpse and you can see the game better on it. The Welsh have big problems in their team and the Scots dominate in the second half to win the game. Simply the Scots played with heart and won the game. The Scots rarely lose at home. I must mention that Maryfield Rugby Stadium is owned by Scottish Rugby federation and that only national team matches are played on it.
Next to Maryfield, another smaller stadium was built where the local club Edinburgh plays, but back to the game. The Scots played disciplined and combative. The scrum played brilliantly led by the experienced Richie Gray. The Scottish line is playing brilliantly even without Stuart Hogg, who was injured at the start of the game and was replaced. Finn Russell up to the task. When Finn is fit to play the Scots win for sure.
A great victory for the Scots and a standing ovation from the crowd. The Scots won the Doddy Ware Cup which will be awarded to the winner of the Scotland-Wales game in future. The players go around the whole circle in the stadium followed by a standing ovation. Magnificent atmosphere and grace to see. We slowly leave the stadium buying a few souvenirs from the match shop and head to the Arkadi Bar Restaurant where they have the best haggis in Edinburgh. Haggis are minced sheep’s offal, with mashed potatoes and carrots as a side. We thought we wouldn’t like it, but with the whiskey sauce in which the haggis is served at Arkadi Bar, we change our minds and are literally blown away by the taste. Edinburgh is occupied after the game when 70,000 people from the stadium occupy restaurants and pubs, literally without a reservation you will never enter a restaurant or pub.
We are delighted with the haggis and the young Polish women who served us in the restaurant with Guinness, we continue to celebrate the victory with the Scots and visit a few more beautiful places where there is live music and where the only talk is about the game and the victory of the Scots. Unfortunately, we fly home early, so we can’t really stay until the morning celebrating the victory of the Scots, and we are slowly getting tired, so we return to the hotel around midnight to rest.
We get up early and our flight home is waiting for us. We leave for the airport full of impressions. A short trip to Edinburgh will remain in our memories, and we will be waiting with you for the final round when the Scots play the Italians.
Goodbye to beautiful Edinburgh and the great Scots. Goodbye Herioters. We hope to see you again, and until then, long live the spirit of William Wallis and may the Scots keep winning. The Scots are so far from Serbia, and they get along so well with us Serbs that we felt at home. Perhaps because we have a similar history and understand each other in that way since Herrioters in 1914, we are bound by a friendship that I hope will continue.
Author: Dragan Petrović
