The Heart of Midlothian is a heart-shaped mosaic built into the pavement on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, not far from the Parliament House. Together with brass markers set into the pavement, it records the position of the 15th-century Tolbooth of Edinburgh, demolished in 1817, which was the administrative centre of the town, prison and one of several sites of public execution.
Some people spit on the Heart for good luck. One popular legend says that by spitting on the heart, one is destined to one day return to Edinburgh. Another legend states that it is bad luck to walk directly across the heart; those that do will apparently never find true love. I read somewhere else that, apparently, during the plague one of the symptoms was a dry mouth, so if you could spit, it showed that you were okay and therefore lucky. After another American we had been talking to told Bean about spitting on the heart though – she spit well and good right in the center of the heart. So, she definitely does not have the plague and she may be destined to return to Edinburgh in the future.
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