Edinburgh
Our last trip to Scotland, and we pretty much avoided the cities, except to zip in and see the castle - we didn't leave enough time at the end of the trip to spend any time in the city. This time around, we decided to spend a couple of days in Edinburgh -- I am so glad we did! Edinburgh is an absolutely fabulous city, and we could easily have spent a week or more in the city.
"the hub" - the center of the Edinburgh festival scene
Medieval City to Modern Hub
There has been a settlement here since the Bronze Age, with a fortress on the formidable crag of volcanic stone (where the current Edinburgh Castle overlooks the rest of the city) since the Iron Age. The Romans arrived to find a thriving celtic culture here and the city has grown ever since.
We spent most of our time in "old" Edinburgh, only venturing a few shorts walks in New Town -- the carefully planned 18th century city full of stately georgian houses and apartment blocks. I'm far more interested in the medieval roots of the old town -- the tenements around the Royal Mile, the closes and wynds that snake down the sides of the huge hill to Prince's Street below, the underground vaults beneath the bridges. There are remains of buildings here from the 17th century (Gladstone's Land is one to visit) and a long trail of churches from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Abbey, down the Royal Mile.
| Royal Mile | Gladstone's Land |
| Prince's Street | Scott Monument |
| Scotch Whisky Experience | The Witchery |
| Edinburgh Castle |
In addition, the Edinburgh Museum (free!) is fabulous afternoon -- the iron age pieces alone are worth the visit.