Edinburgh - A wee Scottish City

---

Well Edinburgh wasn’t in my original itinerary, but I thought it was a shame to head to the UK and only visit London. Now I’m glad I made the effort to squish in a few days. It’s a really interesting place. Many of the buildings in the Old Town area are constructed from sandstone, but they have discoloured over the years/centuries and, in conjunction with the weather (it was long-sleeve shirt and spray jacket weather for 2 of my 3 days), could easily result in a drab old city - but somehow it’s so much more. I guess the scene-steeling Edinburgh Castle helps a lot in that regard.

It just can’t be ignored - soaring above the city as it does - it’s just such an unusual sight in the centre of a vibrant city. I guess it’s a reasonably small city overall (I think the population is in the order of about 450,000 people), and I think that helps too. It’s quite compact, and as a result most of the attractions are easily accessible.

Anyway……. I certainly enjoyed wandering around, and it didn’t take that long to be able to walk from one place to the next without use of the city map. I took in the galleries (including the modern art gallery which was a little distance outside the town centre), the Museum of Scotland (which was quite impressive), AND the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre (I know, I know…….it may well be a tourist trap, but it was an essential for me).

I also walked up to Arthur’s Seat to see the city from a different perspective. The Queen was in town, and having a garden party at the time, so it was a little busy, as the walk provides a vantage point into the Palace of Holyroodhouse (the Queen’s residence in Scotland).

So on an enjoyment scale from 1 to 10, where 1 equates to Haggis, and 10 equates to Scotch Whisky, I would rate my experience here as an 8.

Paris next!

---

Photos

Edinburgh Castle
It's quite a sight in the middle of the city!

Edinburgh Castle II
I couldn't resist a few shots of the castle

View from Calton Hill
Note the lovely weather

Arthur's Seat
It's the wee sloped mound in the background

Betty's Garden Party
I may not have received an invitation, but did manage a glimpse into the Palace at Holyroodhouse from Arthur's Seat (oh....and of course it rained)

The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre
Mmmmmmm.......scotch!

The Bute Mazer
A drinking vessel made for an old relo (King Robert The Bruce) in 1314

Comments

[Ash]

I can vouch for the fact that the fresh air from a walk up Arthur's Seat is the best hang over cure after a couple of bottles of good Scottish Whiskey!