What a place is Edinburgh is, it may be the capital
of Scotland but it is full of people from all over the world. A perfect example
of this is Edinburgh University where only 40 percent
of the students are native to this land. Edinburgh is the American tourist's dream,
it has castles and dungeons and traditional pubs and monuments and tales from hundreds
of years ago. It also has expensive souvenir shops, restaurants, art galleries and
hotels. There are a great many clubs in Edinburgh including the Cavendish which I have
had the (mis)fortune to visit in my time! Edinburgh is famous for its festival in the summer,
and its Hogmany bash at the New Year. It is a very scenic place, much more so than Glasgow,
but it can be absolutely freezing cold!
Around AD 600 Edinburgh Castle is said to have been founded.
Built on a volcanic neck, the solid core of an ancient volcano, the castle was one
of the best protected in Scotland during the wars of independance. Yet is has been
beseiged many times, held by the English and nearly demolished on more than one instance.
It was here that the King of Scotland sat, and it was here that Mary, Queen of Scots
gave birth to James VI of Scotland, who united the crowns of Scotland and England in
1603. One million people visit the Castle every year, make sure you are one of them!
Princes Street is of course the main street of Edinburgh.
It was built as part of the New Town arrangement starting in 1759 when the North Loch
at the site of the current Waverley Station was drained. A new Edinburgh had to be
built as conditions in the old town around the Royal Mile were dire. Although Princes
Street is the main street today, it was George Street which was designed to be the
hub. In the distance you can see the monument that gives Edinburgh one of its many
nicknames; the Athens of the North.
It is said that Princes Street is the most
beautiful street in Europe, with its cultivated gardens, views of the Castle and
of the Old Town.
During March 2002 my flatmates in Glasgow and myself
all came to Edinburgh for a weekend during which (amongst other things) we climbed
Arthur's Seat, a long extinct volcano in the city. This is the view over Salisbury
Crags to the castle and Princes Street taken during the climb.
This is a view towards the Scott Monument, built
in memory of Sir Walter Scott. You can climb the narrow steps inside to the observation
deck at the top, for a not very student-friendly fee.
Mons Meg is in Edinburgh Castle, a 6 tonne battle cannon
presented to King James II in 1457 and used against the English to good avail. The
weighty projectiles were often found up to two miles away. It
was last fired in salute in 1558 when the barrel burst.
Another shot of Princes Street Gardens, this time
looking up towards the National Gallery of Scotland, the Castle and the Old Town.
Looking down from George Street to the National Gallery,
and to the Old Town. From here, the Old Town appears to be all piled up on top of
itself.
Jenners is an Edinburgh institution, it is to
Edinburgh what Harrods is to London. Be prepared to part with some readdies if you
want to buy much in here.
The mighty rail bridge from Edinburgh to the north was built around 1890, and is
of the unusual cantilever design; extremely strong but very expensive. It is a symbol
of Scottish engineering and well-known around the world.
The Firth of Forth is also crossed by a suspension road bridge alongside the rail bridge.
The Forth Road Bridge was opened in 1964 and is now having problems due to the excessive weight
of traffic crossing it daily. A third Forth crossing is being investigated.
