Remembering Edinburgh… city of mysteries, legends and medieval architecture

Scotland, is seen in the thoughts of many as the country of mysteries, witches burnt at the stake, legends, dark corners and medieval architecture. We love the Scottish, their accent, landscape, history, heritage, famous Scotch whisky and tartans...

So, to close these “remembering” posts, I have chosen to honour Edinburgh, a UNESCO World Heritage Ste since 1995. It is the second most visited UK city after London. In my view, it is an excellent destination for a cultural holiday and five days should be ample time to see everything.

A couple of years back I stayed in Edinburgh in March.  The weather was cool and sunny, with occasional cloud. I visited some stunning places, walked through the city and parks and enjoyed the soul of this charming city.

I have put together a selection of photos, taken with my old compact camera, and will tell you a little bit about the places I visited. I hope you really enjoy the tour!

To start with, Edinburgh is divided into the Old Town and the New Town. The Royal Mile is the most famous and busiest street of the city. It runs for about 2 km and entertains us with curious narrow alleys, souvenir shops, hotels and pubs, with Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace standing at each end. The main streets forming the Royal Mile are Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street and Canongate.

View looking at the Royal Mile

The inside of St Giles’s Cathedral offers beautiful stained glass windows and the famous Thistle chapel. The funerals of important Scottish personalities are held there.

The statue of one of the world’s greatest philosophers, David Hume (1711-1776)

Fun attraction, isn’t he sexy in his kilt?

Gorgeous pubs where you can drink a good pint of beer or a “wee dram” of Scotch whisky, in a very warm and eclectic ambiance…

Edinburgh Streets

Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress located at the top of the Royal Mile on an extinct volcano at the summit of Castle Rock.

Edinburgh Castle Gatehouse

The views from the Mons Meg siege gun....and Foog’s Gate

Holyrood Palace is located at the bottom of the Royal Mile. The Palace is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. It is also setting for state occasions and official entertaining.

Holyrood Palace

Forecourt fountain of Holyrood Palace

I loved the ruined nave of Holyrood Abbey, a romantic and mysterious place

 

In the gardens of Holyrood Palace

The Royal Yacht Britannia is where we discover what life was like on board the Queen's floating royal residence. This beautiful boat tour is very interesting and well documented with audio guides. It takes two hours to see everything.

Mary King’s Close is located on one of the Royal Mile’s alleys. Mary King’s Close offers a tour of the underground world of the 15^th and 16^th centuries. It is not a frightening place, but sometimes we feel uncomfortable because of the sinister true stories about people who died there. (I took no pictures there).

Scotch Whisky Experience, we visited this virtual whisky distillery where they explained the manufacturing process. It also offers the possibility of tasting before the end of the visit.

Nice bottles of whisky

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a scientific centre for the study of plants and one of the world’s largest plant collections.

North Bridge

The Scott Monument and Gardens