Edinburgh The Heart of Scotland

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The Royal Mile, One of Edinburgh most famous streets

I am totally blessed by the fact that I visited Edinburgh, cause it has one of the most beautiful surroundings ever. Mountains, lakes, cliffs, beaches, Edinburgh has it all besides the stunning architecture. It is Scotland’s capital, and it has such a vibrant life, filled with bars, clubs and of course, traditional Scottish pubs with beer and whiskey.

Royal Mile

A bit of history now, the castle of Edinburgh itself was the residence of Scottish kings since the late 11th century, passing through many ferocious battles for centuries and remained a national symbol under English rule after the Acts of Union from in 1707. The disputes between Catholics and Protestants dominated Edinburgh, and the terror regime started in 1650 by Oliver Cromwell which had shaken the whole city.

Firstly I start with the history of the city. Edinburgh flourished between the 18th and the 19th century, the period was called ” The Golden Age of Culture and Commerce”. It was that time when technically a new city appeared. The rigorous symmetric Georgian architecture of that part of the city with its parks filled with monumental decorations is in stark contrast with the idyllic and old town.

For me Royal Mile is a very lovely place. It starts from the castle and includes streets like Castle Hill, Lawnmarket, High Street and Canongate, thus being the vertebral column of the city.  These streets also unite the castle with the Palace of Holyroodhouse and along the way there are many interesting places.

For Whiskey lovers like myself, the Scotch Whisky Heritage Center is worth a visit, you can learn more about a variety of whiskys and the history of its distillation. The Writers Museum is also an important place especially for those who are into literature or poetry, it guards many important poems and writings of Stephenson, Scott and Burns. The St Giles Cathedral is also situated here, and I loved so much its architecture with a unique bell tower it is surely a place you do not want to miss.

Edinburgh view of the castle and the whole city @Chris Combe/flickr

Near the end of Royal Mile you can find Huntly House, which is nowadays a musem.

The Palace of Holyrood which is at the end of Royal Mile was built in Renaissance style, is nowadays the official Scottish residence for the Queen of United Kingdom.

The Bagpipe Festival

What I think makes Royal Mile so attractive for tourists are the bagpipers. It’s the time when the whole world is very agitated and for me it was a big honor to see that live. Kilt vendors, colorful stores, people from all around the world and also the bars and cafes are full which makes the whole feeling just completely crazy.

The festival takes place between the middle of August and September and it is one of the biggest cultural events in the world. The attraction point is the venerable Military Tattoo where the Last Post song is being played with bagpipes, thus begins the international festival. Since I always respect traditions, I really enjoyed the whole festival because of its vibe and beauty.

Recently the festival also changed the culinary scene, since at universities or at ports technically you can eat much better than in most parts of the United Kingdom.  The clubs for me are extremely amazing, the atmosphere of the pubs is so warm hearted and welcoming, a proof of Scottish hospitality and traditional respect.

The best season for visiting Edinburgh is from late spring to fall.  The national dish of Scotland is Haggis, it is a  is a savory pudding containing sheep’s pluck minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt. There are many cheap and affordable hotels and hostels in Edinburgh but those who want a high class hotel should go to Hotel Balmoral, which is an emblem of the city with Victorian atmosphere.

Haggis

If you want to visit Scotland, choose now cheap flights to this amazing place called Edinburgh.

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