British Isles #14: Edinburgh

We were in Edinburgh, Scotland for two days and nights and it quickly became one of my favorite cities. We stayed in the old town just a block off of the Royal Mile. The old town is just teeming with sooty Victorian buildings and tiny wynds (alleys between buildings - or snickelways). That and the constant fog and mists lent a creepy & ancient feeling to the town which I adored. Throw in some Medieval Gothic architecture, some ghost stories, good pubs and cobbled lanes: perfection.

In Edinburgh we did a lot of roaming, down this wynd and up this staircase, into this little shop and that dark pub. But we also visited some of the main attractions, the most well known being Edinburgh Castle way up on castle rock. We toured the spooky underground vaults, walked through Greyfriar's Kirkyard, visited St. Gile's Cathedral, & had a spot of tea. I'll delve into many of these a bit further in subsequent posts or else this one would just be to the brim with photos. At the bottom of the post is some quick information about our stay in Edinburgh.

I think that is the spire of St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral through the mists.

Edinburgh Castle & castle rock above the Victorian row houses.



Scott's Monument - a Victorian neo-Gothic edifice to honor Sir Walter Scott.
Largest Monument erected for a write in the world! One can climb stairs to the top, though we did not because of the fog.



Lovely bunting down pedestrian Rose Street





Interior of St. Giles' Cathedral



Hotel: Ibis Royal Mile

Favorite Pub: Bannerman's on Cowgate/Niddry Street

Favorite Shop: Canongate Crafts - on the Royal Mile. Everything in here is made in Scotland, mostly art or crafts, but also some books and appearal (tweed, wool). Could have spent hours in this tiny place. Blue shop front says "Crafts, Celtic, Knitwear."