Edinburgh
Along with being the capital of Scotland Edinburgh is a protected UNESCO world heritage site… not to mention one of the most spectacular cities in the world. Some places are beautiful due to their bright, airy nature – like expanses of clear sandy beach for example – while others are beautiful in a dark, brooding, interesting way… like a thick forest or the windswept hills of Ireland’s west coast. This is exactly where Edinburgh’s immense beauty lies; the Gothic feel the city exudes with its narrow winding streets and tall, thin buildings – and of course the famous castle looking down on it all like a sentinel.
The welcome you will receive from the city though is as warm and bright, if not much more so, as anywhere else in the world. The city is rife with warm pubs full of great food and drink, and strolling down the cobbled alleyways wrapped up against the winter cold it’s easy to think you’ve stepped back in time. Not that Edinburgh is solely a winter destination… far from it; the Edinburgh Festival spans three weeks in late summer and during that time the population doubles - with revellers flocking from across the globe to join in the fun. There is also a laundry list of other events spanning both the summer and winter months, like the exciting Hogmany at New Years, or for the more high brow among us, the Science Festival attracts throngs of visitors for two weeks in Spring.
The City’s history is rich, varied and fascinating - and today there is multiple ways to explore it in interactive and exciting ways. There were very bright periods such as the enlightenment era when Edinburgh’s scientific prowess earned it the title ‘The Athens of the North’; or far darker periods such as the latter days of the Edinburgh Vaults. These vaults are an expansive network of catacombs that wind their way underneath the city, they were originally built in the 18th century to house taverns and tradesman’s shops but as the damp increased and living conditions deteriorated they moved out… and the city’s very poorest inhabitants were left to make their homes there. God only knows what kind of things went on down their over the years but the Edinburgh Ghost Tour will gladly bring you down and scare the bejaysus out of you.
Edinburgh is a gothic, ghoulish, gem that once discovered wont soon be forgotten; there is so much to do and see that a week will happily fly by, and whether it’s a week of revelry or a week of cultural exploration you’re in the market for this is the place for you.
