Edinburgh is a bustling place yet it still retains much of its historic charm. Many of the churches, cobblestone streets and old buildings have been very well preserved and restored. One interesting thing we noted was that many churches and historic buildings had been repurposed for commercial enterprise and we're now restaurants, meeting halls and storefronts. Below, we ate lunch in an old chapel.
We also toured the Edinburgh Castle, which was built in the 12th century though many of the buildings that still exist today date from the 16th century on. Perched high up on an abutment, the castle is surrounded by steep cliffs on 3 sides with a river below. Hard to believe that the castle could've been besieged by an enemy. Today the castle houses many history and military museums.
Above, a photo of the castle I borrowed from every castle.com and below, a connection of armor and weapons at the castle.
Below, the view from the castle would've given the army plenty of warning as to approaching enemies with a clear view of the surrounding land and sea.
Many historic buildings make up the skyline of Edinburgh's Old City. Below, a church and monument in the distance.
The old church below has been repurposed as a conference center. This was long the main shopping and tourist street below that lead up to the castle entrance. We tried fudge and most importantly got wool scarves bearing the MacFarlane clan plaid. Glad we opted not to get kilts...
Scotland was a blast and when people ask me the impossible question of what my favorite place or experience was, I rank Scotland right up there with any other place.
Below, always on the lookout for a microbrewery, we obviously found one in St Andrews. Cheers to next time!
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