Edinburgh, Scotland

During the last few days of summer 2013 we were able to finally visit Edinburgh on the northeast coast of Scotland.  We were happy to visit during some cool, crisp days but with lots of sunshine.  Edinburgh was celebrating the last days of its annual month long Festival of Fringe.  They converted an old church in the city center into a live music stage where every hour a new artist or band performed. Whenever we needed a break from sightseeing or the cool weather, we ventured into this venue for a beer and some good tunes.

We took advantage of the many tours available including a walking tour of the city and a pub crawl, as well as the popular castle tour.  We were easily the oldest on the pub crawl (no surprise) but enjoyed the whisky more than the kids.  On the walking tour, we visited the cemetery where J.K. Rowling used names she found on gravestones for her characters in the Harry Potter series. The coffee shop where she wrote the first book was nearby.

This town has so much history but what was surprising is how many young people live and work here. There is also a very healthy music scene - live music was available everywhere.  Our trip to Edinburgh was easily one of the highlights of our 4 years in Europe.

A view of the castle from the city below.



This is the Royal Mile - main street of Edinburgh.



The Castle appears to grow straight out of the rock wall.



One of the older streets below the castle with plenty of pubs.



If you are a Harry Potter fan, you would recognize this name found in the local cemetery.

A view of the upper and lower levels and architecture of the city.

An interesting corner building with a great name:  Miss Katie Cupcake.

A view from atop the castle looking east to the Firth of Forth in the North Sea.

Another beautiful display of flowers on a pub wall.

A couple of American tourists with New Town on the left, and Old Town on the right.

The old church converted into a music venue for the Festival Fringe.

Another view from the castle.

Check out the size of this fireplace compared to the body armor.

...and another view from the castle.

This is Historic Dean Village, an old grain milling center dating from the 12th century.

Another scene in Dean Village.

On our last night in Edinburgh, we were lucky to experience their annual Fringe-closing fireworks display shooting out from the castle.