This is a recount of my venture into the Land of the Scotts. Sometimes I get the feeling that it was meant to be... I travelled to Scotland as I had an issue in Sweden with my visa and the migration board would not consider my application fully unless I was out of the Country. As Australia was a long way away however the board in Sweden were understanding when I politely convinced them not to make me go all the way back; hence the trip to the UK, funnily enough my family was originally from Scotland and after 6 months in Sweden I actually felt like I was going home.
I stayed in a pod Hostel called 'Code' on Rose street which runs parallel to George Street in the new town and is a short 15 minute walk to the heart of the old town (the Royal Mile). I stayed there for a week, the Staff were very friendly and hospitable plus I made some great friends whilst I was there.
This gave me a chance to see what Edinburgh had to offer and also tour some of the Scottish Highlands, Edinburgh feels like an old city and some of the tourist attractions such as the Mary Kings Close delve into this steeped history. By following some of the stories around the cities main streets and the historical developments of the town centre its easy to understand why there are so many novels and movies with storylines based on this place.
The Castle hill has always been a place of power and the city was built around it due to its natural advantage given to it by the terrain for being a stronghold; You can see the castle from most parts of the city. The only times the castle had been defeated in siege were due to running out of supplies or the water supply being cut off and therefore the personnel in the castle were forced to leave.
Edinburgh Castle is home to the oldest standing buildings in the city with the oldest being St Margaret's Chapel, built in the 12th Century by king David the first, it is still used today for intimate weddings mostly by military personnel who still work within the castle walls.
St Margaret's Chapel with Arthurs Seat in the Background
It is thought that Scotland was the inspiration for some of the ideas behind the 'Game of Thrones' series of novels by George R.R. Martin with the idea that the highlands are the north and 'beyond the wall' as well as the many clans of Scotland which fought during the last few ages. The idea for the 'Red Wedding' was believed to be inspired by the Black Dinner hosted within the castle and led to the slaughter of significant noblemen of the Douglas Clan after the head of a black bull was served symbolising that death was about to follow according to Scottish legend.
View overlooking the New Town from Edinburgh Castle
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Other significant places in Edinburgh include the Greyfriar's Graveyard whereby the names for many characters in Harry Potter were thought to have been inspired. This Graveyard is next to the private school thought to be the inspiration to Hogwarts. Its easy to see why with the dramatic architecture and four main houses within the school grounds.
George Heriot's Private School - Inspiration for Hogwarts
Thomas Riddell's gravestone
In the movie Cloud Atlas Sixsmith walks down towards the Scott Monument in one of the final scenes to a beautiful view. Robert Frobisher narrates the scene with a paragraph from a letter at this point in the movie
"Sixsmith. I climb the steps of the Scot monument every morning and all becomes clear. Wish I could make you see this brightness. Don't worry, all is well. All is so perfectly, damnably well. I understand now that boundaries between noise and sound are conventions..."
Scene from Cloud Atlas
"...All boundaries are conventions, waiting to be transcended. One may transcend any convention if only one can first conceive of doing so. Moments like this, I can feel your heart beating as clearly as I feel my own, and I know that separation is an illusion. My life extends far beyond the limitations of me."
The architecture in Edinburgh ranged from the classic and dark of the Old Town to the Contemporary and modern of the New Town, The Royal Bank of Scotland has many of the grandest buildings in the city as well as some newer buildings as shown below.
Edinburgh is an incredible city and Scotland a beautiful part of the world - I'll be sure to share my experiences of the Scottish Highlands in another post, this was an incredible experience to see all the places that were inspiration for the stories I loved during my childhood. Definitely a place to see if you haven't been yet, steeped in history. So tell me, do you prefer older cities with some character or the sleek new cities full of modern buildings? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
If you liked this adventure and want to see a bit more, why not visit my instagram
Nice post
Thank you @pravinsuthar
We learn a lot from travelling, I hope you learnt something great.
I sure did, I learnt to make the most of when you only have a short time in a country thar you have never been to before. Something I have pushed every single trip since! Thank you @bestgift
Superb Clicks!! Your post is awesum!!
Thank you @dhimanyog
Wow! Im very much impressed at your post @nikonmarshall im an Architect and so im really excited to see wonderful pieces of architecture on your post. Thanks for sharing. Hope to see more.
Thanks @funtraveller, great to hear it and I'll be sure to keep that in mind - I actually started my studies in architecture for two years and have always loved the idea of the profession, I'd love to see some of your work too!
Great post and amazing photos! Would love to go there soon. I’m in England at the moment so hopefully not too much longer 😊👍
Thank you @karliesadventure it's not far and I highly reccomend going to see the city if you have the chance, it is full of wonderful character and characters! All the best.
Very good work! As a photographer i can say that You are talented!
Thank you very much @fotomindo your pictures are incredible too, very good studio work! Keep it up.
Thank You!
Wow! Very nice photography, especially the overview looking from new town.
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https://steemit.com/blog/@steem111/5-popular-places-to-visit-during-this-winter-europe
Thanks
Thank you and nice post yourself @steem111, look forward to seeing where your adventures take you.
Sure, Thank you
very nice
Thank you @live-with-love
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Edinburgh is really beautiful and worth going in the summer. I have alwayss wanted to stay in a pod hotel, so it's good to know there is one in Edinburgh!
Thank you @peterveronika it is absolutely beautiful! I highly recommend Code it's great having the hostel atmosphere with your own personal space, a brilliant concept.
Thank you for the suggestion, sounds great, I will have a look at it!
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Thank you @travelchain I would be more than happy to help you out, feel free to reach out on here or contact me on my instagram profile
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I love your photos! I love the history. It looks like it was a wonderful trip. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you @freedompoint, it was a great experience - not used to seeing so much history all in one place, highly reccomend visiting if you get the chance.
Love it, miss it, used to live there! Thank you for this post, I truly enjoyed it
You are most welcome, and thank you for your comment.
I would absolutely prefer the older cities with some character to explore, and I hope to one day travel to see them for myself. A sort ancestral pilgrimage.
Your article, with accompanying photos, was a wonderful peek into such an historic city. Thanks so much for sharing. :)
Thank you very much for your comment @ravenruis glad it gave you some insight. It is truly incredible how quickly the world is changing. Before to long we might even have the opportunity to explore other worlds too!
Nice post! Beautiful Pictures, Thank You for sharing!
My pleasure, thank you for your comment.
#homesick! Thanks for sharing though :-)
I know that feeling, its all for the experience and adventure though, thanks for your comment @oceanelement
this is awesome! thank you for sharing :)
Thank you @jasnadao hope it gave you a bit of insight
Glad you got a chance to see Edinburgh, though it was not what you planned. It sounds like my kind of place. Old buildings with a few new mixed in for contrast. I am glad they haven't erased all of their history. Thanks for the tour.
You're welcome @mother2chicks. They have very well preserved their history and as such it has become their most important tourist attraction. If you really want to see some of the old history aside from the castle I highly reccommend 'mary kings close' - it is a very well preserved underground roadway from the 17th century. You can find out more about it here
Wow! The king Mary's close looks very interesting. Lots of great history to discover. Thanks for adding that extra onto your reply.
Great photography
Good photos, I am a photographer, it passes for my blog and sees my content, I hope that it should be of your taste, you have my vote :D greetings
Hi lovely post and great pics, you've actualkly given me some better mental images of Scotland . I went a lot as a kid, as my mum is Scottish but only remember travel sickness . I went to the Edinburgh Tattoo and as a kid wasn't able to appreciate the area or event in the way I do now as an adult, SO your pics really gave me a different perception of a time long lost . cheers :)