2-5 January, 2015  |
| Royal Mile |
There's nothing quite like the excitement of visiting a city for the first time. Even more so when you've read about and heard about the city for many years. We arrived by train from London in the late afternoon, which is well after sunset for Edinburgh in January.
Our hotel was just a short walk from the train station, but it took a little navigating to make sure we exited the correct side. If you're arriving in Edinburgh by train and don't intend to take a taxi from the stand at platform level make sure you have your bearings in order to avoid a circuitous trek and potential back-tracking. Depending upon the time of your arrival there are ample opportunities for food and snacks at platform level as well as access to cash machines.
Our main focus this trip was to see what we could see and get a feel for the city. We only had a couple of days and the weather was a bit challenging, even wet by Scottish standards for January (although we were told it was "warm.") We covered the upper end of the Royal Mile, including Edinburgh Castle and a good percentage of shops to obtain the requisite woolen goods. There are many shops to choose from and several of them offer identical merchandise, so it pays to shop. If you're in the market for scarves or wraps your budget may be a deciding factor between wool and cashmere. Solid colors will be less expensive than tartans (a plaid is a garment) and not all shops will have all the clan tartans to choose from, so it may take some searching if you're looking for one of the less common tartans. You may also have a choice between ancient and modern versions of the same tartan. Again, doing your homework will help considerably.
I suggest starting at the "top" of the Royal Mile in the morning, even taking a cab up to Edinburgh Castle if you're concerned about running out of steam later in the day. Plan on at least 2-3 hours to hit the high spots of the castle but you can easily spend a half day investigating all the nooks and crannies. There is a fair bit of climbing and lots of walking on uneven ground, so it may be a challenge for those of diminished mobility. The displays in the Castle are well done, from the prisons to the crown jewels. If you find yourself in need of a bite to eat the cafe offers excellent fare at prices I consider reasonable for a captive audience.
Just outside the grounds of the Castle there are shopping options and an operating woolen mill, if you'd like to see a loom in operation. Just across the street you'll find the Scotch Whisky Experience, which gets good reviews. I can't speak first hand because we opted to experience our Scotch in the shops on the Royal Mile (Royal Mile Whiskies and The Whisky Trail) as well as in the Scotch Bar at the Balmoral. The Witchery gets rave reviews for dinner and you'll need to book reservations to have any real hope of dining there. The entrance is just down from the Scotch Whisky Experience and can be easily missed, so don't go too far without going back to look again if you slip past. The more flexible your schedule the better your chances for a table.
One evening we ducked in to Decon Brodies Tavern, named after William Brodie, one of the inspirations for Robert Louis Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde. Born in 1741, Brodie was a deacon of the Guild of Wrights. By day, he was a respectable citizen and a member of the town council. By night he consorted with lowlife; gambling and drinking. His dark side forced him to burglary to pay his gambling debts, leading to his hanging in 1788. They have a nice menu of pub fare and a respectable assortment of beers on offer. I highly recommend the Deacon Brodie if you're looking for a pub to have a pint or three.
Just south of Deacon Brodie on George IV Bridge you'll find two noteworthy Edinburgh sites. About three blocks down you'll find The Elephant House, a tea and coffee shop where JK Rowling did some of her early writing on the Harry Potter series. Just a bit further down you'll find a statue of Greyfriars Bobby. His nose is shiny from people following the false tradition of rubbing it for good luck. If you want to be targeted as a tourist, rub away. If you follow the alley adjacent to Greyfriars Bobby's Bar you'll come out in the Greyfriars Kirkyard (Scottish for "Churchyard") facing Bobby's grave marker. It has become tradition for people to leave offerings to sticks at his grave as tribute for his loyalty.
Our hotel was just a short walk from the train station, but it took a little navigating to make sure we exited the correct side. If you're arriving in Edinburgh by train and don't intend to take a taxi from the stand at platform level make sure you have your bearings in order to avoid a circuitous trek and potential back-tracking. Depending upon the time of your arrival there are ample opportunities for food and snacks at platform level as well as access to cash machines.
Our main focus this trip was to see what we could see and get a feel for the city. We only had a couple of days and the weather was a bit challenging, even wet by Scottish standards for January (although we were told it was "warm.") We covered the upper end of the Royal Mile, including Edinburgh Castle and a good percentage of shops to obtain the requisite woolen goods. There are many shops to choose from and several of them offer identical merchandise, so it pays to shop. If you're in the market for scarves or wraps your budget may be a deciding factor between wool and cashmere. Solid colors will be less expensive than tartans (a plaid is a garment) and not all shops will have all the clan tartans to choose from, so it may take some searching if you're looking for one of the less common tartans. You may also have a choice between ancient and modern versions of the same tartan. Again, doing your homework will help considerably.
I suggest starting at the "top" of the Royal Mile in the morning, even taking a cab up to Edinburgh Castle if you're concerned about running out of steam later in the day. Plan on at least 2-3 hours to hit the high spots of the castle but you can easily spend a half day investigating all the nooks and crannies. There is a fair bit of climbing and lots of walking on uneven ground, so it may be a challenge for those of diminished mobility. The displays in the Castle are well done, from the prisons to the crown jewels. If you find yourself in need of a bite to eat the cafe offers excellent fare at prices I consider reasonable for a captive audience.
 |
| Entrance to The Witchery |
One evening we ducked in to Decon Brodies Tavern, named after William Brodie, one of the inspirations for Robert Louis Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde. Born in 1741, Brodie was a deacon of the Guild of Wrights. By day, he was a respectable citizen and a member of the town council. By night he consorted with lowlife; gambling and drinking. His dark side forced him to burglary to pay his gambling debts, leading to his hanging in 1788. They have a nice menu of pub fare and a respectable assortment of beers on offer. I highly recommend the Deacon Brodie if you're looking for a pub to have a pint or three.
Just south of Deacon Brodie on George IV Bridge you'll find two noteworthy Edinburgh sites. About three blocks down you'll find The Elephant House, a tea and coffee shop where JK Rowling did some of her early writing on the Harry Potter series. Just a bit further down you'll find a statue of Greyfriars Bobby. His nose is shiny from people following the false tradition of rubbing it for good luck. If you want to be targeted as a tourist, rub away. If you follow the alley adjacent to Greyfriars Bobby's Bar you'll come out in the Greyfriars Kirkyard (Scottish for "Churchyard") facing Bobby's grave marker. It has become tradition for people to leave offerings to sticks at his grave as tribute for his loyalty.
No comments:
Post a Comment