Edinburgh

Another sunny day! Our excursion today was a walking tour of the Royal Mile. We walked a mile just to get to the starting point of our tour, the Mercat cross. It was a market hub, located in the heart of the old town, where announcements were made to the community.

Mercat cross

When Queen Elizabeth died, that was announced from the Merkat Cross. The monument itself, like much of Edinburgh,  is a 19th century replacement of the original 15th century cross. Our tour took us down the Royal Mile and a few side streets, where we learned about Edinburgh and some of its quirks and highlights. We heard about Wynds and Closes, historic, narrow medieval alleyways and passageways in Edinburgh's Old Town that branch off the main Royal Mile, the city's main street. Many if not most are very steep and are stairways: 

Achor Close

There are so many long, steep stairways, it's best to visit Edinburgh prepared and in good shape. It seems like many of the oldest buildings in the city have been replaced with 19th century copies. Edinburgh has placed bronze markers in the road to show where the actual old buildings were. 

We visited St. Giles Cathedral, begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century. Significant alterations were undertaken in the 19th and 20th centuries. The exterior is almost entirely from the 19th century.  There are some interesting modern stained glass in the church, and the 19th century ceiling is beautiful. 

Our tour also took us up to the castle, which dates from the 11th century, and sits high up on a rocky outcropping. Research shows it is one of the most besieged strongholds in the world, with 26 attacks over its history. We can't figure out why. It really looks formidable. Inside the gates, we enjoyed an amazing city view, and visited the great hall which dates from the 16th century. The ceiling is made from oak taken by boat from Norway. It is made without the use of nails and is in the shape of an inverted ship's hull. Beautiful. 

After the tour, we walked over to the Scott Monument, a 200 foot tower that celebrates Sir Walter Scott. It's covered in centuries of soot now, making it look black. In depictions from when it was erected, it was white/light colored. Many/most historic buildings in Scotland are like that.

It's hard not to be impressed with the history of this place, but much of what you see in the city was actually constructed in the 18th to 20th centuries. Buildings have been torn down and replaced, or reconstructed, added to or changed over the years. Even the city's oldest buildings are original in core or foundations only. What you can actually see is newer.

Photos here