Edinburgh: The Best of Scotland
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Transcript of Edinburgh: The Best of Scotland
The Best of ScotlandEdinburgh:
Thierry Dentice
Reigning as the second most populous city inScotland, Edinburgh still represents the heart of
Scottish culture, tradition and spirit. The country’scapital since the 15th century, Edinburgh is home to
important governmental institutions such as theScottish Parliament and the Church of Scotland,along with cultural including various national art
galleries.
Edinburgh rich historical center is furthermarked by landmarks ranging from the city’s
world famous castle to the mixture of both oldand new towns attracting over one millionvisitors annually. The old and new towns of
Edinburgh are UNESCO world heritage sites thatconnect two very different time frames in the
country’s history.
Consisting of more than four-thousand buildingsbetween the 15th and 18th centuries, these districts
provide an authentic glimpse into Scottisharchitecture during a monumental period in the
countries somewhat tumultuous history.
Interestingly divided into two parts, the old town,along with the city’s castle, dominates the southernpart of the city while the newer, post 15th century
area is situated to the north.
As one of the most popular social celebrations inthe city, the Edinburgh festival consists of events
such as the festival fringe, the book festival and themilitary tattoo. If you happen to enjoy theater orlive performance, taking the time to experience
some more classic musical performance or visualproductions is a fundamental way to explore art in
modern day Scottish society.
The Edinburgh festival is a large-scale, well-known comedy event that brings comedians
from all over the world to showcase their latestroutines or stand-up material throughout the
city. This massive festival, including a spectrumof food and art events occurs every year
between July and September.
Summerhall, one of Edinburgh’s mostinteresting multi-art venues, exhibits everythingfrom science lectures to the latest creative food
recipes from local restaurants in the city. Tofurther explore the trendier, more
underground areas of Edinburgh, making aspecial trip to the famous Grassmarket allows
for any tourist or local to find the perfectvintage objects.
In order to experience the rawer, more off thebeaten path areas of Edinburgh, taking a half dayto see the capital’s coastline is often a forgottenadventure for many visitors in town for a littlewhile. Once at the seaside, you can enjoy the
Turkish baths along with tasting some of Scotland’sfinest fish and chips in front of breathtaking ocean
views. Though there is little minimal Victorianinfluence left in this outer part of Edinburgh, thisbeach town called Portobello is an ideal spot to
experience a less touristy area of Scotland.
A newer trend in the city’s diverse traditions, moreand more visitors are becoming increasingly
attracted to the art of gin-making. Even thoughScotland’s capital is indeed more well known for its
long whisky heritage, tour-lead guides throughvarious gin distilleries have quickly become a
popular way for tourists to explore this fairly newcity-wide development.