Edinburgh sticks shockingly up-to-the-nanosecond dance clubs in 15th-century tenement buildings and body-stockinged firebreathers outside Georgian mansions: This is a city that knows how to blend mode
April 20, 2006 (Press Release) --
Intro
Edinburgh sticks shockingly up-to-the-nanosecond dance clubs in 15th-century tenement buildings and body-stockinged firebreathers outside Georgian mansions: This is a city that knows how to blend modern and medieval. Its superb architecture ranges from ancient churches to monumental Victorian masterpieces - all dominated by a castle on a precipitous crag in the city's heart. And pick any street to stroll - you'll be wowed by sudden vistas of rugged summits, memorial-laden hills and erstwhile-outlying villages that inch ever closer to the vibrant city centre.
Edinburgh is, in some ways, the least Scottish of Scotland's cities. Tourism, its close proximity to England, and its multicultural, sophisticated population set it apart, and its vibrant pub and club scene, college population and small yet thriving gay scene, combined with its full-on festivals, make it a city ready to take on the world.
There is, of course, a flipside: the grim council housing estates, the serious drugs scene and the distressing AIDS problem. Wrap that up with the dubious weather, and you may question stopping by, but don't. Edinburgh is a mixed bag but struts an identity that extends much further than heroin addicts and the occasional display of kilts and bagpipes. In traditional Scottish fashion, it will leave you feeling whisky-warm inside.
Destination Facts
Area: 26,113 hectares (100 sq mi)
Population: 448,850 (1996 est)
Country: Scotland
Time Zone: GMT/UTC
Telephone Area Code: 0131
Orientation
Studded with volcanic hills, Edinburgh has an incomparable location on the southern edge of the enormous Firth of Forth. The Old Town, with its crowded tenements and bloody past, stands in contrast to the orderly grid of the New Town with its disciplined Georgian buildings. Most of the city's sights are contained within these two districts. The largely medieval Royal Mile, running down from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, is the Old Town's spine. In the New Town, Princes St, though not so architecturally inspiring, is Edinburgh's chief thoroughfare. To the north of the centre, Leith, Edinburgh's main port, has survived a period of decline to become a fashionable area of pubs and restaurants. Portobello to the east is where Edinburgh's citizens spend time on the beach when the weather is warm enough. To the west, medieval South Queensferry sits in the shadow of the two large bridges that span the Firth of Forth. To the south, near Holyrood Park, is picturesque Duddingston.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
Edinburgh sticks shockingly up-to-the-nanosecond dance clubs in 15th-century tenement buildings and body-stockinged firebreathers outside Georgian mansions: This is a city that knows how to blend modern and medieval. Its superb architecture ranges from ancient churches to monumental Victorian masterpieces - all dominated by a castle on a precipitous crag in the city's heart. And pick any street to stroll - you'll be wowed by sudden vistas of rugged summits, memorial-laden hills and erstwhile-outlying villages that inch ever closer to the vibrant city centre.
Edinburgh is, in some ways, the least Scottish of Scotland's cities. Tourism, its close proximity to England, and its multicultural, sophisticated population set it apart, and its vibrant pub and club scene, college population and small yet thriving gay scene, combined with its full-on festivals, make it a city ready to take on the world.
There is, of course, a flipside: the grim council housing estates, the serious drugs scene and the distressing AIDS problem. Wrap that up with the dubious weather, and you may question stopping by, but don't. Edinburgh is a mixed bag but struts an identity that extends much further than heroin addicts and the occasional display of kilts and bagpipes. In traditional Scottish fashion, it will leave you feeling whisky-warm inside.
Destination Facts
Area: 26,113 hectares (100 sq mi)
Population: 448,850 (1996 est)
Country: Scotland
Time Zone: GMT/UTC
Telephone Area Code: 0131
Orientation
Studded with volcanic hills, Edinburgh has an incomparable location on the southern edge of the enormous Firth of Forth. The Old Town, with its crowded tenements and bloody past, stands in contrast to the orderly grid of the New Town with its disciplined Georgian buildings. Most of the city's sights are contained within these two districts. The largely medieval Royal Mile, running down from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, is the Old Town's spine. In the New Town, Princes St, though not so architecturally inspiring, is Edinburgh's chief thoroughfare. To the north of the centre, Leith, Edinburgh's main port, has survived a period of decline to become a fashionable area of pubs and restaurants. Portobello to the east is where Edinburgh's citizens spend time on the beach when the weather is warm enough. To the west, medieval South Queensferry sits in the shadow of the two large bridges that span the Firth of Forth. To the south, near Holyrood Park, is picturesque Duddingston.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
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