Everyone who comes to Scotland wants to see Edinburgh, and rightly so. There’s a castle, a palace, the ugliest parliament building imaginable, and that’s all just in the Royal Mile. I thought I was fed up with Edinburgh, having done that Royal Mile many many times, and only went to keep my friends/tourists company. I prefer Glasgow.
But I have to say, this most recent trip was an eye-opener for me. Edinburgh really is a study in contrasts: the old city (archaeologists believe Castle Rock was first settled in the late Bronze Age – that’s old) that the tourists love vs the New Town (built in the 1700’s) full of shops and restaurants; a major urban centre with quaint fishing villages and towns attached; crowded, cobbled streets vs huge tracts of land (if you know, you know); and free museums and galleries on every other street corner (only a slight exaggeration).
It’s taken me almost two years in Scotland and countless visits to actully start to appreciate Edinburgh.
Of course, the nice weather helped.
And I still prefer Glasgow.