Experience Edinburgh: Scotland's Crown Jewel
By Tim Vandehey
Paris? Sure? London? Of course. Prague and Budapest? You aren't part of the globetrotting Boho set if you don't visit. But there's one European destination that many travelers overlook again and again.one that's so extraordinary in its energy, beauty and friendliness, it's astonishing that more people don't know about it.
It's Edinburgh. Scotland's capital.
What's New is Old
A four-hour train journey from London, Edinburgh is one of the most beguiling cities in Europe, starting from the moment you climb out of the underground Waverly Station onto Princes Street, the main boulevard. Above you towers Edinburgh Castle and a bastion of other venerable buildings lining the Royal Mile, the heart of the Old Town, the ancient heart of the city. Opposite is the Georgian-style New Town (new because its ordered design of streets tipped with leafy squares only dates back to the 18th century).
Often called "the Athens of the North," this city of 500,000 is brimming over with Celtic warmth, great pubs, amazing ruins, wonderful climbing and hiking (including the must-climb destination, Arthur's Seat), and culture to spare. With accommodations ranging from convivial backpacker's hostels to swank Old World hotels like the Balmoral, there's something for every budget.
A City for Walkers
But perhaps the best thing to do in Edinburgh is walk-walk the city, old and new. The Old Town is a wonderful warren of tiny closes, winding lanes, hidden streets, quiet graveyards, and medieval kirks (churches) where you can still hear mass said in Gallic, the ancient Celtic tongue of the Scots. Cross the former moat that has become the lovely Princes Street Gardens at one of three bridges: North Bridge, the Mound or Waverly Bridge and walk up the Royal Mile to the castle. Go the other way and let gravity pull you through the winding Mile to Holyrood Palace, where the Queen resides when in Scotland.
Back to the New Town, cruise Princes Street for shopping at most of the major global retailers you'll find in the states, from Gap to Benetton. Take in the rocket ship of the Sir Walter Scott Monument, and for a more local feel, duck past Princes Street to George Street or Queen Street, with local businesses and beautiful 18th century buildings, lovingly restored.
The Festivals
But anyone who's been to Edinburgh will tell you, the time to go is in August, when the city explodes with color, life, craziness and more than a few inflated prices as the festival season arrives. From mid-August, Edinburgh hosts five distinct arts and cultural festivals which are among the world's finest: the International Festival, a high-class cultural celebration featuring such arts groups as the Kirov Ballet; the Festival Fringe, the bastard child of the International Festival, which features 1,000 or more performances ranging from children's theatre to insane experimental drama; the Book Festival; the Film Festival, and the Jazz Festival. If you love to stay out late, experience cultural overload, drink in energy from the city streets in torrents, and see some of the most amazing, bizarre human beings you will ever encounter, go to Edinburgh in August.
I'm partial to the Fringe myself, partially because it began as a protest by small, non-mainstream arts groups who couldn't get invited to the snobby International Festival. So they started their own. Now, if you can find a venue, get insurance and get your show to the city, you can perform on the Fringe. As a result, you can literally see any kind of show, all around the clock: weird erotic dramas, one-man shows, Celtic folk, sketch comedy, Broadway musicals, experimental dance, even Shakespeare performed while bolting through the closes, courtyards and paths of the Old Town with the audience running to keep up. Add the jugglers, fire eaters, street musicians, traditional ceilidh (pronounced "kay-lee) bands in the pubs, painters, craftsmen and street markets, and there's no reason to go to sleep, ever. I once saw 22 Fringe shows in 6 days, and it wasn't enough.