Edinburgh is the city of my birth, though as I said in the introduction to this site I now live in Tranent; East Lothian which is a small town in the County of East Lothian which is adjacent to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is a city that is famous throughout the world. Over the years it has had many nicknames. Two of the better known are “Auld Reekie” and “The Athens of the North”. The former was from a time when pollution in Edinburgh was at unacceptable levels. People used to say that you could smell Edinburgh before you could see it! The latter is from the time when Edinburgh was the ‘hub’ of what was known as the “Scottish Enlightenment.” It was during this time that the Philosopher David Hume first made his name. Many of the buildings of this period were modelled on classical Greek structures, such as the Art Galleries on the Mound & most famously “The National Monument” on Calton hill, or to give it its local name “Edinburgh’s Disgrace”.
Today Edinburgh is a UNESCO World Heritage city, and the tourists come here today for the sights such as Edinburgh Castle, but not only that, Edinburgh is a City of Festivals. Each August the largest Arts Festival in the World is held here, drawing performers from all four corners of the globe. There is also the Edinburgh International Film Festival, which this year moved to a new date in June, and the Winter Festival with its spectacular Fire displays. Other festivals celebrate our Celtic Heritage, such as the Beltane Fire Festival at the end of April & the “original” Halloween “Samhuinn” on 31 October.
Because of these festivals Edinburgh is also known as “The Festival City”.
Edinburgh is served by Edinburgh International Airport which is some 7 miles or so west of the City Centre. You can take a flight to many European destinations from Edinburgh, and some places in the USA & Canada also, but if you are coming from further afield you will have to go first to another airport (for example when I travel to Brasil I travel via Amsterdam in Holland).
The main railway station is called “Waverley” and takes its name from a novel by one of Edinburgh’s most famous sons, Sir Walter Scott. Trains from here connect Edinburgh with the East Coast line and it is possible to travel to London, and by getting a connection there, through the Channel Tunnel by train. Waverley is located just off the main shopping street “Princes Street”.
Coaches operate on a regular basis to other cities in Scotland, and also to England. One company, megabus.co.uk offers particularly good deals on tickets if you book far enough in advance, but here is a warning, if you have to cancel your travel for any reason they will not refund your money. They will only refund your money in the event that the travel was cancelled because there was a problem with the bus, not if you have to cancel for other reasons. Edinburgh’s bus station is situated in St Andrews Square, just off the East End of Princes Street.
Edinburgh is not a particularly large city, and most of the main attractions are in the Centre, though some like Edinburgh Zoo are located out in the suburbs. Edinburgh does boast an excellent bus service though, and you can check out routes and time by checking out Lothian Regional Transports website, their buses operate to most parts of the city even in the wee small hours of the morning. If you are travelling at night you may want to take a Black Cab (Taxi). Those for hire have a yellow light.
The currency in Scotland is Pound Sterling. Scottish banks are able to issue their own bank notes. The most common ones you are likely to encounter are Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland & Clydesdale. Unlike England you may still get a £1 note in your change. Don’t worry about this as it is still perfectly reasonable to use this in Scotland, as indeed it is to use Bank of England notes. The Euro is not widely accepted in shops here.
You are unlikely to encounter any serious problems in Edinburgh, though having said this there are places that even law abiding citizens of Edinburgh give a very wide berth. You are most likely to be harassed by beggars or a “Happy Clappy” Hare Krishna practioner. You can usually move the latter on by saying you are not interested & saying “Gouranga” to them. Pickpockets do operate in the city centre, just like any modern city, so you must always keep your possessions safe. I’ve lived here all my life and have never been robbed, but if you look obviously different (for example in Brasil I am obviously the Gringo) you are more likely to attract attention.
If you go out at night, make sure you stick to areas that have lots of people. Try to avoid dark places on your own. If you don’t want to walk, and are not sure about which bus to take then you might be better taking a taxi. You can call these down on the street by waving as they drive past.
EDIMBURGO
The pages that follow constitute what was originally the bulk of my Edimburgo website. I have tried the best I can to update it as best as possible, though obviously if you discover any broken links I would be indebted for your feedback so I can remove them. I would also like to stress that I take no responsibility for the external links on my site.
***Disclaimer***
I take no responsibility for any of the external links on this site.