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.