Hi!

For this fourth article about my travels in the UK, I will talk to you about my trip in Edinburgh!

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is located at 166 miles from Lancaster and it takes 2h30 to get there by train.

It is the capital of Scotland. The city hosts the headquarters of the Scottish Parliament. The districts of the city are listed as World Heritage by UNESCO since 1995. The old town has preserved its medieval appearance and many buildings from the Protestant Reformation of the 15th century. The new city has emerged in the 18th century as a solution to the overpopulation problems of the old town.

Edinburgh is dominated by its castle with foundations from the 7th century, but the castle was built only on the 11th century and was a formidable fortress in the 17th century.

Besides its castle, Edinburgh has many other monuments such as in Calton Hill with the National Monument and its columns in the style of the Athenian palace, the Hold Observartory House, the City Observatory and the Nelson Monument (commemorating Admiral Horatio Nelson who mourru the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805).

Edinburgh also has Holyrood Palace which was originally a monastery founded by the king of Scotland in 1128. It served as the principal residence of the kings and queens of Scotland since the 15th century as well as Queen Elizabeth II during her stays in Scotland.

The Scott Monument was built in honor of Walter Scott, great writer born in the city. Its architecture is Gothic Revival. It is located in Princes Street Gardens, near Edinburgh Waverley Station. The tower of the monument is 61.1 meters high and a spiral staircase of 287 steps allows to reach a viewing platform near the top. The tower is made of schist from Livingston and its black colour is due to the oil flowing of the stones and atmospheric dust which are stuck to the stones. A statue of Walter Scott, sitting, lies between the four columns of the tower. It was sculpted by John Steell and is in white marble.

The last characteristic of Edinburgh is Arthur's Seat. It is a hill of 251 meters above sea level and at its top we have a 360° view over Edinburgh and its surroundings.

I went in Edinburgh with my flatmates to meet our friends from Esdes who were in Erasmus there. We staid there for three great days (from the 6th to the 8th of March) the  with them. They maked to us a wonderful visit of the city. In the video below you will see some of the places we visited in Edinburgh! 

I hope that you enjoyed this article! Thanks for still reading me!

See you!

Emilie