Edinburgh, Scotland

February 08, 2015

Edinburgh, Scotland - Part I

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. Located in Lothian on the shore of the Firth of Forth, Edinburgh has an estimated population of 489,000, which makes it the second most populous city in Scotland and the 7th in the United Kingdom. Scotland's climate is cold compare to London as it is situated north of England.

Currency

The currency of Scotland is the GBP Pound (£), although Scottish banks print their own version.

Travel to Edinburgh

You can pick up the East Coast Train - East Coast is the operating name of East Coast Main Line Company Limited, a publicly owned British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, Newcastle and Scotland. The seats are comfortable and cleaner compare to those nearest train station.

Or Ryanair Ltd. which is second national Irish low-cost airline after Aer Lingus. Its headquarters is located in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland, with its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airports. This Ryanair similar to the AirAsia, Jetstar, Firefly and Malindo Air that offers incredible value with low fares to destinations in few EU countries.

Our EU trips wasn't stop in Ireland, however we continue by taking the Ryanair flight from Dublin Airport to Edinburgh Airport. The flight duration was an hour 10 minutes.

P.S. Be aware to check your baggage allowance as they are very strict and charge you for overweight luggage.

boarding soon

Ryanair

After the an hour flight, we then reach Edinburgh Airport. Edinburgh Airport is located at Ingliston in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2013, handling just under 9.8 million passengers in that year. Since it still earlier, we will have our breakfast in the airport.

English breakfast

We decided to take taxi to the apartment we booked as we carry few luggage which is better than taking the public transportation. First, check-in to the apartment that includes of 2 bedrooms, one living room, kitchen, dining room and toilet.

master room

guest room

sorry for the messy

St. Giles Apartment
Add: 377 High Street, City of Edinburgh EH1 1PW

To save our expenses, we went to the Sainsbury's and Tesco grocery to bought some ingredients for tonight dinner since we have a kitchen during our stayed.

Kitchen

our easy meal

Dinner time.

Our very first destination to check in Edinburgh was the Edinburgh Castle and The Scotch Whisky Experience. On the way, you will saw a large heart shaped picked out in the stones of the Royal Mile outside of Saint Giles Cathedral, near the Duke of Buccleuch stature. It's one of the most well known features of the Mile - The Heart of Midlothian.

Saint Giles Cathedral

Adam Smith

Heart of Midlothian (Royal Mile)

Walk straight you will comes to the Edinburgh Castle which is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland from its position on the Castle Rock. Edinburgh Castle dominates Scotland's capital city from its great rock. Its story has helped shape the nation's story. Battles and sieges were fought over it, royalty lived and died within its walls, and countless generations have been and inspired by it.

Ancient Stronghold

Fierce Iron Age warriors defended a hill fort here, and the nation's oldest poetry tells of a war band feasting here for a year before riding to their deaths in battle. The Scots and English struggled for control of the castle during the Wars of Independence. In 1314 it was recaptured from the English in a daring night raid led by Thomas Randolph, nephew of King Robert the Bruce.

Home of Royalty

The castle has sheltered many Scottish monarchs. They include Queen Margaret (later St Margaret), who died here in 1093, and Mary Queen of Scots, who gave birth to James VI in the Royal Palace in 1566. Her great-great-great grandson Charles Edward Stuart - Bonnie Prince Charlie - captured Edinburgh but was unable to take the castle during the 1745-6 Jacobite Rising. In 1996, the Stone of Destiny, on which kings were enthroned for centuries, was returned to Scotland. It is now displayed in the Crown Room.

Army Headquarters

In the 1600s, the castle became a military base. Some buildings were rebuilt and new ones were raised to house a huge garrison - and provide a secure jail for prisoners of war. The military presence remains unbroken, but over the last 200 years the castle has become a national icon. It is now Scotland's leading tourist attraction, and a key element of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site.

We actually wanna save our money therefore, we will taking picture outside the castle rather than going inside. As I'm not interested after looking the brochure. Well, the admission fees is £16.50 for adults (16-59 years old), £9.90 for children ages 5 - 15 and £13.20 for concession (60years+ and unemployed) in April 2015 - March 2016 onwards.

entrance of Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle (Evening View)

Edinburgh city view

Edinburgh panoramic view

Edinburgh Castle
Add: Edinburgh Castle, Castlehill
Edinburgh EH1 2NG

Opening Hours

9:30am - 6:00pm daily in Summer season

9:30am - 5:00pm daily in Winter season
(last entry 1 hour before closing)

Secondly, there is Guinness - an Irish dry stout in Ireland , then what Scotland produce? As Scotland's national drink, they produce and bottle some great whiskies. It has been produced here for centuries, but these days those great whiskies are becoming the exception to the rule. There's so many ways to discover more about it, whether it be going behind the scenes on a distillery visit, trying single malts at special whisky festivals, sampling a fine dram at an expert-led whisky tasting session or enjoy one by the fire at renowned whisky bars.

Visit the new Scotch Whisky Experience for a sensational journey! Take a swirling, bubbling barrel ride through a replica distillery as you become part of the whisky making process. Along the way you’ll hear the stories behind this magical craft, with expert tour guides and whisky advisors with you every sip of the way. They’ll help you discover the aromas and flavours that appeal to your palate and lead you to your perfect Single Malt Whisky. A truly breathtaking experience for everyone with £14.00 for adults per entry.