The glorious architecture of Edinburgh
From York we took a wonderful high speed train for 2-1/2 hours to reach the Scottish capital. Edinburgh is a truly captivating place — a city that looks like no other. Immediately upon arrival we were drawn to its magic, which is a combination of several things.
First of all, the architecture. The city center is just packed with monumental buildings, spanning centuries of Scottish history. Medieval masterpieces live alongside Georgian splendor. Yet it’s all united by a peculiar and romantically dark coloring. This patina derives from the unique local Craigleith sandstone, exaggerated by centuries of soot and weathering.
The grand staircase leading to our room at the Virgin Hotel
A super cool corridor leading to reception
And then there is the natural setting. Edinburgh castle sits upon a hilltop, with much of the city center descending down the Royal Mile toward the Firth of Forth below. Nearby rocky crags create extra drama. The one known as Arthur’s Seat draws hikers up above the town for splendid views of the city and the Firth of Forth.
On top of all this, layer in the drama of moody and constantly changing weather. Rain comes and goes. Heavy cloud cover moves in and out at will. The sun is nowhere to be seen, then suddenly comes streaking in through the dissipating clouds.
And finally there is an almost spiritual layer of Scottishness over all of this. The fiercely independent Scottish identity shows itself proudly in the monuments to its poets and leaders, the blue and white banners fluttering everywhere, and the ubiquitous, mournful sound of bagpipes.
This glorious city offers an endless supply of historical sites and activities, though we didn’t feel compelled to churn through them. We did climb to the top of Arthur’s Seat. And we toured St. Giles’ Cathedral and then went back for a classical music concert. And we thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, where we saw the portrait of our friend Thea Musgrave, a Scottish-born composer who lives in New York. Other portraits do an amazing job of telling the story of Scotland through the personalties of its greatest leaders.
Beyond those things, we did little more for three days than just soak up the glory of this beautiful and distinctive place. We are excited to head to the highlands next as we dig deeper into a 15-day adventure in Scotland.
Seconds after our train crossed the border into Scotland the view became ever so pastoral
A special highlight was breakfast with our friend Sally Cade Holmes, who recently relocated from New York City to Edinburgh, though as a theater producer she’ll keep spending lots of time in New York, London, L.A., etc.
Hiking up to Arthur’s Seat
Reaching a height with a commanding view of the Firth of Forth
Selfie time
The sun shines for a moment over St. Giles’ Cathedral
The magnificent medieval interior of St. Giles’
The spot in St. Giles’ where Queen Elizabeth II lay in state on her final trip from Balmoral to London
A lovely concert of piano trios by Beethoven and Schubert
The beautiful entrance to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Excited to find Thea!
We were crazy about this huge portrait of Scottish actress Tilda Swinton. Her right foot is on a stack of movie scripts she’s done. She’s sitting on the ones she has rejected.
This reimagination of American Gothic features Mike and Sheila Forbes, who spent a decade fighting Donald Trump’s efforts to force them off their farm to make way for his golf course. They still have their 23-acre farm, and Mike says Trump can “take his money and shove it up his arse.”
We loved the Virgin Hotel Edinburgh, in a stunning refurbished building just around the corner from colorful Victoria Street
The lively and colorful Victoria Street, believed to have inspired Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter stories
We met Mandy and Helen at the Virgin Hotel bar and loved them
Jim and Mandy share a toast
We discovered an Indian restaurant called Dishoom in Cambridge and went there twice. They are scattered around the country, so we were excited to find this one in Edinburgh. The food, atmosphere, and service, are incredible. We’re mildly devastated that we won’t encounter another one until we get to Oxford very late in this trip.
I was here 33 years ago but did not remember at all the Scottish Parliament buildings. Oh, right, because they were built since then.
Scotland loves its writers, and this Victorian Gothic monument to Sir Walter Scott is the world’s largest tribute to a poet
Another view of Sir Walter Scott. Also caught an airplane!
The stunning dark monumental buildings along the Royal Mile
When things turn grey
And it all changes when the rain starts up
Even moodier