Edinburgh Article

·         Setting scene with connotations of what’s to come – sunny day for good visit etc.

·         Build on the focus of contrast – old vs new, quiet vs loud etc.

Edinburgh

Where worlds meet

Bright sun and a clear sky welcomed me to Edinburgh. Stepping off of the train and right into the city centre, I couldn’t help rooting to the spot and just… looking.

If there’s one thing you need to know about Edinburgh, dear readers, its’s that it’s a city of contrast. Gazing up at the skyline that greeted me, gothic cathedral spires and sky-scraping (or let’s say sky-tickling, they’re not that tall) flats and offices mingled with each other like some sort of time-defying ballet. At ground level it’s no difference, with bookshops and family owned pubs dating back to the time of swords and armour battling with Sainsbury’s and Tesco for attention. And while to some it may appear sad, living evidence of a time forgotten too soon, I couldn’t help but think that it worked.

But I didn’t come here to admire the battle of the buildings, so after a moment I was on my way, traversing the cobbled streets as fast as my luggage-riddled body would allow. How horses and carts got around the uneven labyrinth I’ll never know. Bustling crowds of tourists, mostly Americans with a healthy smattering of Japanese and Germans, barricaded almost every available path with the flashes of cameras and excited yammering, forcing me to flee to the side streets. My pace slowed considerably, who would’ve thought back alleys were less maintained than the high street? I didn’t mind though, it gave me enough of a break to once again dive into the army of tourists soon after, before finally making it to my B&B.

Edinburgh tourist attractions are like pieces of art. While they may look grand and even intimidating from a distance, it’s only up close that you really appreciate the intricate and delicate details that make them so iconic. Take Edinburgh Castle. It overshadows the city with its jagged, unforgiving cliffs, sitting aloft on the shell of an extinct volcano (no wonder Edinburgh had the world’s first city fire service). But walking through its hallways and admiring its lavish interior gives you a whole other perspective – of home and warmth. If there was ever a building that epitomises not only my experience in the city, but the city as a whole, it would be this building.

Stately home meets a supervillain’s lair

And at the height of my attraction-delving afternoon the inevitable happened, the classic Scottish weather rolled in. No umbrella and no hood might be a questionable choice for a day out in a city more northerly than Edmonton, Canada, and my folly was beaten into me by the heavy drops of rain that was coming down like a waterfall.

Settling in at a back alley pub saved me from the rain, and while I wasn’t planning on staying long the unexpected music and brotherly atmosphere forced me to hang my coat up and park myself at a booth in a particularly dark corner, observing the goings on of typical Scotland Friday night. Tradition is a big thing in Britain, with monarchy and manners and marmite all being big parts of our cultural identity, and nothing showed me that like that night in the pub. Grown men belting their lungs out for songs their ancestors sang, cheering and hugging and drinking into the wee hours of the morning. ‘This is what I came to Scotland for’ I thought, and it was.