Edinburgh Trip

Scotland is somewhere that in the grand scheme of things is relatively close to me. A city full of history this was a place i had very much wanted to visit, we went a few years back to Edinburgh when the Fringe Festival was on, this is the worlds largest arts festival and we planned to watch a few comedians while we were there. If you ever get chance to go to, i highly suggest it, the city is bustling with people from far and wide.

I didn't fancy the four hour drive up there so we decided to get a cheap flight, we went on a small propeller plane and it only took about 50 minutes. Our hotel was situated just behind Princes Street which is a main street in the centre that faces Edinburgh castle and the Scott Monument so we were central and had easy access to shops and restaurants and North Bridge was a short walk away where you can walk over to the old part of town.

We got our caricature done while we were in Old Town.

Scott Monument

Edinburgh Castle

I didn't know until recently that Edinburgh Castle is actually on top of an extinct Volcano and there is evidence of human activity up on castle rock since the Iron Age. Some parts of the Castle have been around since the 12th century such as St Margaret's Chapel which is actually the oldest building in Edinburgh. The Castle was first used as a royal residence before later being used as military barracks and there if you visit you will see Mons Meg, a huge Cannon built in the 15th century.

I find it so interesting to think of the things that happened at the Castle and the inhabitants. If you're a Game if Thrones fan like me you may be interested to know that George R R Martin actually took inspiration for the unforgettable "Red Wedding" Episode from a real event that occurred at the castle in 1440 known as the "Black Dinner"

The 16 year old Earl of Douglass and his little brother were invited to the castle of the 10 year old King of Scotland by the Chancellor of Scotland. The Chancellor feared the Black Douglas clan were getting too powerful and so, after dinner in The Great Hall the head of a black bull was presented in front of the guests as a symbol of death. They were then dragged outside, given a mock trial in which they were found guilty of high treason and beheaded.

I would really love to return to Scotland again soon, i have always wanted to go to Hogmanay (Scots word from New Years) so i hope to have an opportunity to take more pictures of this wonderful place in the future.

Thanks for reading, any comments and upvotes are much appreciated :)