December 16, 2013
Like every great trip, my guided vacation with Trafalgar came to an end too quickly. Time flies when you are having fun, but it flies by even faster when you are exploring an incredible destination such as Britain. Our final day was spent visiting some of the iconic sights in Edinburgh, starting will a casual stroll down the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile is a name given to the group of streets that form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town.
The crown jewel of the capitol of Scotland is Edinburgh Castle. This iconic fortress commands attention, as it is perched atop Castle Rock; an extinct volcanic plug that towers over the middle of the city. In order to really understand its history and importance, we were met by a local expert with an in-depth knowledge of the castle and its grounds.
Edinburgh Castle is like no other in Britain. It is over a thousand years old and is Scotland’s most-visited tourist attraction. The castle was used by royals until the 17th Century when it was then transformed into military barracks. In the 19th Century it became an essential part of the country’s national heritage and restoration programs are ongoing to this day.
My favorite thing about the Edinburgh Castle are the spectacular views seen from every single point, no matter if you are at the lowest or highest level.
Nevertheless, it is worth venturing up to the highest level, because the uninterrupted panoramas of the city from every direction are something you will truly never forget and it is free to do so!
I am Andi Perullo de Ledesma, a Chinese Medicine Doctor and Travel Photojournalist in Charlotte, NC. I am also wife to Lucas and mother to Joaquín. Follow us as we explore life and the world one beautiful adventure at a time.
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Coming from a country with very little tangible history, I love to see super old structures like that castle!
Yes, me too! 🙂
Fantastic photos of a fantastic city. I long to return to Edinburgh!
Thank you kindly!!!
Holy awesome, these are completely amazing. I have been wanting to go to Edinburgh for ages, and now I have at least visited vicariously, thanks to your AMAZING photos!
What lens are you using?
Awww thank you so much for your sweet words, they mean the world to me!!! I have a Canon 7D with a 24-105 mm lens. I hope you can visit Edinburgh soon, it’s amazing!
Gorgeous photos as always, Andi! I really hope we’ll make it to Scotland next year.
Thank you so much sweetheart! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you and Cipri!!!
Wow Edinburgh castle is amazing! I love the photo of the city framed by the castle wall.
Yes, it’s beyond gorgeous! Thank you!
How wonderful to have such a good guide to explain the history to you! I love learning the stories behind such places. It makes the tour so much more interesting. 🙂
Yes, I agree completely!!! The one thing about Trafalgar is that you know you’re going to have an amazing guide!
I just love Edinburgh! I think it’s one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I wouldn’t mind living there permanently! 🙂 One thing, though: Maybe I understood you wrong, but visiting the castle isn’t free – it’s actually quite expensive at 16 Pounds! But worth every single penny 🙂
Oh sorry that was confusing! I meant my favorite part about the castle (the views) are free! Edinburgh is absolutely AMAZING!!!
Such beautiful photos! The castle architecture looks amazing. Edinburgh seems like such a fantastic city – I cannot wait to visit someday. In the meantime, thank you for taking me there through your great stories and photos!
It really is amazing, I hope you can make it there soon, because I know you would love it. So delighted you like my photos!!!
What a beautiful day you got! It’s not often that you see such perfect bright blue skies in Edinburgh (or any of the UK, really), but I agree that the views are great even on a more typical grey day.
Yes, I got SO lucky with the weather that day!!!
Awww, I love seeing you posting about my city! Glad you had a great trip. I used to live one street down from the castle (and was out of breath regularly!).
Haha and that’s how I feel when you post about Charleston! 🙂 How awesome that you used to live right down the street from the castle!!!