Backblog: Round 2, Edinburgh Castle

As I've mentioned previously, Edinburgh Castle is just a stone's throw up the street from my residence. Though I live so close to it, it took us about a month of living here to finally take a look around. What's nice is that I've bought a membership in an organization called Historic Scotland, so now I can go to the castle for free, as often as I like, for a year - and I get to skip the line and get my tickets from the Priority Visitor desk. The VIP treatment ain't too shabby..

To get y'all in the mood, here are some shots of the castle which I took on my first day here - I think they give you a good idea of the grandeur and presence it commands, lording over the city from the top of an extinct volcano.



The craggy rocks give you an idea as to why the Scots decided to build a castle on this site - definitely an air of impenetrability.

Coming up from the Royal Mile, the effect is a bit different, as you have to weave through hordes of tourists and try not to get hit by tour buses in the carpark. Still impressive, if you ask me:


The one thing I was especially surprised by when actually in the castle is how much space and how many buildings there are up top. Part of the castle is actually still a working military base, so there are soldiers coming and going, and some buildings are closed to the public.




I also never quite realized just how high up it is.


Here is the view to the north east, looking towards the Firth of Forth, Calton Hill, and the Scott Monument.


Everyday at one o'clock (except Sundays), a gun is fired from the Castle - originally to tell sailors on boats out in the Firth what time it was, but now more for the sake of tradition. The one o'clock gun is, in my experience, impossible to capture on film - even when you're expecting it, and have your camera all lined up and ready to go, you can't help but jump when it goes off. I never even manage to push the shutter. I also love the crowd's behaviour before and after: before is expectant silence, afterwards nervous laughter. The shot below was taken shortly before the gun went off:


Another must-see at the Castle: the crown jewels of Scotland. I've told you already about the famous Stone of Destiny, which is housed in the Royal Apartments along with the crown, sceptre, and sword of Scotland. There's a cheesy, mannequin filled museum which fills you in on the background of the jewels, which is actually an interesting history - they've been hidden away/almost lost so many times that it's impressive they survived to this day.


You can also see the small room where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her son James, who eventually united the English and Scottish monarchies as James I of England and James VI of Scotland.


And this is the Great Hall, built by Mary's grandfather James IV of Scotland:


The oldest part of the castle is St. Margaret's chapel, built by her son King David I of Scotland in the 12th Century:


The chapel was the only part spared when the rest of the original castle was destroyed during the Scottish Wars of Independence by the Scots themselves, who lacked the resources to hold the castle and decided it was better to destroy it than to let the English lay siege.

The most recent building at the Castle is the National War Memorial, built after World War I in a really striking Art Deco style - no photos allowed inside, unfortunately.

Other things to see at the Castle include: the National War Museum, museums for the military regiments based out of the Castle, a recreated military prison, recreated prisoner of war lodgings, and a pet cemetery for soldiers' pups:

For all of you who are considering a visit to Edinburgh, the Castle is a must-see. The nice thing is that I can come along too, without paying the ridiculous admission prices everytime someone comes to visit. I've already been a second time with my friend Kate when she came to visit - but more on that in Round 3...