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This article is written by Sachin J , an avid travel writer and photographer based in Mumbai It has always been my desire to explore cities in Europe by staying there for a longer period of time than one does as a tourist. I think this is the best way to get to know the culture, traditions and people in a city. But to have my desire come true or at least a part of it without having to spend anything out of my own pocket was like a dream come true. The organization I work for won a new account in UK and some colleagues and I were sent there for 6 weeks to learn about the business and processes followed by our new client. ?attachment_id=250 while a few team members were based in london, a colleague and i were to take care of business in scottish region. We were to be based out of Edinburgh (pronounced Edinbra locally), with visits to Glasgow and Aberdeen as and when needed. Needless to say I was quite happy and excited, especially so because Scotland is not covered by most of the popular European tour packages offered by travel companies in India.
The City of Edinburgh, as seen from The Scott Monument
We landed in London on 20th February and as we were to fly to Edinburgh the very next day, spent the day visiting Big Ben, London eye, Victoria station and Buckingham palace. I will write about my experience in London in more detail in a separate blog. As we had expected weather in Edinburgh to be colder than London, it was a pleasant surprise that the temperatures were higher on the day we landed there. We were booked in a 2 bedroom serviced apartment about a 10 minute walk from city centre where most hotels, serviced apartments and tourist attractions are located. The city centre is about 8-10 Kms from the airport and it costs about £15-17 in a taxi. Alternately one can take the Airlink bus service right outside the airport to city centre. A one way adult fare is £3. 50 and £2 for children and buses are available every 5-10 minutes. I would recommend the bus unless you are travelling in a group of 4 or more in which case a taxi works out to be cheaper. There is a “Visit Scotland” tourist information shop within the airport premises and it’s the best place to get all the information one needs about the place. The staff is very helpful and they provide detailed information about anything you may want to know as a tourist for free. This is also a one stop shop where you can find free brochures for all possible attractions in Scotland including maps. Although it was [?attachment_id=250] night, our first impression of Edinburgh during the ride to city centre was “OMG! What a beautiful city”. You can hardly find buildings higher than 1-2 storeys and we later found out that the city council strives to keep it that way to maintain Edinbra's heritage looks. The ride from airport to city center takes about 20 minutes. We were booked in "Fountain Court" who have 3, 4 and 5 star serviced apartments. We preferred serviced apts over hotels because of the ample space they offer and the fact that they come fully furnished. Our apt had everything from dish washer, washing machine, microwave and electric oven, toaster, cutlery, crockery, fridge, ironing board etc. so we were completely independent. The apts are cleaned and serviced every day. A point to mention here is that most hotels and serviced apts have different rates for weekdays and weekends and also for peak and off peak seasons. So do negotiate hard if you are visiting on weekdays in off peak season. The peak season starts from April and continues till September. We had decided to make the most of the 5 weekends we would get. The first thing we did next day was to get a monthly bus pass as EDI has excellent bus service and it’s the best form of public transport to get around as a tourist. Most roads in the city have a dedicated lane for buses called the "Greenway". So using public transport can also help you beat traffic although I never experienced any traffic jams in my 6 weeks stay. There are 2 main bus transport companies in Edinburg i. e. Lothian buses and First. Lothian has more services that connect places within the city as compared to First. One has to go to the Lothian shop at West End in city centre to get the pass made as they need to take your picture. The cost of a 4 week Lothian bus pass is £45 and a one time charge of £3 for the smart card. You also have the option to get a 7 day pass which costs £15 or a day ticket which is £3. 20. The pass or a day ticket allows you unlimited travel on any Lothian bus service for that duration and in my opinion is the best way to get around the city. The day ticket or a one way ticket can be purchased from bus drivers and you do not need to go to their shop. However you need to give exact fare to drivers so make sure you carry change. As I have mentioned earlier most of the attractions in EDI are in and around the city centre area. On our first weekend we walked up to city centre and started by visiting the historic Edinburgh castle. The castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock and is Scotland’s most visited tourist attraction. I will not get in to the details but some of the attractions inside the castle include the Great hall which was used for ceremonies, National war museum which displays weapons and costumes worn by soldiers who fought wars for Scotland, the one o’ clock gun which was fired as a signal to ships etc. However what I found best about the castle other than that it gives a feeling as if you are a part of “Lord of the Rings” movie, is the magnificent view that it offers. One can see the entire city stretched in all directions from different ends of the castle. The price for admission to the castle is £14 for adults and £8. 20 for children above the age of 5. Walking out of the castle you join the Royal mile road which according to me is the best place for souvenir shopping in Edinburgh. The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh. As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle Rock down to Holyrood Abbey. The Royal Mile is Edinburgh Old Town's busiest tourist street, rivalled only by Princes Street in the New Town. The entire stretch of Royal mile road is full of shops on both sides selling Cashmere, lamb’s wool wear, t-shirts, and all sort of souvenirs like fridge magnets, mugs, Scottish kilts etc. The road also has quite a few cafes and pubs where one can take a break from shopping.A projected image in the Camera Obscura
The Royal mile road is also home to many tourist attractions. Some of the ones worth a visit are Camera Obscura which is like a house of optical illusions, The whiskey heritage centre that explains the process of whiskey production (if you cannot visit a distillery while in Scotland, do visit this place). Other attractions are St. Giles cathedral, Scottish parliament and Queen’s gallery etc. I would strongly recommend 2 places as must visit, “Mary King’s Close” and “Palace of Holyrood House”. A close is one of the many underground streets that were built over during the modernisation of the old town. The name of Mary King's Close is thought to have originated from the property owner and advocate to Mary Queen of Scots, Alexander King whose daughter was also called Mary. The tour of Mary King’s close takes about an hour and is worth a visit as you get to know about how people used to stay in the 16th and 17th centuries. Also the tour guides provide a chilling commentary and are dressed in Victorian clothes. For ticket costs and timings visit their website.The Palace of Holyroodhouse
The Palace of Holyroodhouse, is the official residence in Scotland of Her Majesty The Queen, and stands at the end of Edinburgh's Royal Mile against the spectacular backdrop of Arthur's Seat. Apart from a feeling of being in a fairy tale you get to see the way of living of Royals. The interiors ?attachment_id=250, portraits and furnishings are very rich and certainly worth a visit. For admission price and timings visit their website. The Scottish parliament is right next to Holyroodhouse palace and so is the road one can take to trek up to Arthur's seat. The trek is a easy one and a good form of excercise apart from offering amazing views of the city. Scotland is very famous with tourists for its Highland attractions. We were unlucky to find out that there are day tours from Edinbra to highlands only on our last weekend in the city. Some travel operators offer 1, 2 and 3 day tours that start from Royal Mile road. There are day tours to places such as Loch Ness, Rosslyn Chappel, St. Andrews golf course and fishing villages along with tours to highlands.The Waverly Rail Station, Edinburgh
As we had to travel from Edinbra to Glasgow and Aberdeen at times, I will mention in brief about the mode of transport etc. The main train station in Edinbra is Waverly station which is in the heart of city centre. The other station is Haymarket which is not too far from city centre. A train ride to Glasgow (Queen's street station) takes about 50 minutes and costs £19. 80 for a day return ticket or £9. 90 for a one way and the frequency of trains to Glasgow is very good. We did not get much time to explore Glasgow but it looked more of an industrial town as compared to Edinbra. We did visit a mall close to Queen's street station and one near Glasgow airport. The one near the airport has an artificial ski rink for those who love to ski in all seasons and also has a climbing arena for people to hone their rock/mountain climbing skills. The train to Aberdeen takes about 2hrs and 40 minutes and the route takes you along the east coast of Scotland. The ride offers excellent views of the coast line and in some parts the country side of Scotland. You will get to see lush green golf courses and the blue sea beyond them as soon as you cross the Stonehaven station before Aberdeen. The ticket costs an average of £40 ?attachment_id=250 for return journey but can go as high as £70 depending on availability of low priced seats. Sachin J 6 Apr 2011 http://www. oktatabyebye. com/travelogues/1597-MaharashtraslashEdinburgh_-_My_Scottish_Experience_Part_I. html