Old Town of Edinburgh:
This is a view of the Old Town from the New Town. Because this is absolutely our favorite picture of Edinburgh, we start this post with it.
Old Town is centered around the Royal Mile, which stretches down the spine of a hill from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, bearing 4 different names along the way: Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, and Canongate. Walking along, we saw some of the most interesting old structures in the city, with turrets, gables, and towering chimneys. We also really enjoyed peaking into the old closes (like sunken alleys that used to be the streets of Old Town until the Royal Mile was built above them).
Just downhill from Edinburgh Castle, High Kirk of St. Giles -- and its steeple in particular -- is one of the most important architectural landmarks along the Royal Mile. Here is where Scotland's Martin Luther, John Knox, preached his sermons on the Reformation. Often called St. Giles Cathedral, the building combines a dark and brooding stone exterior (the result of a Victorian-era restoration) with graceful buttresses. Only the tower represents the medieval era of the church.
One of its outstanding interior features is Thistle Chapel, housing beautiful stalls and stained-glass windows.
St. Giles' tower can be seen from almost anywhere on the Royal Mile.
First, there's nothing they love more than a sale at the "Whisky Shop".
Second, they love their bag pipes LOUD!!!! Casandra really couldn't get any closer to this Scotsman because the pipes are so incredibly loud without any kind of electronic assistance.
Third, they still have tartan factories. Each tartan pattern represents a traditional family name. Tartans representing their families are worn by men to all kinds of elegant occassions and to rugby matches. And a real Scotsman never wears anything under his tartan. By the way, call it a skirt and you'll get a pounding.
Fourth, the Scottish love their pubs so much that they give them names packed with history. For example - Deacon Brodies (where we had bangers & mash and haggis), which sits across from Brodie's Close (an alley off the Royal Mile) was named after William Brodie. Brodie was a respectable councilor and deacon of trades by day -- but a notorious thief by night. Brodie's apparent split personality (actually he was simply calculating and devious) was apparently the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Brodie was finally caught and hanged in 1788. In a final irony, the mechanism used in the hangman's scaffold was perfected by none other than Brodie himself -- and he tried to defy its action by secretly wearing a steel collar under his shirt. It didn't work. 
Finally, the Scottish truly treasure loyalty and, as a result, there is no more famous dog than Greyfriar's Bobby (not surprisingly, the terrier has a pub named after him). So here is Bobby's story - In 1858, a man named John Gray was buried in old Greyfriars Churchyard. His grave levelled by the hand of time, and unmarked by any stone, became scarcely discernible; but, although no human interest seemed to attach to it. The sacred spot was not wholly disregarded or forgotten. For fourteen years the dead man's faithful dog kept constant watch and guard over the grave until his own death in 1872. The famous Skye Terrier, Greyfriars Bobby was so devoted to his master John Gray, even in death, for fourteen years Bobby lay on the grave only leaving for food. It is reported that a daily occurance of people from all walks of life would stand at the entrance of the Kirkyard waiting for the one o'clock gun and the appearance of Bobby leaving the grave for his midday meal.
No walk along the Royal Mile would be complete without venturing down into Mary King's Close. Beneath the City Chambers lies a warren of hidden streets where people lived and worked for centuries. When the Royal Exchange (now the City Chambers) was constructed in 1753, the top floors of the existing buildings were torn down while the lower sections were left standing and used as the foundations. This left a number of dark, mysterious passages largely intact. These underground "closes," originally very narrow walkways with houses on either side, date back centuries. In 2003, the first groups -- led by guides dressed up as characters from the past -- began to visit these dwellings for the first time in perhaps 250 years. During the tour, the guide took us back to the turbulent and plague-ridden days of the 17th century.
After a day jam packed with sightseeing, we hit the light-hearted tour of Edinburgh's Dungeons located below the Mound. These underground dungeons were the site for some pretty horrific torture and deplorable prison conditions. Our favorite part was posing for this zany picture.
This is a view of the Old Town from the New Town. Because this is absolutely our favorite picture of Edinburgh, we start this post with it.Old Town is centered around the Royal Mile, which stretches down the spine of a hill from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, bearing 4 different names along the way: Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, and Canongate. Walking along, we saw some of the most interesting old structures in the city, with turrets, gables, and towering chimneys. We also really enjoyed peaking into the old closes (like sunken alleys that used to be the streets of Old Town until the Royal Mile was built above them).
Just downhill from Edinburgh Castle, High Kirk of St. Giles -- and its steeple in particular -- is one of the most important architectural landmarks along the Royal Mile. Here is where Scotland's Martin Luther, John Knox, preached his sermons on the Reformation. Often called St. Giles Cathedral, the building combines a dark and brooding stone exterior (the result of a Victorian-era restoration) with graceful buttresses. Only the tower represents the medieval era of the church.
One of its outstanding interior features is Thistle Chapel, housing beautiful stalls and stained-glass windows.
St. Giles' tower can be seen from almost anywhere on the Royal Mile. On our way back to our apartment in the Grass Market area of Old Town, we strolled along the Royal Mile stopping for some pics in the red phone booths (not often used now that everyone has a cell phone but much too unique and British to remove).
This is the view from our apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Grassmarket Square, which is lined with pubs and late night hot spots as well as some impressive casual restaurants.
Our apartment sits on a street named West Bow, no doubt for its extremely curved shape, so characteristic of Old Town. We loved walking along this street and peaking into all the local shops. Despite its amazing old-fashion feel, the area is among the trendiest of Edinburgh. While narrow, curvy streets are common in Old Town, New Town was built under a pre-designed urban plan and the streets are straight and wide to allow for the flow of automobile traffic and pedestrians.
The Royal Mile spanning across Old Town is definitely the best area to see all things Scottish. And the Scots prove true all stereotypes about them.
First, there's nothing they love more than a sale at the "Whisky Shop".Second, they love their bag pipes LOUD!!!! Casandra really couldn't get any closer to this Scotsman because the pipes are so incredibly loud without any kind of electronic assistance. Third, they still have tartan factories. Each tartan pattern represents a traditional family name. Tartans representing their families are worn by men to all kinds of elegant occassions and to rugby matches. And a real Scotsman never wears anything under his tartan. By the way, call it a skirt and you'll get a pounding.Fourth, the Scottish love their pubs so much that they give them names packed with history. For example - Deacon Brodies (where we had bangers & mash and haggis), which sits across from Brodie's Close (an alley off the Royal Mile) was named after William Brodie. Brodie was a respectable councilor and deacon of trades by day -- but a notorious thief by night. Brodie's apparent split personality (actually he was simply calculating and devious) was apparently the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Brodie was finally caught and hanged in 1788. In a final irony, the mechanism used in the hangman's scaffold was perfected by none other than Brodie himself -- and he tried to defy its action by secretly wearing a steel collar under his shirt. It didn't work. Finally, the Scottish truly treasure loyalty and, as a result, there is no more famous dog than Greyfriar's Bobby (not surprisingly, the terrier has a pub named after him). So here is Bobby's story - In 1858, a man named John Gray was buried in old Greyfriars Churchyard. His grave levelled by the hand of time, and unmarked by any stone, became scarcely discernible; but, although no human interest seemed to attach to it. The sacred spot was not wholly disregarded or forgotten. For fourteen years the dead man's faithful dog kept constant watch and guard over the grave until his own death in 1872. The famous Skye Terrier, Greyfriars Bobby was so devoted to his master John Gray, even in death, for fourteen years Bobby lay on the grave only leaving for food. It is reported that a daily occurance of people from all walks of life would stand at the entrance of the Kirkyard waiting for the one o'clock gun and the appearance of Bobby leaving the grave for his midday meal. No walk along the Royal Mile would be complete without venturing down into Mary King's Close. Beneath the City Chambers lies a warren of hidden streets where people lived and worked for centuries. When the Royal Exchange (now the City Chambers) was constructed in 1753, the top floors of the existing buildings were torn down while the lower sections were left standing and used as the foundations. This left a number of dark, mysterious passages largely intact. These underground "closes," originally very narrow walkways with houses on either side, date back centuries. In 2003, the first groups -- led by guides dressed up as characters from the past -- began to visit these dwellings for the first time in perhaps 250 years. During the tour, the guide took us back to the turbulent and plague-ridden days of the 17th century. After a day jam packed with sightseeing, we hit the light-hearted tour of Edinburgh's Dungeons located below the Mound. These underground dungeons were the site for some pretty horrific torture and deplorable prison conditions. Our favorite part was posing for this zany picture. Finally, at the end of the Royal Mile closest to the Palace at Holyroodhouse is the Scottish Parliamentary building. After much controversy over its cost -- £500 million ($925 million) -- and the time it took to construct, the new Scottish Parliament finally opened in autumn 2004. Designed by the late Barcelona-based architect Enric Miralles, it is a remarkable bit of modern design and perhaps worth the expense and delays. The abstract motif repeated on the facade was apparently inspired by Raeburn's painting of Rev. Walker skating on a Duddingston Loch, which we saw in the National Gallery of Art.
New Town of Edinburgh:
Here we are crossing North Bridge into New Town with the Balmoral Hotel in the background.
Here is a look up Princes Street, New Town's main thoroughfare with the Sir Walter Scott Monument and the Balmoral Hotel always visible. 
Here is Kenny in the lobby of the Balmoral Hotel - a Rocco Forte 5-star property.
We had afternoon tea at the Balmoral, which included the most amazing chocolate scones ever. 
The spread was so plentiful that we asked for a doggy bag. There is Casandra sitting in the opulent Palm Court Bar and Lounge with our leftovers.
After tea, we continued our tour of New Town, walking down Princes Street and came upon this 200 foot high monument honoring author Sir Walter Scott. It's definitely the most distinct structure in Edinburgh. It was officially inaugurated on August 15, 1846, some 14 years after Scott's death. His statue sitting inside the gothic arches, carved by Sir John Steell in carrara marble, is twice life size. 
On the hill known as "the Mound" overlooking Princes Street Gardens is the beautiful, gothic University of Edinburgh, which has been open since 1583 (originally only for teaching divinity).
As we descended from the Mound, we visited the National Gallery of Scotland, which contains works such as Botticelli's The Virgin adoring the Sleeping Christ Child; Titian's two Diana canvases; and Venus Rising from the Sea. There are also works by Raphael, El Greco and Velázquez and Dutch art by Rembrandt and Van Dyck. Impressionism is represented by Cézanne, Degas, van Gogh, Renoir, Gauguin, and Seurat. In the basement wing, Scottish art is highlighted. Henry Raeburn is at his best in the whimsical The Rev. Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, while the late-19th-century Glasgow School is represented by artists such as Sir James Guthrie.
We left the Gallery and walked along Princes Street capturing these magnificent views of Old and New Town.
This is the original Bank of Scotland.
This is a nightime picture of the Balmoral Hotel all lit up.
We concluded our discovery of New Town with dinner at Oloroso, a wonderful, creative restaurant located just off Princes Street with amazing views of Edinburgh.
Our favorite course was dessert. Casandra had a warm, vanilla tort with a baked chocolate soup and Kenny had a caramel-laced, warm bread pudding with a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream. Don't they look scrumptuous!!!
On our way home we captured this picture of the famous "Black Cab" with the lit up Bank of Scotland in the background. We decided that, after all that dessert, we should walk home.
New Town of Edinburgh:
Here we are crossing North Bridge into New Town with the Balmoral Hotel in the background.Here is a look up Princes Street, New Town's main thoroughfare with the Sir Walter Scott Monument and the Balmoral Hotel always visible. Here is Kenny in the lobby of the Balmoral Hotel - a Rocco Forte 5-star property.We had afternoon tea at the Balmoral, which included the most amazing chocolate scones ever. The spread was so plentiful that we asked for a doggy bag. There is Casandra sitting in the opulent Palm Court Bar and Lounge with our leftovers.After tea, we continued our tour of New Town, walking down Princes Street and came upon this 200 foot high monument honoring author Sir Walter Scott. It's definitely the most distinct structure in Edinburgh. It was officially inaugurated on August 15, 1846, some 14 years after Scott's death. His statue sitting inside the gothic arches, carved by Sir John Steell in carrara marble, is twice life size. On the hill known as "the Mound" overlooking Princes Street Gardens is the beautiful, gothic University of Edinburgh, which has been open since 1583 (originally only for teaching divinity).As we descended from the Mound, we visited the National Gallery of Scotland, which contains works such as Botticelli's The Virgin adoring the Sleeping Christ Child; Titian's two Diana canvases; and Venus Rising from the Sea. There are also works by Raphael, El Greco and Velázquez and Dutch art by Rembrandt and Van Dyck. Impressionism is represented by Cézanne, Degas, van Gogh, Renoir, Gauguin, and Seurat. In the basement wing, Scottish art is highlighted. Henry Raeburn is at his best in the whimsical The Rev. Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, while the late-19th-century Glasgow School is represented by artists such as Sir James Guthrie.We left the Gallery and walked along Princes Street capturing these magnificent views of Old and New Town.
This is the original Bank of Scotland.This is a nightime picture of the Balmoral Hotel all lit up.
We concluded our discovery of New Town with dinner at Oloroso, a wonderful, creative restaurant located just off Princes Street with amazing views of Edinburgh.
Our favorite course was dessert. Casandra had a warm, vanilla tort with a baked chocolate soup and Kenny had a caramel-laced, warm bread pudding with a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream. Don't they look scrumptuous!!! On our way home we captured this picture of the famous "Black Cab" with the lit up Bank of Scotland in the background. We decided that, after all that dessert, we should walk home.
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