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Edinburgh is Scotland's capital. The Scottish Parliament's award-winning new facility sits near storied Holyrood House at one end of the Royal Mile, and at the other Edinburgh Castle rises on its rock. In between and around, ancient and modern treasures of the Kingdom of Scotland are on display.
Galleries and museums
The three National Galleries hold much of Scotland's most famous art. The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Bedford Road is housed in two buildings. One focuses on the early twentieth century and contains works of Picasso and Matisse. The other gallery houses the best of Surrealism and Dada. A major outdoor sculpture collection sits in the gallery's grounds. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery contains works of portraiture with a Scottish connection as well as the National Photography Collection. The 2011 renovations aim to expand display space as well as visitor services. The Scottish National Gallery is housed in three connected buildings containing artworks from the beginning of the Renaissance until the dawn of the twentieth century. The National Gallery's popularity with visitors is second only to Edinburgh Castle among Edinburgh attractions.
The National Museum of Scotland offers exhibits on the natural history, science, culture and history of Scotland and the world. It includes a life-sized cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, an amethyst geode nearly two metres tall, a collection of jewellery and coins with connections to Mary, Queen of Scots and the mounted remains of Dolly the sheep, the first animal cloned from an adult cell. The Scottish National War Museum is housed in Edinburgh Castle. It contains equipment and uniforms as well as documentation such as diaries, letters and photographs that give insight into the life of Scottish soldiers through the ages.
The John Knox House on Edinburgh's Royal Mile was the final home of Protestant reformer John Knox. It sits near the site of Edinburgh's long-vanished city gate in a neighbourhood referred to as Netherbow. Its three floors display not only the structure's quality of construction but also details of the lives of those who lived there. The Scottish Storytelling Centre has its headquarters here, and the 1621 Netherbow Bell and a plaque from the old gate are installed in the bell tower.
Visitors interested in naval history or in the Royal Family may be interested in the Royal Yacht, Britannia. The vessel has been moored in Leith, Edinburgh's port, since it was decommissioned in 1997. The vessel was built in John Brown's shipyard in Clydebank in 1953. While Britannia was the eighty-third royal yacht, it was the first to be capable of long ocean voyages.
The Edinburgh Festival
In August of each year Edinburgh is the nexus of an extraordinary confluence of cultural activity. The Edinburgh Festival is actually a succession of events put on by independent authorities and connected only by time and place. Taken together, however, they make up the largest arts festival in the world. Events include the original Edinburgh International Festival with performances by big names like the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the National Theatre of Scotland. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival features lesser known talents. The Book Festival, the Edinburgh Tattoo and a wide assortment of other events take place at the same time.
Just before the actual festival gets going, the cinema community holds the Edinburgh International Film Festival. A series of late events lasts until the city's famous Christmas celebration.
Access and Places to Stay
Edinburgh has lodging at every level. Hostels, bed and breakfasts and guesthouses sit near luxury hotels of all eras. Dining options range from top of the line haute cuisine all the way down to pub grub and takeaways, and all of it is delicious. One of the most atmospheric is the Witchery, a full service restaurant hard by Edinburgh Castle. Its premises are historical recreations and its food is Scottish cuisine at its best. Edinburgh also has its share of pubs, so many that a determined drinker could spend an entire week's holiday in pub crawls without repeating one.
The International Airport in Edinburgh handles nine million passengers per year. Waverly Station is important not only as the arrival point for London trains but also as an example of Victorian architecture. Built in 1868 on the site of three previous stations in a drained loch in central Edinburgh, its 24 platforms occupy 25 acres, making Waverly second in size only to London Waterloo among UK stations. First rate bus and motor coach service connect Edinburgh with the rest of Scotland and other parts of the UK. Because of the congestion in the city centre, use of a car in the city is inadvisable. A car can be quite useful, however, in exploring nearby communities.
Accommodation in Edinburgh
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