Edinburgh may be one of the biggest cities in the United Kingdom, but if you want to walk it, most of what you want to see is along the Royal Mile, the main thoroughfare of the old town. It's where you find charming shops with kilts and cashmere scarves, an inclining cobblestone street that goes uphill towards Edinburgh Castle and, yes, every other tourist who makes their way to the capital city. But, if you can't imagine a trip to Scotland without seeing a man in a kilt, there is an excellent chance that this is where you'll find them. This artist could not have found a better location to sell his works.
I spent a lot of time on the Royal Mile learning about tartans. You can explore a museum, see how they are made, learn a whole lot about them and certainly buy lot of samples. In the United States, we might refer to the fabric as plaid but that doesn't mean the same thing in Scotland. Your kilt is a tartan. Your plaid is a kilt accessory that you might sling over your shoulder or use as a bedspread. So, technically, I searched for a plaid or a scarf but not a kilt. However, I was picky. I didn't care what my plaid looked like. I wanted my plaid to be from one, and only one, of the Scottish clans, the Martins. There were magnets and key chains available. Yes, I purchased them, but I really wanted the fabric.
In every store I searched, clerks readily agreed there was a Martin clan. Alas, nobody had any of the fabric. Upon research, the closest clans affiliated with the Martins were the Camerons and the MacDonalds. I didn't go all the way to Scotland to get anything from MacDonalds, no matter how they spelled it.
I spent a lot of time on the Royal Mile learning about tartans. You can explore a museum, see how they are made, learn a whole lot about them and certainly buy lot of samples. In the United States, we might refer to the fabric as plaid but that doesn't mean the same thing in Scotland. Your kilt is a tartan. Your plaid is a kilt accessory that you might sling over your shoulder or use as a bedspread. So, technically, I searched for a plaid or a scarf but not a kilt. However, I was picky. I didn't care what my plaid looked like. I wanted my plaid to be from one, and only one, of the Scottish clans, the Martins. There were magnets and key chains available. Yes, I purchased them, but I really wanted the fabric.
In every store I searched, clerks readily agreed there was a Martin clan. Alas, nobody had any of the fabric. Upon research, the closest clans affiliated with the Martins were the Camerons and the MacDonalds. I didn't go all the way to Scotland to get anything from MacDonalds, no matter how they spelled it.
Edinburgh Castle with and without beveled windows. Across the valley from the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle was Princes Street. Tucked away in a charming little bookstore, I found the traveler's guide 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. And, right across the street from the bookstore was one of the thousand destinations, the Balmoral Hotel. Not only was it grand and luxurious, but J.K. Rowling allegedly holed up there to write part of the Harry Potter series.
As interesting as all of this is, none of it is where I tell anyone to go to first when they visit Edinburgh, Scotland. If you want my favorite spot in the city, stroll on down Princes Street until you get to 120. This gets my vote as the most beautiful Starbucks in the whole world. (Number two is in Cusco, Peru) This caffeine café is in a beautiful art deco building that overlooks the Princes Gardens and the Edinburgh Castle through beveled glass windows. There's no finer view in all of Scotland with or without caffeine.
As interesting as all of this is, none of it is where I tell anyone to go to first when they visit Edinburgh, Scotland. If you want my favorite spot in the city, stroll on down Princes Street until you get to 120. This gets my vote as the most beautiful Starbucks in the whole world. (Number two is in Cusco, Peru) This caffeine café is in a beautiful art deco building that overlooks the Princes Gardens and the Edinburgh Castle through beveled glass windows. There's no finer view in all of Scotland with or without caffeine.
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