Scotland: Edinburgh & the Fringe Festival

The beauty of Scotland stretches from the Highlands to the Lowlands and especially finds its place in Edinburgh. If you ever decide to make a trip to Edinburgh, then consider visiting the city during the annual Fringe Festival. The Fringe Festival in Edinburgh is one of the best in the world, and will keep you entertained all day and night for a whole month. With over 2,500 shows in under a month this year (2013), you'll definitely find something to keep you busy. There are an endless number of free shows (many comedy acts are free), and you can't go wrong with a few laughs and smiles! 

The Fringe is such a popular festival that the poplation of Edinburgh city more than doubles from all the people that show up for the month. So if you can't handle crowds, and aren't interested in the arts, then visiting Edinburgh during this time probably isn't for you. I personally had an incredible time at the Fringe and saw a couple comedy acts, a dance/ circus show, and plenty of fun street performances.

With or without the Fringe Festival, Edinburgh still holds its own as an incredible city to visit. One of the top attractions is Edinburgh Castle, where you can take a tour of the old castle and see the recovered Honors of Scotland (the stone, the crown, the sceptor, and the sword). I toured the castle with an audio guide, which helped explain the history of the castle, each room you enter, and the architecture and decorations within and outside the Castle. I highly recommend the audio guide to make the most of your visit. Also stop to listen to any demonstrations being given; I learned some cool facts by stopping to listen. One fact I learned is that the term best man came from more barbaric times of marriage, when your best man was actually your best fighting man. Instead of just choosing a good friend to support your marriage, you chose a strong fighter to defend you in the case that an armed man tried to stop your marriage. 

Another great attraction in Edinburgh is Holyrood Palace and the Queens Gallery. If you are planning on visiting Buckingham Palace and don't want to spend extra money on something similar then just visit the Queens Gallery. This last time I went, the Gallery was showing the original drawings from Leonardo DaVinci's Mechanics of Man. The exhibit was mind-blowing and really taught me a lot about the body and about DaVinci's impact on the scientific world (versus his well known impact on the arts). The admission to the Queen's Gallery is very reasonable (around 6 pounds).

Lastly, try out a Rabbie's tour of the Highlands for a day. For around an average of 40-50 pounds each, you can have a tour guide show you around the highlands with a small group of about 15 people. The Highlands is a very large area and these tours are a great way to get introduced to a place you'll likely want to return to. The Highlands is full of amazing hiking and walking if you have an interest in outdoor activities. 

Whatever you decide to see or do in Scotland, the country is truly one of the most beautiful places I've seen. And if you're interested in the arts and free comedy shows, then you won't regret visiting Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival!