After the castle, next on the itinerary was The Palace at Holyroodhouse – a walk down the heart of the “old city” via a collection of streets known as “The Royal Mile”. With the castle perched on one of the highest points in the city, the walk was all downhill (thank goodness)!!
Longer than a mile by 107 yards, the area was laid out by David I in the early 12th century and included an open air market and several large timber houses. Most of the houses were burned in 1544 by the English and by the 1590s had been replaced by stone structures. By 1645, 70,000 people were living in the area with serious overcrowding and the accompanying problems regarding sanitation. Two hundred years later a serious modernization effort took place with new buildings and gardens built.
Cannonball House - named for the cannonball embedded halfway up the wall (to the right - the wall without the door). One story for how it got there is that it was fired from the castle in 1745 and aimed at Holyrood Palace where Bonnie Prince Charles was staying during his attempt to regain the British throne. A more plausible explanation is that it was put there deliberately by engineers to mark the precise height above sea level of the Comiston fresh springs (seven miles to the north) which provided Edinburgh with its first piped water supply in the 1620s.
Dominating the skyline of the Royal mile is a large gothic looking structure that was built in the 1840s. It was originally built for the General Assembly of the House of Scotland. The octagonall spire is the tallest in Edinburgh at 240 feet.
In 1999, the building was converted to "The Hub" - a food court/cafe/banquet and event facility.
St. Giles Cathedral - named after a 6th century Frenchman who became the patron saint of cripples.
All along the mile were a number of gaps (called a "close") between buildings.
At one point we were approached by a man in a kilt asking for donations for a charity (I don’t remember which charity it was). Chip told him we would give him a donation if we could take his picture. At first I don't think he thought we were serious, but silly tourists that we are, we were dead serious.
On the right is the Scottish Parliament Building which opened in 2004. Somehow I expected something a little more traditional in nature. (it's only the edge of the building, but you can definately tell it's not traditional!!)
Although not a part of the Royal Mile, I wanted to include a couple of other pictures. These are actually on Princes Street (which is on the “back” side of the castle and part of “new” town).
Our hotel - the Hilton Caledonian. Built in 1903 by the Caledonian Railway Company, this historic building was just the place to celebrate our anniversary. Our Hilton Honors status got us an upgraded room which was huge (as large as a suite but without the walls) and very comfy!
Across the street from the hotel (below the "castle on the rock") is a pretty little church - St. Johns. On our way to the castle we went in to have a quick look around.
Built in 1818, St. John's is a Scottish Episcopalian church and although much smaller than the large cathedrals we had been to, the overall design and craftsmanship seemed the same.
*information from the Hilton, St. John's and Royal Mile Websites
Cheers!
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