E I G H T
S H A D E S
O F
EDINBURGH
BY MIKE DUNPHY
“Edinburgh is what Paris ought to be,”
said Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island and The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Indeed, the romance of Dùn
Èideann, as the Scottish capital is called in the Gaelic tongue, has
inspired generations of novelists, poets, scientists and philosophers,
earning its nickname, “Athens of the North.” It comes with its own
acropolis, Calton Hill, atop which a Greek-style temple pays tribute to
lost Scottish sailors and soldiers. But it’s the atmospheric Edinburgh
Castle on Castlehill that sets the tone, having served as the main stage
for centuries of torrid history.
But if the stones of Edinburgh are ancient, the people are young, with
roughly 60 percent of the half-million Edinburgers under the age of
40, and nearly 80,000 of those attending college. That translates into
a thriving dining, shopping, arts and entertainment scene, rife with
cutting-edge restaurants, fashion boutiques, distilleries, galleries,
nightclubs, theaters and sporting venues threading the city, including
the so-called “Michelin mile,” with four Michelin star restaurants
and another four with Bib Gourmand status stretching from the city
center to the Leith docks.
Whichever color you choose to paint the town, Edinburgh has the
shade to suit you best.
Neist Point Lighthouse, Scotland
Credit: Shaiith via iStock
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