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There are cities that are more than just bricks and mortar,
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cities built on ideals,
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…cities shaped by a belief that the human experience
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can be greater tomorrow than it is today.
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Edinburgh, is one of those places.
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Graced with over four and a half thousand heritage-listed buildings,
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the Scottish capital is one of the world's most beautiful cities.
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Edinburgh's Old Town, with its Royal Mile,
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is filled with the ghosts of medieval merchants,
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body snatchers,
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and poets.
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While its Georgian-styled New Town,
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still shines with the glories of the Scottish Enlightenment.
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Edinburgh is studded with lofty crags and spectacular gardens,
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and throughout the year,
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hosts parties and festivals like no other.
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To see Edinburgh in all her glory, walk, ride,
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or even climb to Arthur's Seat,
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the highest of the city's seven peaks.
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Some historians believe this peak was the site of
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King Arthur's legendary castle Camelot,
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which is hardly surprising,
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as Edinburgh has been at the clashing crossroads of history for millennia.
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Nearby, on another volcanic crag,
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rise the battlements of Edinburgh Castle,
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the very symbol of Scotland itself.
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Over the last eleven centuries,
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this castle has been laid siege to 26 times as opposing clans,
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kings and countries battled with broadsword and cannon.
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But still it stands,
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a testimony to the indomitable spirit of the Scots.
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Edinburgh has a special place in the hearts of today's monarchy.
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The last of a long line of royal yachts,
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Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia sailed over one million miles before she was decommissioned
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in 1997.
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Today she is permanently moored at Ocean Terminal,
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a symbol the Royal Family's affection for Scotland and the people of Edinburgh.
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Edinburgh has been the jewel in the crown of chieftains and royals for centuries,
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but it's also a place where old-world chivalry continues today.
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Beneath the crown spire of St Giles' Cathedral,
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is Thistle Chapel, which honors the 16 living Knights and Ladies
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of Scotland's oldest order,
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as well as those who came before.
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It's not just the brave and chivalrous who are celebrated in Edinburgh,
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this is a city that has given the world some of its
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best-loved writers and stories.
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In Princes Street Gardens,
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rises the world's largest monument to a writer,
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dedicated to Sir Walter Scott,
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who penned epics such as Ivanhoe and Rob Roy.
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Nearby, at the Writers Museum,
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learn more about Scott,
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and two more of Scotland's most cherished literary adventurers,
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Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson.
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Edinburgh continues to cast her spell over contemporary writers too.
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JK Rowling wrote the first two of her Harry Potter series
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in cozy Old Town nooks,
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such as the Elephant House Café.
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But history and literature aside,
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perhaps the greatest gifts that Edinburgh has given humankind
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is in the field of knowledge,
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which once earned the city the title,
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The Athens of The North.
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For over four centuries,
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the University of Edinburgh has given us intellectual giants such as Charles Darwin,
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David Hume and Alexander Bell.
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Explore centuries of innovation at the Scottish Museum,
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or head to South Queensferry to see the Forth Bridge,
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an engineering marvel when it opened in 1890,
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and one which still takes the breath away today.
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Knowledge and beauty go hand in hand at the Royal Botanic Gardens too.
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Established in 1670,
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this is one of the world's oldest and most important centers of botanical science,
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yet it's a place which invites even the most harried heart
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to slow down and swoon.
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Beauty is honored at every turn in Edinburgh,
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whether it be the elegant interiors of the Georgian House,
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…the priceless treasures within the Scottish National Gallery,
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…or the simple flower boxes which adorn the city's pubs.
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Edinburgh is a city that has given the world countless gifts,
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but perhaps her greatest is this:
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she shows us that all parts of the human experience
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the sciences and the arts,
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the past and the present,
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the sacred and the light-hearted
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all have equal value.
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And that when brought together,
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these things can create a beauty,
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…a state of mind,…
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a city,…
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like no other.