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  • There are cities that are more than just bricks and mortar,

  • cities built on ideals,

  • cities shaped by a belief that the human experience

  • can be greater tomorrow than it is today.

  • Edinburgh, is one of those places.

  • Graced with over four and a half thousand heritage-listed buildings,

  • the Scottish capital is one of the world's most beautiful cities.

  • Edinburgh's Old Town, with its Royal Mile,

  • is filled with the ghosts of medieval merchants,

  • body snatchers,

  • and poets.

  • While its Georgian-styled New Town,

  • still shines with the glories of the Scottish Enlightenment.

  • Edinburgh is studded with lofty crags and spectacular gardens,

  • and throughout the year,

  • hosts parties and festivals like no other.

  • To see Edinburgh in all her glory, walk, ride,

  • or even climb to Arthur's Seat,

  • the highest of the city's seven peaks.

  • Some historians believe this peak was the site of

  • King Arthur's legendary castle Camelot,

  • which is hardly surprising,

  • as Edinburgh has been at the clashing crossroads of history for millennia.

  • Nearby, on another volcanic crag,

  • rise the battlements of Edinburgh Castle,

  • the very symbol of Scotland itself.

  • Over the last eleven centuries,

  • this castle has been laid siege to 26 times as opposing clans,

  • kings and countries battled with broadsword and cannon.

  • But still it stands,

  • a testimony to the indomitable spirit of the Scots.

  • Edinburgh has a special place in the hearts of today's monarchy.

  • The last of a long line of royal yachts,

  • Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia sailed over one million miles before she was decommissioned

  • in 1997.

  • Today she is permanently moored at Ocean Terminal,

  • a symbol the Royal Family's affection for Scotland and the people of Edinburgh.

  • Edinburgh has been the jewel in the crown of chieftains and royals for centuries,

  • but it's also a place where old-world chivalry continues today.

  • Beneath the crown spire of St Giles' Cathedral,

  • is Thistle Chapel, which honors the 16 living Knights and Ladies

  • of Scotland's oldest order,

  • as well as those who came before.

  • It's not just the brave and chivalrous who are celebrated in Edinburgh,

  • this is a city that has given the world some of its

  • best-loved writers and stories.

  • In Princes Street Gardens,

  • rises the world's largest monument to a writer,

  • dedicated to Sir Walter Scott,

  • who penned epics such as Ivanhoe and Rob Roy.

  • Nearby, at the Writers Museum,

  • learn more about Scott,

  • and two more of Scotland's most cherished literary adventurers,

  • Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson.

  • Edinburgh continues to cast her spell over contemporary writers too.

  • JK Rowling wrote the first two of her Harry Potter series

  • in cozy Old Town nooks,

  • such as the Elephant House Café.

  • But history and literature aside,

  • perhaps the greatest gifts that Edinburgh has given humankind

  • is in the field of knowledge,

  • which once earned the city the title,

  • The Athens of The North.

  • For over four centuries,

  • the University of Edinburgh has given us intellectual giants such as Charles Darwin,

  • David Hume and Alexander Bell.

  • Explore centuries of innovation at the Scottish Museum,

  • or head to South Queensferry to see the Forth Bridge,

  • an engineering marvel when it opened in 1890,

  • and one which still takes the breath away today.

  • Knowledge and beauty go hand in hand at the Royal Botanic Gardens too.

  • Established in 1670,

  • this is one of the world's oldest and most important centers of botanical science,

  • yet it's a place which invites even the most harried heart

  • to slow down and swoon.

  • Beauty is honored at every turn in Edinburgh,

  • whether it be the elegant interiors of the Georgian House,

  • the priceless treasures within the Scottish National Gallery,

  • or the simple flower boxes which adorn the city's pubs.

  • Edinburgh is a city that has given the world countless gifts,

  • but perhaps her greatest is this:

  • she shows us that all parts of the human experience

  • the sciences and the arts,

  • the past and the present,

  • the sacred and the light-hearted

  • all have equal value.

  • And that when brought together,

  • these things can create a beauty,

  • …a state of mind,…

  • a city,…

  • like no other.

There are cities that are more than just bricks and mortar,

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