A country straight out of a historical movie: We are in the land of kings who tamed unicorns.

MerryTravel, Lifestyle2 months ago656 Views

We are in Scotland, which comes to mind with its thousands of shades of green and magnificent nature, dark and gloomy gothic buildings, ever-changing weather, ghost stories, knights, wizards, witches, unicorns, and intriguing wars for the throne. Let’s start touring this vast geography with its lakes and forests from the capital city Edinburgh.

Athens of the North

Edinburgh, the famous capital of Scotland, is called the “Athens of the North” because of its cultural level. Edinburgh, which has two districts called the old and new city, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Before we start telling about Edinburgh, let’s remember Scotland briefly.

Scotland, which is part of the United Kingdom, did not appear on the world stage with the English. The name of the country, where excavations revealed remains dating back to 2000 BC and the Iron Age, is mentioned in the Ancient Greek and Roman periods. However, its official history begins with the Middle Ages.

At the end of the 1500s, when Scotland was a powerful kingdom, when Queen Elizabeth I of England died without an heir, the Scottish king, Charles VI, became king of England because he was the closest relative to the throne. In 1603, he was Charles VI for Scotland and Charles I for England. Together with Scotland, he starts to rule England, Ireland and Wales under the English crown from a single center under the name of ‘Union of Crowns’. And after various processes, a state called ‘United Kingdom’ emerged. Scotland, a part of this kingdom, is at the northernmost tip of the island. Although we know it as the cute toy animal of children, the ‘unicorn’ from Celtic mythology is used as the official symbol on the coat of arms of the country. In mythology, the unicorn, a wild horse that can never be tamed, is depicted in Scottish coats of arms with a chain around its neck. This emphasizes that the Scottish kings were strong enough to tame even the wildest horses.

Touristic capital

Known for its medieval and Georgian architecture, 12th century castle, pubs, museums, majestic buildings and the Fringe Festival (the world’s largest performing arts festival) in August, the city hosts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

All important places in Edinburgh are within walking distance. As you walk, you will often see people wearing a special skirt called kilt and playing their bagpipes from the 1700s. Don’t forget to take lots of photos with these generally handsome gentlemen.

Although Scots don’t like that movie full of historical mistakes, the first thing that comes to many people’s minds when they think of Scotland is the movie ‘Braveheart’ and Mel Gibson in a kilt. William Wallace, the Scottish patriot who raised the flag of rebellion against the British and fought for Scotland’s independence, was nicknamed ‘Braveheart’. The kilt was originally a large blanket that men living in mountainous terrain wrapped around their bodies to protect them from the cold. In the 18th century, their length became shorter due to the difficulty of use while fighting and working. Today, kilt skirts are worn on special occasions as traditional clothing, with various colors and patterns representing clans.

Let’s start our tour from the highest point of Edinburgh, the castle, and enjoy the view first. The castle, which was used by the royal family until 1571, built on volcanic rocks, the castle, which is the scene of magnificent sunsets, and the Scottish royal jewels inside are breathtaking. Especially the crown built in the 1540s during the reign of Robert the Bruce is magnificent…

What’s a castle without a ghost story! Rumor has it that in the middle of the night drums are beating and the sound of chains is coming from the old dungeon. Similar things are said to happen in all 44 castles in the city.

When you leave the castle and walk down the Royal Mile Street full of souvenir shops and restaurants, you will see St. Giles Cathedral, built in 1120. Then you’ll see St. Giles Cathedral, a landmark in Scottish history,
Built in 1498, Holyrood Palace is identified with Queen Mary, who became Queen of Scotland at the age of 9 months. Some parts of the building, which is still used as the summer residence of the royal family, are open to visitors.

The softest and highest quality water

Princes Street in Edinburgh is one of the liveliest places in the city. You can buy malt whisky from Scotland, the famous Scottish fabric called tartan and sweaters, scarves and gloves made of Scottish wool. The fame of malt whiskeys comes from the spring waters filtered through granite rocks in the high mountains of Scotland. The streams flow with the softest and highest quality water in the world. There are over 100 whisky distilleries around these streams.

A UK visa is required for Turks entering Scotland. Let’s end with one last shopping note; minimum
For a £30 purchase, you can get a tax refund.

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