Cruise destination Edinburgh Scotland

Why take a cruise to Edinburgh, Scotland? Several reasons.

First, there is the atmosphere of the City. Edinburgh was never an industrial factory town like so make town and so has not been saddled with a core populated with closed and disintegrating factories. Yes, they had to do some urban renewal in the last half of the 20^th century but that was more in the nature of refurbishment than starting over. As a result, Edinburgh's grand neo-classical buildings and Georgian residences set the stage for a lively environment. Add to this a long tradition of fostering intellectual and artistic achievement and the presence of a lot of young people studying there and you have an exciting and fun place to be.

Second, there is a lot of history there. Edinburgh has been around for a long time and it has not been an uneventful story. For example, it was the setting for the story of Mary Queen of Scots. A beautiful and intelligent woman, she became Queen of Scotland by birth and was Queen of France by marriage. She also came close to obtaining the throne of England. However, she lost the French throne when her first husband died. Then marrying twice more, each time for love, she lost the Scottish throne in the process. Fleeing to England, she sought the protection of her cousin Queen Elizabeth but was executed after being implicated in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth and take her throne. Along the way, her second husband had her secretary murdered because he was convinced that Mary was having an affair with him. Then her second husband was himself murdered, probably by the man who became her third husband. And to top it off, she had a baby who eventually became the first king of England and Scotland. Who said history was dull?

Third, Edinburgh is a tourist friendly city. Most of the major attractions including the castle that looms above the city on a volcanic mesa and the current Queen Elizabeth's Scottish palace, are within walking distance in the center of the city. In addition, there are pubs, shops, and numerous other things to do especially during August when the major festivals are staged.

We have added an Edinburgh section to Beyondships with photos and information about visiting the city. http://www.beyondships3.com/edinburgh-scotland.html This includes a page devoted to the three cruise ports that serve Edinburgh. http://www.beyondships3.com/edinburgh-scotland-cruise-ports.html

We also have separate feature articles on the amazing Edinburgh Military Tattoo http://www.beyondships3.com/edinburgh-scotland-military-tattoo.html ; on visiting Edinburgh Castle http://www.beyondships3.com/edinburgh-castle-scotland.html ; on visiting the Queen's palace Holyroodhouse http://www.beyondships3.com/cruise-destination-scotland-holyroodhouse.html ; and on visiting the Royal Yacht Britannia, which is berthed in Edinburgh. http://www.beyondships3.com/visiting-royal-yacht-britannia.html