Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Continue on down the Royal Mile to the:
12
Parliament Building
The new Parliament Building for Scotland, (designed by Spanish Catalan
architect Enric Miralles), was initially intended to open in 2001, but didn't host
its first session until autumn 2004. In 2006, the building suffered another
setback when a beam in the main debating chamber came loose. The abstract
motif, repeated on the facade along the Canongate, was apparently inspired by
Raeburn's painting of
Reverend Walker skating on Duddingston Loch
, which
hangs in the National Gallery of Art. Whatever critics have said about it, it is
undoubtedly one of the most impressive modern public buildings to have been
built in the U.K. since the turn of the century.
Continue to the foot of the Canongate and the:
13
Palace & Abbey of Holyroodhouse
Rood means cross, and the ruined abbey on the grounds of Holyroodhouse
dates to King David I and 1128. Between 1426 and 1460, James II was born,
crowned, married, and buried at the Palace (p. 94). Later, James IV expanded
the buildings, as did his heir—all to be redone again in the 17th century by
King Charles II, who never apparently visited. A critical episode in the fraught
reign of Mary, Queen of Scots was played out here: The assassination of her
loyal assistant David Rizzio. Young Pretender Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed at
the Palace briefly in 1745 during his nearly successful, but ultimately disas-
trous, rebellion. For many years, the Palace remained empty most of the time.
Only since the first visit by Queen Victoria in 1842 have its lodgings been
regularly used by members of the royal family. The Queen's Gallery opened in
2002 for exhibitions, featuring works from the vast royal collection of art.
9
Adjacent is:
14
Holyrood Park
If you have any energy left, these 160 plus hectares (400 acres) of open space
allow plenty of ground to roam. From here you can scale Salisbury Crags and
mount the high hill known as Arthur's Seat, which rises some 251m (825 ft.)
above Edinburgh. Nearby is the science- and family-oriented tourist attraction,
Our Dynamic Earth (p. 94).
WALKING TOUR 2:
SOUTH OF THE ROYAL MILE
START:
West Bow.
FINISH:
Grassmarket.
TIME:
About 1
1
⁄
2
hours.
BEST TIME:
Daytime.
WORST TIME:
Late at night.
The walls surrounding medieval Edinburgh (first erected as much to deter smuggling
as to protect inhabitants from enemy armies) were generally expanded to include
more ground each time the fortifications needed improving. So, eventually they
extended past the original Old Town boundaries to include surrounding districts such
