Visit to Edinburgh Castle
 

Squatting atop its basaltic crag, in constant view from all over the city, the Castle presents a formidable destination, indeed!

The approach was across the broad Esplanade and through the Gatehouse

Continuing on through the grand Portcullis Gate left no doubt that this castle was nearly impregnable.

Once inside, the ramparts offered awesome views of the city.

A broad inclined passageway leads to Foog's Gate and through into the Citadel, the most defensible area of the castle.

We paid homage to Saint Margaret in her chapel.....

... and patted Meg Mons, the chubby monstrous cannon, before admiring the special cemetery set aside by the soldiers for their pets.

Standing in Crown Square, we admired the Royal Palace and inside the Queen Anne Building we oohed and aahed over the crown jewels (no photos allowed).

Entering the Great Hall, we admired the hammerbeam roof and walls lined with weapons, imagining grand meetings of knights and royalty and were serenaded by a lively singer.

As we explored, we felt the ghosts of all the soldiers who had defended and attacked this stronghold over the centuries. In fact, soldiers were still stationed in the barracks until 1914 (left below). A rather surprising structure, the Scottish National War Memorial, was added to Crown Square completed in 1927 (right below).

The castle turned out to be more extensive and more complex and with so many aspects to absorb that we agreed that we needed to visit again when we return to Scotland!

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