Storming the Castle.

As part of Fresher's Week, student groups have been making daily trips up to Edinburgh Castle - one of the city's supposed must-see attractions. And despite the huge demand to get in, a friend and I were able to sneak in with a Uni group, saving £12 in the process (which, I must admit, is a bit pricey).

Aside from Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags, Edinburgh Castle is without a doubt the most recognizable blip in the city's skyline. Seen from the streets of Edinburgh, the castle, perched upon it's Castle Rock, has quite a majestic presence. Rising about 400 ft. from the Princes Street Gardens immediately below, it's a fortress inhabited by a shifting cast of Scottish royals and military figures dating back to the 9th Century BC. Featured on the premises is the birthing room of Mary Queen of Scots and an exhibition of the Scottish Honours, one of the most complete set of crown jewels anywhere in Europe.

While the history of the location was very interesting to learn about, I really felt that the charm of the castle had been slightly diminished by contemporary attempts to draw tourist business in. Take for instance the "vaults" (read: dungeons). Just being down in the cellars is definitely illustrative of what being a POW must have been like back in the days of the American Revolution, but with the added hammocks, cheesy prisoners-talking-in-accents soundtrack and prop food rations, everything down there just sort of felt like Disneyland. I don't know if it's just because I'm more used to seeing replicas than originals in SoCal and Vegas, but everything just seemed a bit too commercialized there for my taste.

Pirates of the Caribbean flashbacks notwithstanding, a very interesting location. The historical center of the city...and for free!