Edinburgh is a relatively small city (about 500,000 people) and very compact -- almost everywhere in the city center (including the University) is within walking distance. The Royal Mile, in the Old Town, is the most heavily touristed area, with many street performers, narrow alleys and closes, churches, and the Edinburgh Castle. I visited the Parliament, which is a brand new and very controversial building (mostly due to its enormous cost overruns -- the building itself is, in my opinion, a very handsome piece of architecture). Holyrood Park is just a few minutes' walk from the city center, and contains Arthur's Seat (an extinct volcano) and the Salisbury Crags, which make a beautiful backdrop to the city (you can see them in the background in some of the Parliament shots). I took a day trip down to the Borders region to see the remnants of Hadrian's Wall, the northernmost outpost of the Roman Empire, which is now in northern England. It's about three hours' drive, and we stopped at some other sights on the way: Rosslyn Chapel, now famous due to its prominence in "The Da Vinci Code", and Melrose Abbey, which we were not able to enter because it turned out that the Duke of Buccleuch had just passed away, and his funeral was being held there. There were many official-looking persons. Most of these pictures were taken during a trip in September; the ones at the bottom are from November, when I went back to scout out different neighborhoods.
Click a picture to see a larger view.

authentic Scottish food
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Street scene
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Street scene
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Arthur's seat
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? with Arthur's Seat behind
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Arthur's seat
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Salisbury Crags
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Arthur's Seat
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Holyrood Park
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In Holyrood Park
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Salisbury Crags
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View of Edi from Holyrood Park
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Salisbury Crags and Edi
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Salisbury Crags
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Crags/Arthur's Seat
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Downtown
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Edinburgh Castle
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North Bridge and the Balmoral hotel
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Governor's house
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The Royal Mile (Old town)
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Old town
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Old town
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Old town
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Parliament
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Parliament
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Parliament
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View from Parliament
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Parliament (observer's seats)
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Parliament
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Parliament
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Parliament
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Parliament
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Parliament
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Parliament
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Parliament
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Parliament
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Old town
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Royal Mile (old town)
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St. Giles
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View near the Castle
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Edinburgh Castle
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View of New Town
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View of New Town
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Near the Castle
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St. Giles (?)
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View of New Town
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Street performers on break
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Rosslyn Chapel
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Green man in Rosslyn Chapel
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Rosslyn Chapel exterior (newer addition)
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Rosslyn Chapel exterior
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At Rosslyn Chapel
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From Rosslyn Chapel
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Melrose Abbey
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Melrose Abbey
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Melrose Abbey
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Melrose Abbey
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Funeral of the Duke of Buccleuch at Melrose Abbey
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Melrose Abbey
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Melrose Abbey
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Hadrian's Wall
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From Hadrian's Wall
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Hadrian's wall
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Hadrian's wall
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Near Hadrian's wall
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From Hadrian's wall
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Hadrian's wall
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View from Hadrian's wall
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View from Hadrian's wall
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Hadrian's wall
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Hadrian's wall
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Mile House along Hadrian's wall
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England/Scotland border
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England/Scotland border
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England/Scotland border
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At the border
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Bruntsfield
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Nov. morning in the Meadows (taken w/ phone)
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The Meadows
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The Meadows (and Arthur's Seat)
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Old Town
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Old Town
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Future Informatics building
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Current Informatics building (on right)
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Edinburgh Castle
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New Town
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New Town/Stockbridge
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Dean Village
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Giant props
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