The Number 11’s brakes squealed and let out a whoosh as the bus jerked to a halt on Edinburgh’s busy Princes Street. The driver opened the door, and two people, who had never before crossed an ocean, now found themselves about to step out into the heart of Scotland’s capital city. Mr. C and I bubbled with anticipation. Excited about the day ahead, we climbed off of the red and white double-decker and took our first tentative steps onto the bustling street. Buses, cabs, cars, bicycles, pedestrians all were players in the well-organized chaos around us. Ahead, the Scott Monument-very Gothic, and very impressive-pointed sharply toward the sky. The squeal of a bagpipe cried in the distance. It was May, the weather was beautiful, and we had one destination in mind – Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
A “Scots Mile” long, the Royal Mile is the beating heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. It is a series of four connecting streets that begin on the west end at Edinburgh Castle and slope steadily downward to the east, ending at the Palace of Holyrood House.
