Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and the second largest city after Glasgow. It is not only a historical but also cosmopolitan and cultural city. Its location is striking because it is perched on some extinct volcanoes and rocks which emerge on the generally flat region of the Lothians. Every year the famous Edinburgh Festival takes place there and a series of official and independent festivals are held about 4 weeks from early August. After London, it is the second most popular tourist destination in the United Kingdom. Tourists all over the world are attracted by the city and about 13 million visitors go round the town every year. The historic centre of Edinburgh has two parts divided by the large green patch of the Princess Street Gardens. In the south, there is the Edinburgh Castle, standing proudly on the top of an extinct volcanic crag. Princess Street as well as the New town are located to the north. The financial district with its banking institutions and housing insurance is situated to the west of the castle. The Edinburgh International Conference Centre is maybe the most important building there, in the shape of a circle, built by sandstone. The Old Town still resembles a medieval town, with its plan intact since the Middle Ages and a lot of buildings dating back to the era of Reformation. In one of its ends, there is the castle and leading away there's the main street called the Royal Mile. Several smaller streets, closes or wynds, lead down the hill. In the vicinity there's more interesting buildings, for example the Law Courts and St Giles Cathedral. The notable Royal Museum of Scotland, Surgeons' Hall and Mc Ewan hall are also located nearby. As the Old Town was overcrowded and increasing quickly, the New Town appeared in the 18th Century. However, the city remained quite compact, confined around the castle. The eminence known as Arthur's Seat is to the southeast of Edinburgh, overlooking Holyroodhouse and the Old Town. It is a collection of side vents from the main volcano on which remnants Edinburgh was built. The vents are now the highest points on a large territory of land. Nowadays Arthur's Seat is part of Holyrood Park, owned in the past by the Monarch and part of the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. There is a large number of clubs, restaurants and pubs in Edinburgh as well as a great variety of shops, including upmarket department stores and charity shops in Stockbridge. On Princess Street the variety is from pound shops till Jenners. Edinburgh is famous for its strong economy, stronger than any city in the United Kingdom except London. The students in the three universities and in the colleges soften the stuffiness of its citizens, regarded as the Achilles heel of the city.