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Edinburgh is one of the most distinctive and widely recognised
cities in the world. The great thing about Edinburgh is that
the reality surpasses your expectations. Two things usually come as a surprise
to first time visitors. The first is that this is a city in three dimensions.
It is built on and around hills, and the way Edinburgh grew leads to
surprising changes in level at every turn. The second is the compact nature of
the city. The centre of Edinburgh is small enough to be explored on foot,
which is by far the best way to get to know it. Edinburgh is
built around the east-west axis of the Royal Mile. This is the main street
variously called Castle Hill, Lawnmarket, High Street and Canongate that
extends from Edinburgh Castle in the west to the Scottish Parliament Building
and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in the east. | 
