I was in Edinburgh, Scotland, for business a couple of weekends ago, and I was impressed with the urban density of the central city. They are in the process of installing a streetcar system, so many of the major streets in the downtown are torn up.

One thing that St. Louis definitely does better is the placement of street trees; the facades of Edinburgh’s buildings are beautiful, but they lack that green that St. Louis enjoys.

The Scottish National Gallery is built on a giant pile of dirt called The Mound, which sits over the railroad tracks that go through the center of the city.

Edinburgh Castle is by far my favorite fortress in Europe, sitting atop an extinct volcano in the middle of town; it is a focal point throughout the city.

The first public park, built on Calton Hill, features numerous Neo-Classical landmarks. Edinburgh is an impressive city that I will revisit in future posts.