Edinburgh: "Located in the south-east of Scotland, Edinburgh lies on the east coast of Scotland's Central Belt, along the
Firth of Forth, near the North Sea. Owing to its rugged setting and vast collection of Medieval and
Georgian architecture, including numerous stone tenements, it is often considered one of the most picturesque cities in Europe. "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh 
My friend Jean’s former husband, Bill, is a tour guide and he offered to take us around for the day. I’d met them both
while I was touring Egypt last December. (Bill's contact info:
http://www.edinburghtourguide.co.uk/)
On this particular day, we met Bill at a designated spot and there he was in full Scottish regalia which added to the charm of the tour. Many tourists along the way asked to have photographs of him or with him and he was delighted to do so.
His knowledge of the history and historic buildings in Edinburgh was astounding and he was full of interesting stories and quips. The experience was totally enjoyable. I only wished I’d written down everywhere I went or at the very least sat down immediately afterwards to record some of the day so I could remember all the places we went.
http://www.touristpublications.co.uk/images/edinburgh_street_plan.gif
The castle is so large and impressive that you could see it from several vantage points, but I 'borrowed' some photographs through Google Images (the small ones) as they are much better than those I took.
We also attended a concert put on by the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland at the Canongate Kirk—the Kirk of the Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle. Jean’s ‘niece’ plays flute in it.
We walked the Royal Mile….
Probably Edinburgh's oldest street, The Royal Mile connects Edinburgh Castle (photograph above) with the Palace of Holyrood House. Visitors will find a lot to explore on either side of this historic road
http://www.aboutscotland.co.uk/edin/royal.html
I had no idea of how many famous people came from Scotland or lived in Edinburgh at one time or another: John Knox, Daniel Defoe, Gladstone, James Boswell (writer) and David Hume (philosopher) lived here,
Gladstone's Land, Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, and William Brodie, a respectable member of 18th C society by day, but a burglar by night.
We saw Nelson’s Monument (left) and the Dugald Stuart Monument on top of Calton Hill (right).
We saw old-fashioned ‘doorbells’ - a ring of metal was pulled up and down on the twist piece...and one of the first kinds of ‘burglar alarms’—steps built so that every third one was higher and thieves would trip and be heard going up them.
As well there was a small wall memorial to
all the witches who were burned at the stake or drowned while proving their innocence over the centuries.
When Jean and I headed to our bus stop, she showed me a clock made out of flowers. Though it wasn’t entirely finished, the inner works were there, along with the flower outline.
Bill took us through a ‘secret garden’ that I believe he said was fashioned after those from the 1700s.
We walked through special paths to view the ‘newer’ part of Edinburgh and the sites that could be seen from this complex on a hill and those 
historic buildings along the way back to our meeting point. 
