We moved today from our place in the outskirts of town into probably the nicest accommodation we’ll be having. It might be the most fully equipped and well-appointed place I’ve ever stayed in. It was supposed to be an easy walk to everywhere but not so easy for me.
I was mistaken in my sense of how far things were from each other and how hilly it was. We had to store our luggage (check-out 10, check-in 4) and from the train station we headed out for The Royal Mile (“it’s so close, no problem”) but before we got there I thought, we might as well stop for some food! And at that moment we came upon Grand Café and thought sure, why not. It was lovely and tasty too.
Our destination, The Royal Mile, is the road leading up to the castle. We got halfway up the mile before I punked out and we never even saw the castle, but that’s on the plan for the day after tomorrow. The entire distance of The Royal Mile is pedestrianized and swarming with people who want you to take their flyer and to convince you to see their show and with people strolling along, waiting to be convinced. It is all high spirited fun and everyone is happy. That’s what I say, everyone.
The city is papered with flyers on almost every surface.
St Giles Cathedral located in the middle of The Royal Mile, below photo from the BBC. It’s very old and of course there’s more history than you want to read here. AI gives us a quick summary: “St Giles’ Cathedral, located on Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile, was founded around 1124 by King David I and has served as the physical and spiritual heart of Scotland’s capital for 900 years. Often called the “Cradle of Presbyterianism,” this iconic building has weathered wars, fires, and religious revolutions. While it is widely known as a cathedral, it is technically the High Kirk of Edinburgh because the Church of Scotland does not use bishops.”
Looking out at today’s crowd being entertained by a guy juggling fire. For some reason I didn’t get him in the shot.
Here are a few of the stained glass windows that surround the building.
It seems every public building participates in the Fringe. She was a joy and Windy, a huge fan of the harp, couldn’t believe her good fortune to come upon her.
Below, the thistle is the national symbol of Scotland. While it might seem strange to choose a sharp, prickly weed as a national emblem, they like to say the thistle represents the fierce, tough, and independent spirit of the Scottish people.
And speaking of thistles, this is the Thistle Chapel “a small but breathtaking masterpiece located in the quiet southeastern corner of St Giles’ Cathedral. It serves as the official, ceremonial home for The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle. which is Scotland’s highest and oldest order of chivalry.
This couple were married here 40 years ago and they couldn’t be happier than to spend their anniversary at this very spot.
And the traffic cones? It has become A Thing around Scotland.
I looked up some statistics:
For the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, August 7-31, there are over 4,100 to 4,300 scheduled shows. Because it is an open-access festival where acts are constantly registering, the official program started with 3,649 shows but grew rapidly to more than 4,200 unique acts and productions by the time the festival began.
These acts add up to roughly 55,000 individual performances taking place across nearly 300 venues throughout the city. Most of the venues support multiple shows throughout the day. Performers have traveled to Scotland from 74 different countries to take part.
We ordered up some Thai food for dinner which was ok but not particularly to my taste. Then we ate the leftovers for breakfast.