Edinburgh, Scotland

Photo credit: PhotoDisc

Scotland's two primary cities are only about 72km (45 miles) apart, but almost everyone who visits them will be struck by their differences. Indeed, given the contrasting reputations of both, the traveler who has not bothered to look closely at a map of Scotland might be forgiven for thinking that Edinburgh and Glasgow are more than a hundred miles apart.

And while there is a good deal of competition (and some envy, too) between the two cities, like McCartney and Lennon, they are strongest as a pair, each bringing value to the partnership.

To the east, the capital, Edinburgh, has an almost fairy-tale setting, with its imposing castle high on one hill. Built on ancient volcanoes and first established because of its secure and defensible position, it has become a crossroads. Practically everyone who comes to Scotland today spends some time in Edinburgh. And its mid-summer international Festival is one of the biggest in the world. Edinburgh is the second most popular tourist destination in Great Britain following London, and it's not hard to see why. Compact and tidy, it is more of a big town than a small city.

In the west, Glasgow, on the other hand, is not a place that anyone might call precious. In comparison to Edinburgh, Glasgow was settled much earlier because it was an ideal place to ford the River Clyde. Today it resembles nothing but a modern city. It has overcome a 20th-century reputation for grime, grit, and gangsters -- and now it is arguably more vibrant than Edinburgh, with a lively indigenous music and art scene. Without a picturesque castle or twee palace, it exemplifies urban Scotland: historic, dynamic, increasingly cosmopolitan, and attuned the world. In 1990 it was named European Culture Capital and in 1999, U.K. City of Architecture and Design.

Edinburgh and Glasgow have a lot to offer individually, and taken as a duo, they are more impressive still. Both cities are among Europe's most dynamic centers. Edinburgh is the seat of Scottish royalty and government and the ancient Glasgow boasts Victorian splendor.

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