The
Royal Museum of Scotland has a small but interesting collection of Egyptian
mummies and other artifacts on the first floor.
The museum displays are modern and well-lit
(don't let the dark exterior fool you). In fact the inner courtyard
is a light and airy atrium. You can visit the Museum
website here.
Click
here to visit the mummies.
I
f you are in Edinburgh, you
shouldn't miss two other nearby sites. First, the Museum of Scotland, adjacent
to the Royal Museum. This is a stunning new museum, featuring six levels
of artifacts pertaining the the history (and prehistory) of Scotland. My
particular favorite was the Iron Maiden, a type of guillotine used in Edinburgh.
It is notable for its ease of use (it folded up for handy storage, but managed
to do the trick when in use).
Across
the street from the Museum of Scotland is perhaps Edinburgh's most moving shrine
for dog-lovers: the statue of Grayfriar's Bobby. You'll have to find the book or the old Disney movie of the same name to find out what this statue is about
(though if you are going to Edinburgh, you'll be able to pick up any number of
books about the famous terrier at every bookstore). You see, when his master died and was buried in
nearby Grayfriar's Churchyard (or Kirkyard), Bobby loyally stayed on his
master's grave (looked after by local residents) until he died a number of years
later. If you love dogs, this is a story guaranteed to break your heart.
I have found that Edinburgh is
easier to handle on foot than by car. When I have visited, I have almost always
opted to stay out of town and take the train to the well-located station (just
down the hill from the castle and near the museums as well).
If you are flying to the
UK, you can fly to either Glasgow (Prestwick) or Edinburgh Airports
from U.S. cities. You can check air fares and hotels at
Travelocity.com:
