Yes, indeed. The Royal Mile is simply for state ceremony and tourism, much like the National Mall in Washinton, DC. All sorts of vendors trying to make a buck off of visitors, but I think that is the way most attractions are. I will say that when my classmates and I visited on a break from our studies, I had to keep them away from the cheap stuff. The real quality goods seem to come from the smaller Scottish towns or Canada, not the cliche spots where you'd expect.

As for the new parliment building, I thought it provided a very unbridled and powerful statement of independence in contrast to the Georgian architecture of the English rule.

-Ian