Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland is definitely up there for one of my favorite cities I’ve been to. The food was good, the scenery was beautiful, the people were some of the friendliest I’ve come across, and the accents… well the accents are just amazing.
Going to Edinburgh, I took the train from London and this had to be my favorite train ride I’ve gone on. The one I took made its way up the eastern coast of the United Kingdom, with the view of the ocean on one side, and endless shades of green and farm life on the other. Seeing that it was around 4/5 hours, you may end up pulling a neck muscle from looking back and forth out of the windows so much (well worth it though).
After arriving at the hostel (https://www.st-christophers.co.uk/hostels/uk/edinburgh – I not only recommend his hostel in Edinburgh, but St-christopher hostels in general. I stayed at one here and in London – the hostels are nice, well-kept and great atmosphere, if you book through their website you receive a discount and free breakfast as well!) I dropped off my bags, wandered around for a little and came back to the hostel bar. There I met a Scottish guy and we ended up exchanging stories and talking all night. I can’t express enough how much I love the accents.
The next morning I went to visit the Edinburgh Castle, which was a little expensive but still worth it. After, I made my way down the Royal Mile Road, which is the main road leading from the castle down to Holyrood Palace. Walking down this road is definitely dangerous on an empty stomach or a fat wallet, because with all the stores and restaurants you’re bound to be spending some money here. Once you make it to the end, you’ll eventually wind up at Holyrood Park, which is mostly made up of a giant extinct volcano which you can actually climb up. The peak of it is called Arthur’s Seat, and from here you get an incredible view of Edinburgh and the surrounding towns. I climbed up here several times during my stay, and kept being in awe of the view. An absolute must to do near sunset as well, I promise you won’t regret it.
I’m big on visiting museums whenever I go to a new city, and the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh was easily my favorite I’ve been to. Not only was it three floors and huge, but it had an animal/extinct animals’ section that was filled with life size models that I really enjoyed, as well as a very hands on electronics exhibit that was really cool. If you’re trying to pass a rainy or crappy day, this is definitely a great place to go. Lastly, as I’ve said in earlier posts, I always try to take advantage of the free walking tours in all the cities I go, and this one is as great as the rest. Our guide showed us all the places to visit, including the café where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter, and the graveyard that had names of characters that were used in the books.
Edinburgh became one of my favorite cities because of how close together everything is, the warm-welcome from people all over the city, and the beautiful scenery that it, as well as the rest of Scotland has to offer. I will certainly be going back one day, and hope to see you there as well.
