Experiencing Edinburgh!

Back in November, one of the budget airlines, Ryanair had a big sale for the month of January so of course, I was desperate to take advantage of it. I had looked into going to Edinburgh many times but the prices were surprisingly expensive so I figured that this was the perfect time to plan a trip. We didn't want to use any vacation days and didn't know what shift Lee would be working on Friday so decided to make it a Saturday-Sunday trip. It ended up being great fun especially since our friend Bekka came along with!

After arriving at the airport and taking the tram to our town center hotel, it was only about noon. We went out right away! The town just looks ancient and it has this dark, moody look to it. It came off as a really cool town, just the feel of it.

We headed to the castle first. The castle is such an icon! It's set up on a cliff face looking out over gorgeous views. It has been home to many Scottish monarchs, Mary, Queen of Scots even gave birth to James VI here. It had a very different feel than the castles in England we have seen.

the view

other side's view

We managed to get the the castle at a good time so we got to see the gun firing. This tradition started in 1861 to provide ships an audible signal of the time. It was so loud! I did not expect that! I jumped big time causing a chain reaction with Bekka and Lee. Whoops!

still got a good action shot!

We then explored the rest of the castle which included the Royal Apartments, Great Hall and the Crown Jewels. Their jewels were nothing like the ones at the Tower of London but still better than anything I could hope for! The decorations inside the rooms was much less extravagant than many castles in England but that probably corresponds with how much money they had.

We then decided to walk down some more of the Royal Mile which is the street between the castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the Queen while in Scotland. It was full of cool street performers and a lot of bagpipes, of course! And kilts! Scots really do wear kilts and they wear them a lot! It was below freezing and guys were all over in their kilts..it was pretty cool, I was impressed.

a man with a kilt!

so many smiles!

sword juggling

Next we did some more walking and headed towards the castle from below. I wanted some classic views on the castle and boy, it sure is gorgeous.

I mean, what else do you need?

Next, I convinced Bekka and Lee to go to The Elephant House Cafe. It's the cafe where much of the early Harry Potter books were written! J. K. Rowling sat in the backroom overlooking the castle and I can totally imagine that. It's got the same kind of look as Hogwarts. We got some nice drinks in there as well but I was just happy to be in this place that my lifelong-favorite books started!

more kilts and they're going into a kilt store!

We stopped by the palace to take a quick glance as we really had to choose between that and the castle for just a day trip.

Our last place to hit for the day was Carlton Hill. It has a bunch of monuments and a jaw-dropping view over the city. It's used for many postcards and is iconic of the city.

It was just beautiful up there. The rest of our day was spent with food. We went to a pub and Lee got haggis!! He didn't mind it, the texture was weird. I had a taste and agreed..just don't think of what it is...

We also stopped at a bar called Beer and Skittles which Bekka and Lee were obsessed with because of the name! They were extremely disappointed with the lack of Skittles but luckily, they brought their own...

We all really enjoyed Edinburgh! It's a gorgeous city that is steeped with history. The people were really friendly with giving directions and helping us out, I really appreciated that. But it left me itching for more! Next summer, I think we will take the roadtrip into the Highlands that I've been dying to do! I just can't wait to see more of the beautiful, unique Scotland!