So we left Dublin at 6:30 in the morning and we had been up since 3:30 am, so as you can see in the picture above...it was basically death. But nevertheless, we were absolutely stoked to be headed to Scotland and to get an extra full day to enjoy Edinburgh. We arrived around 8 am, changed our money over, and took the shuttle into the city. We were homeless for about an hour an a half because our Italian phones wouldn't let us call our hosts, but luckily we found a little bar to have breakfast and use the wifi to write them. They came and got us and took us back to their flat, and right off the bat we felt welcomed. They gave us our own bedroom with a heater, and we also were also given hot shower access and towels....it was pretty much like coming from living on the streets in Dublin to living like royalty. After chatting a while with our hosts and getting information on where to go, we went directly into the room and rejoiced on having our own huge bed that just happened to be one of the most comfortable beds you could possibly dream of. So of course after having an exhausting voyage, we took a wonderful nap in the clouds, accompanied by a toasty heater. You guys really have no idea how much this meant to us.
Once we woke up, we headed directly out to tour the main parts of Edinburgh, with the plans of hitting the center and then climbing Arthur's seat (the highest point in the city). I really can't even explain to you how instantly we fell in love with this place. I now completely understand the meaning of love at first sight. The feeling that we got as we were walking through the streets of Edinburgh was that of pure ecstasy. We both had the hugest and cheesiest smiles on our face, and were running from place to place yelling, "Baby look at this! Oh my God come here and see this view! You have to get a picture!" We probably looked like the most typical goofy tourists to the locals...but we really could have cared less. It was literally just me and Massi, in the midst of our crazed joy, feeling as if we were literally on top of the world.
We arrived at The Royal Mile, the main street in Edinburgh, and had a heart attack. It's just absolutely beautiful. The architecture is so particular and wonderful. Most of the buildings were brick, but not the kind of brick that makes people depressed...the kind of grey brick that contains different shades, making it unique from any other place that I've been, and giving the perfect energy in the air to serve the city justice. It's definitely true that you really can't find any "ugly" part of Edinburgh. All parts of the city are nice and well kept, whether it be the older sides or the newer sides.
Pure ecstasy.
At the end of The Royal Mile, you run into the Edinburgh Castle, standing at the top of the hill and providing spectacular views of the city. This is where we truly fell in love. The top of this hill gives you the sensation of feeling connected to the city, but so high about it at the same time. And the castle gives the most lovely historical feeling. It truly took our breath away...but then we decided to hurry and make it to the top of Arthur's seat in time for the sunset!
We arrived to the bottom of Arthur's Seat and were a bit intimidated at first...mostly because we weren't planning on a big hike and most certainly weren't dressed for it! But, we figured that it was an adventure nevertheless and we would suffer through it together. Getting to the top would be the true gift. What you see in the picture below is only the first part of the hike...the tough part comes after!
And here is where we started the trek up the actual mountain. Looking at it right off the bat, it was straight up and didn't look appealing whatsoever. However it went by rather fast, and the whole way up provided us with some sort of beautiful view.
Finally! We could see the light! Just that last little hump :)
Coming up the last part...
Finally we made it! The view was just incredible...it made all the sweating and unexpected excessive hiking so worth it. From the top, you can turn to one side and see the beautiful mountains in the background of the city, and then turn to the other side and see the ocean and the coast that accompanies the back side. It's truly just all of natures wonders on top of a single mountain.
Leaving on the edge of the cliff, feeling on top of the world.
Massi LITERALLY feeling on top of the world...and more powerful than ever.
The sunset was just breathtaking.
The sunset on top of Edinburgh was something I will never forget...an infinite moment with the love of my life.
We came across a little patch of snow! Yes, it was that cold....probably even colder.
That night, we had the biggest craving for Thai food. So we found a little Thai and Indian restaurant on The Royal Mile and we satisfied our cravings. I missed my coconut rice more than anything :)
The next day we woke up and went straight to The Chocolate Tree, a delicious little place that our hosts had recommended to us upon learning that I am a chocolate lover. It was like a dreamland. I got a mint chocolate chip milkshake...just about my favorite dessert in the world :) Nothing short of amazing!
We then took a walk through the meadows, a beautiful green area in the middle of the city.
I loved the buildings surrounding the meadows; it's a mixture of new modern buildings and old ones lined up next to each other. Such an interesting contrast!
For some reason, this little dog is one of the major tourist attractions in Edinburgh. I'm really not sure why, because it's the tiniest little statue outside of a restaurant. But the story is rather touching....this little dog, or "GreyFriar Bobby," was so loyal that he continued to go to his owners grave for years after he passed away, up until his death himself. Now he's a major icon in the city that is loved by all tourists. Ohhhh Edinburgh ;)
From there, we headed over to The Elephant House, aka The Birthplace of Harry Potter. It's where J.K. Rowling wrote the first few books, and remains now a famous tourist attraction for Potter lovers! It was awesome to get to see this and also the hotel where Rowling locked herself in for months to finish the last few books. I could really feel the inspiration for the story in the air and it was surreal to see where it all started.
This is the hotel where J.K. Rowling locked herself in to finish the last books of Harry Potter. Beautiful to say the least! It has an amazing view from the front of The Royal Mile and the Castle.
The view of The Royal Mile from the outside, leading up to the castle on the very right hand side. So incredibly beautiful!
The Scottish Monument...a beautiful gothic structure
Cockburn Street...a charming little street leading up to The Royal Mile :)
Going up Calton Hill, another wonderful view of the city from another angle. Along with plenty of monuments covering the hill providing it with a touch of history :)
Showing my love for Edinburgh <3
The most beautiful close up view of the city. Just in love.
From there, we headed to an ancient cemetery on the hillside. There were many old famous people in the cemetery, and it had the creepiest feel to it. We shared the strangest possible supernatural experience..well we don't really know what to make of it actually. Massimo was exploring the different tombs looking for the oldest one (dating back to the 1700's), and he came across an open tomb that he heard had a strange woman sitting in it, crying hysterically. He said she was sobbing and murmuring random things, and he swore he heard other noises inside that was certainly not coming from her. He ran towards me with his face white and told me what had happened, and that I needed to go and check it out. So, I went for a look myself, but when I got there the woman was singing loudly the strangest song. Within a matter of minutes she had gone from sobbing to belting out singing. I sat there for a moment to listen, and heard when she was singing the strangest whispers at the same time. I couldn't tell if it was wind or not, but when she stopped singing the whispers stopped as well. And we also didn't hear wind throughout the rest of the cemetery so it just didn't match up...too many strange things in one place! We left creeped out and unable to make sense of the situation...I suppose it's better not to know!
Every day we were there, we would always come to this Starbucks on The Royal Mile. (I needed my chai tea fix!) But aside from the drinks, this was the most wonderful Starbucks that I have ever seen! Upstairs it has the cutest little sitting area, and we sat every time by the window that gave us the perfect view of the street. Definitely just the ideal down time. :)
Our second night, we ate at a Japanese place (can you tell we had an itch for asian food?) and it just happened to be so wonderfully cheap. I basically got my chicken teryaki bowl fix...and for anyone who knows me understands how big of a deal that is.
Our last day, I was determined to eat as Scottish as possible. I stopped by to get the typical "Scottish Pie," which is basically a minced meat pie with a little kick to it. It's delicious, but extremely rich so I wasn't able to finish it all!
The Queen's bathhouse...a pretty creepy but awesome little brick cottage next to her beautiful mansion
Another ancient cemetery..
I was stoked to have been able to actually experience listening to a true bagpiper with an actual kilt....definitely the most "Scottish" day of the trip.
Our walk down to the park below the castle...just amazing views of the whole hillside that the castle sits on! On of my favorite parts of the city
We went from there to a little market that was selling stuff from around Europe...
And ended up buying a couple of these lovely coconut delights from Belgium. Mouthgasm is an understatement for coconut lovers.
I literally couldn't get enough pictures of The Royal Mile
The old buildings mixed in the with the modern ones...badass
Our last walk up to the castle...just depressing
SCOTTISH PRIDE FOR LIFE
So for our last dinner in Scotland, we had to get the most typical Scottish dish (naturally). We asked a Scottish friend we made on the last day, and he told us that we couldn't leave without trying Haggis. They told us where to go, which is a little place right on Cockburn street off The Royal Mile that is known for their Haggis and Whiskey...seen obviously by the name. So the idea of Haggis is horrifying...and it took some courage but I suck it up and ordered it to celebrate our last night there. It's basically sheep heart, liver, and lungs all minced together with onion and oatmeal and seasonings. Typically it comes with sauce and mashed potatoes, but our dish was much more fancy. I know how disgusting it sounds...but I swear to you it is so surprisingly delicious. I couldn't even believe what I was putting in my mouth. Ours came like a little stack with mashed potatoes at the bottom, turnip in the middle, haggis on top with bacon covering it, all soaked in a cream sauce. It was the most pleasantly delicious surprise I could have possibly imagined. The flavors went so well together, and eventually you just completely forget the idea of what you're eating. I never expected something made of such vile parts of the body could be so amazingly delicious! It's true though: if you ever visit Scotland, you CANNOT leave without trying this dish. It truly is a cultural experience!
We were so sad to leave Edinburgh. It's truly a place where we fell in love...everything about it was just so wonderful. The people, their accents, the architecture, the landscape, the energy in the air....just everything. We aren't lying when we say that it's at the top of our favorite cities in Europe traveled...it stole Amsterdam's number one spot! I left part of my heart in Scotland; and I'm going to make sure that we go back there for a longer period of time so that we can travel throughout the entire country and see what else it has to offer. Edinburgh is a superb destination...if you EVER get the chance to go there...DON'T LET IT SLIP! I will never forget the way that this city made us feel, our adventures that we shared there, the friends that we made, just the overall ecstasy that it provided us throughout the entire trip.
Lovely Edinburgh, WE WILL BE BACK!
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