Guide to Edinburgh

"It is one of the most hauntingly beautiful places in the world, the history is fascinating, the men are handsome, and the whisky is delicious"- J.K. Rowling

A few weeks ago, one of my co-workers asked me if I had any recommendations since she was visiting Edinburgh for the first time in June. If you haven't noticed, I am a biggggg fan of Scotland. I've only been three times, but one of those visits lasted 3.5 months. I'm by no means an expert, but here are my favorite spots and sights that I've come across so far. 

Kate’s Official Guide to Edinburgh:

Nightlife:

Cowgate: This is more of the student-y area of town. The university is nearby and drinks are cheap. Things are a little grungier, but it’s a lot of fun. I lived on the cowgate, and there is always something to do. The Hive was my favorite spot.

Grassmarket: It is kind of part of the Cowgate, but the atmosphere is different. This used to be a medieval market (and it’s where they used to hang people-Edinburgh is known for having a really dark history) but it’s a really cool area of town. It’s a great place for the more typical British pub culture and there are some cool shops scattered around. Also in the summer, there is a lot of outdoor seating for eating and drinking. If you’re not looking to get too crazy, this is probably the spot for you.

George’s Street: This is just off Prince’s Street and is the more upscale area of town. Things are more expensive and fancier. Opal, Shanghai, and LuLu are the more classy-club places on George’s Street.

There are bars, clubs, and pubs pretty much everywhere, but the general rule of thumb is that drinks in the old town are cheaper. My personal favorite for a summer night is Three Sisters (the Cowgate) it has a ton of outdoor space. I also really like Brewdog (also the Cowgate, and I used to live above it). They brew all their own stuff and it’s pretty unique- really interesting IPAs.

Sites/Activities:

The Castle: You’ll see the fortress the second you get into town and you can go in and tour the grounds. It’s fairly large and very interesting. It is on the pricier side of things to do, but it’s pretty cool. They also shoot off cannons throughout the day.

The Royal Mile: The mile connects Holyrood Palace (the residence of the British royal family in Edinburgh) to the Edinburgh castle. It has a fun atmosphere, lots of shops and some cool history. John Knox’s house is on the mile, there are a lot of street performers, and a cool cathedral.

The Elephant House: If you are into Harry Potter, you have to stop here. This is where JK Rowling wrote the first book. They have great tea and baked goods and the view of the castle and greyfriars kirk is pretty spectacular.

Greyfriars Kirkyard & Greyfriars Bobby: Old cemetery bordering on the walls of the old town. It is very atmospheric. Also, JK Rowling got a lot of the names for Harry Potter from the cemetery so that is kind of cool.  You will also notice the small statue of the terrier outside of the Kirk- that is Greyfriars Bobby. After his master died, the dog visited his grave for years. It is considered good luck to rub his nose.

The Meadows: A large park in town. On nice days people are everywhere (grilling, playing games, day drinking). It’s a nice spot to walk through if you get sick of the city.

Calton Hill: This is my favorite spot in the city. It has a bunch of random unfinished monuments and it is one of the reasons Edinburgh is called the ‘Athens of the North’. The view is amazing- you can see the castle, the palace, Arthur’s Seat, the Scott Monument, the pentlands, the ocean, and both the old and new towns. It’s a quick walk to the top and it’s great.

Arthur's Seat: A really good hike in the city. It gets its name from the possibility that Camelot was at one time based there. Views are astonishing and it’s a pretty physical climb.

The National Scottish Museum: It is free (always good) and it has a ton of cool stuff inside. The building itself is really unique. Also, the view from the roof is incredible. A lot of people don’t know you can go up there, but you can and it’s great. I also hear the portrait gallery on Princes Street is really good, but I haven’t been there.

Royal Botanical Gardens: If you like gardens, this is a good one. It’s a little bit of a walk, so it wouldn’t be the first thing on my list, but if you have time, check it out! I believe it is also free.

Scotch Whisky Experience: Super touristy, but it’s fun. I wouldn’t do it if you are familiar with whisky or going to any distilleries. There is a ride that takes you through the stages of scotch making and you end up in a massive collection of scotch and get to taste a few.

I have also heard the Mary King’s Close tour is very cool. I have not done it, but I want to. It’s at night and takes you into the buildings underneath the city. (Edinburgh is a city built on a city so there’s a lot going on). Supposed to be kind of scary, but historically accurate.  Also friends have talked about ‘Dynamic Earth’ and Outlook Tower, but I haven’t done them.

Honestly, Edinburgh is the best city. You will find something there that takes your breath away.

The city is gorgeous, the people are wonderful, and the food is great. I can't say enough good things about Scotland and its amazing capital. I have so many more trips to make to Scotland before I'll even begin to feel like I really know it.

Alba gu Bràth!

Hogmanay

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?”- Rabbie Burns

FYI: Hogmanay is the Scot's word for New Years Eve, and it is a massive celebration in Scotland

About a month before New Years, our exec staff informed us that we had two days off of work, not the one we were all expecting.  When I found out that I had NYE and NYD off, I decided to see if I could go on a quick trip somewhere to ring in the new year. One of the things on my '27 by 27' list was to celebrate the new year at Hogmanay ain Edinburgh. I shot off an email to some friends of mine in the city asking if they would be around. An hour later I bought a flight.  This was the most impulsive (and last minute) trip I have ever planned.

I landed in Scotland at 5 am on the morning of New Year’s Eve. I hopped on the airlink bus and headed into city centre. I was a little surprised to be dropped off a few stops away from the city centre stop, but Prince’s street was closed in preparation for the festivities.  I had an address for my friends’ flat and a general idea of where they lived, but I wasn’t exactly sure where I was.  Being that I am an idiot who loves an adventure, I passed on getting a cab and I picked up my 30 pound bag and started walking. I ended up on North Bridge as the sun started to rise and was treated to an amazing view of the city. I started to remember where I was and identified some landmarks of where I needed to be, and 30 minutes after getting off the bus, I found myself at my friend’s flat.
I was immediately greeted with tea (love that Scottish hospitality) and caught up with my friends. After an hour or so, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to make it through the day, and certainly not the night, without a nap. I climbed into bed and slept for an hour. Throughout the day, more people came through (both old friends and people I had never met before). We had quite the group by dinnertime and headed out for a pre-festivity dinner.

We had a very filling meal and headed back to the flat to start drinking and getting ourselves fancied up. I had bought an amazing glittery dress from Asos for the occasion that I was super excited to wear. It was not at all weather appropriate, but if you can’t go all out on NYE, when can you?
We headed off to a few flat parties, and actually made it on the NYE snap story since one of the people we were with whipped out an accordion and we all sang auld lang syne.  As the night wore on, we drank and danced and sang, and as midnight came closer, we gathered up bottles of champagne for the bells. We decided to watch the fireworks from the bridge (great choice). We were treated to three different firework displays from all directions. It was totally magical. Everyone around us was singing auld lang syne and we were toasting to friendship. Not gonna lie to you- multiple people were overcome with emotions and started crying… We have pictures to prove it. I hugged about 30 people I’ve never seen before and everyone was sharing champagne (probably not the best idea thinking back).

My fool-proof tip for finding a NYE kiss (if you are single) is stolen from a friend of mine. I watched him kiss multiple girls a few years ago on New Years (he's kinda sneezy) and asked him how he was doing it. He told me he would sidle up next to girls and say (rather loudly) ‘damn, I wish I had someone to kiss at midnight’, it worked every time- I witnessed it. He used it hours after midnight saying, ‘ah my year is going to be so terrible since I didn’t get a kiss at midnight’. It was impressive, albeit it kind of gross. If I’m being honest, I really wanted a New Years kiss (preferably with a Scot) on the bridge at the bells. I spotted a really attractive, tall Scottish guysand pulled the NYE Kiss trick… sure enough he turned and looked at me, smiled, and grabbed me. It was totally random and absolutely perfect. We headed back to the flat after the bells, blasted some T-Swift and drank some more.

At this point, I was going on an hour of sleep over the course of the last 36 hours, and I was fading fast. I decided to be responsible, and at around 1:45 am I called it a night. My friends continued partying until 6 am, and I maintain that I made the right decision in going to sleep.

New Years Day was mostly spent collapsed around the flat trying to recover. At around 5 pm, we decided we had to absolutely get out of flat and do something. It was insanely windy and a little rainy, but we wanted to get outside. We walked up to the castle and spent an hour dancing in the streets and hanging of the fences around the castle. It was one of those moments where I felt so alive. But it was freezing, so we decided to head to a pub and grab a new years drink.  We walked to the Grassmarket and had some whisky and a few pints. We ended up back at the flat and made up a nice roast for dinner. It was a low key day, but it felt right.

The next day we played tourists in Edinburgh. We headed to my favorite spot in the City (Calton Hill) and went to the Christmas Market. Nell’s family joined us and I masqueraded as a 15 year old Scottish girl named Morag to get the family prices on the rides… I also may have had one glass of mulled wine too many. Riding on the spinny wheel in the sky with one of my favorite people (slightly tipsy) was a crazy experience. I was laughing like a loon and being slapped in the face with ice crystals. Totally great.

Emz and I grabbed dinner and had a totally girl catch-up shesh. I am always so excited to spend time in Scotland with these girls- they are honestly some of my favorite people. We spent my last full day in Glasgow with Naomi. I had been to Glasgow once before, but for a concert so I only saw a minimal amount of the city. I didn’t think I was going to like it, but I was happily surprised. Glasgow is great. Totally different vibe than Edinburgh, but still really beautiful. I’d like to go back and spend some more time there- especially since people claim Glasgow represents ‘the real’ Scotland better than Edinburgh.

One of my other flatmates, Erin, joined us for dinner on my last night in Edinburgh and she agreed to drive me to the airport early the next morning. (Bless her). My flight was delayed a few hours so Erin and I ventured out to see the Kelpies as the sun rose. It was the perfect way to close out an amazing visit to my favorite country.

xx

United Kingdom

"Not all those who wander are lost"-J.R Tolkein

After graduation and my road trip back to sunny California, I embarked on another great adventure- a month long backpacking trip of Europe with my best friends. I must preface this by stating that normally I am a notorious over-packer, but on this trip I limited myself to my backpack. Traveling for a month out of a backpack going from hostel to hostel was a new kind of trip for me. I had an incredible time and am already looking for a way to do it all over again.

I used this Dueter Pack which is a 40+10 pack. It worked really well for me and I would highly recommend it. I had the smallest bag out of all my friends and I traveled the longest without any problems.

I started my journey by flying to Edinburgh, Scotland. I studied abroad in Edinburgh and I am in love with the entire country. It also doesn't hurt that three of my favorite people are Scottish and let me stay with them. Erin, Emily, and Naomi were three of my flatmates when I first came to Bonny Scotland and they still live together (in a much more posh place).

I was picked up at the airport and immediately whisked into the center of Edinburgh. Erin, Emily, and myself caught up over breakfast and a walk around the city. I unfortunately didn't take many pictures of Edinburgh since I have so many from my residency there.

Victoria Street

We then drove to the train station to pick up Naomi and headed over to the gorgeous seaside town North Berwick. Erin is from North Berwick and was having a barbecue for her birthday there. We indulged in some great scenery, food, conversation, and an abundance of Pimms.

Yes, we are all in denim shirts.  

Erin's Gorgeous Ranch                               

The picturesque North Berwick

Our go to awkward self timer photo

We came back to Edinburgh the next day and went out for a great night on the Cowgate. We stayed out ridiculously late despite having to wake up early to catch the train to St. Andrews.

Getting wild in the streets of Edinburgh

The last time I was in Scotland I missed out on going to St. Andrews. However, Naomi and Emily were not going to let that happen twice.

St. Andrews Cathedral

Cathedral Cemetery 

The Castle

Taking in St. Andrews

The next morning I flew into London to meet up with my three best friends from growing up. I had a fabulous time in Scotland and am so grateful to have such great friends there! I can't wait to go back and see my flatties soon.

I honestly love the UK. I have a great time whenever I'm there, the people are great, and the history is fascinating. It was incredible to be able to share one of my favorite cities with people I've known all my life. Gioia, Sarah, Kelsie and I spent three great days in London pub crawling, visiting tourist locations, meeting new people, and celebrating our graduation from college (we all went to different schools). Our trip also overlapped with some other friends of ours so we had a great group to explore a great city.

Best friends together again

Hyde Park

Big Ben

Obviously it was raining 

London Eye

Photo Booth Photo Shoot

Gioia and Me

Rose Garden

Roses

*Ignore my horrible outfits. I struggled packing for the varied weather on our trip.

Anyways, the United Kingdom was, as always, an absolute joy and a great way to start my European Adventure. 

Cheers!