Edinburgh: Part 1

I am perfectly aware that this post is 2 weeks late and a dollar short, but I've finally found the time and creative drive to get this done, so, hooray?

Okay so,  Edinburgh!

Day 1

Our train left from London's King's Cross Station around 10 am on Friday, October 5th. The train ride wasn't too long, about 4 hours, and we got to see some of the most beautiful countryside ever, traveling on the east coast of England.

Berwick-Upon-Tweed, situated on the coast. I have made plans to move there forever.

The ride itself was uneventful, except for when a small Scottish boy in the seat behind me decided to play with my hair, much to the horror of his mother (Oi! Quit playen' wit te lady's hair!), and we arrived at Edinburgh without incident.

The hostel we stayed in was pretty nice, and fairly inexpensive, conveniently located in the heart of old town Edinburgh. If you ever happen to travel to Edinburgh (and don't mind staying in a hostel) I highly recommend it. (As long as you don't mind sleeping over a bar. Things did tend to get noisy.)

Our first adventure upon reaching Edinburgh was to go to Edinburgh Castle!  The place is enormous, although we got a pretty good look 'round in the few hours we were there. There's multiple museums inside, including an exhibition of the Scottish Crown Jewels, as well as the military museum. I learned so much about Scottish history I'd never even heard of. Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook have probably already seen the photos, and if you haven't, go ahead and take a look! It's quite impressive.

left to right: Maria, Dea, Myself, Matt and Anand inside Edinburgh Castle. Not pictured: Mary
Photo credit: Dea Satrio

After Edinburgh Castle, we headed over to meet a Harry Potter walking tour that Matt had told us about. It's completely free, and has been running for the past 7 years or so (or maybe 5? My memory's a little rusty). Not only was it entertaining, but we got to see quite a bit of Edinburgh that way. I mean, aimlessly wandering and seeing a city is fun and all, but it's also nice to have a little background on what you're seeing.

Also, free candy! That looks like eggs (?)

We concluded our day by wandering about the city a little more, seeking somewhere decent to eat. We finally settled on a random Scottish pub, and decided to be super touristy with our meal. Whiskey, haggis, neeps and tatties for everyone!

Pictured: liquid fire

After our delicious and filling dinner, we made our way back to the hostel, where we promptly passed out, knowing we would be getting an early start tomorrow.

I think I'll stop here for now, as this post got wayyy longer than I intended. Again, if you really want to see all the pictures, head over to my Facebook. I'll post part 2 some time in the next week (or 2...or 3...NO PROMISES).

Cheers, everyone! xx