The Edinburgh Adventure

 I'm writing this in bed since I've hardly left it in my current state. I'm so tired and so sore after yesterday. I had over 30,000 steps on my smart watch by the time we got home.  Worth it.

The day started at 5am getting up, hastily getting dressed, and making sure we had everything for the day.  I had downloaded the Scotrail app to track our train and check out the platforms we need to get to (we had one stop in downtown Glasgow where we had to switch trains). We made our way down to the train station in good time and had a bit of fun with pictures while waiting on the platform. 

We almost didn't get onto the train because, well, we're American.  The train stopped right in front of us, and we walked up to the doors and waited. Nothing happened. The few people inside looked at us strangely.  Then I saw a blinking light next to the doors with the symbol "<|>", and realized we had to bush the button. (P: In America, you don't touch anything or you get in trouble!) 

At the downtown station we asked around and found our platform.  Then I had a bit of a nap and hoped for coffee at the Edinburgh Waverly station.

And hour later, we had espresso and croissants in hand and we were on the streets by 8am!  It was picturesque UK! The first thing we stumbled upon was the giant stair case leading to High St.  Just look at it! You can imagine the look on Pedro's face as I nearly spilled my coffee trying to whip out my camera to take a picture of stairs.

Once we got to the Royal Mile, it really sunk it. This place was so freaking cool. 

(I asked Pedro to get in the telephone booth but the floors were covered in ash and glass)

Since it was so early, all the shops were closed and there was no one else on the streets.  This was great for us, as we wandered down the Royal Mile and looked around. When we got to St. Giles' Cathedral we were amazed at the size and details. 

Pedro was really taken by the Tolbooth Kirk church.  Throughout the day we could see it's dark stone and bright red shutters above the trees everywhere. 

        

But then it was my turn. Victoria's St was just below us.

The inspiration for Diagon Alley!  Just look at it! Of course the shops I wanted to see weren't open yet, but just to see it was amazing.  And since their was still time before our castle tour, I convinced Pedro to go to the graveyard with me. 

Sounds odd, but let me explain. Greyfriar's Kirkyard is famous by itself, but for Potterheads, it's another inspiration tour.  The graves of Thomas Riddell and William McGonagall were inspiration for the character names of Tom Riddle and Minerva McGonagall.  The graveyard itself was beautiful and old.  We saw some graves dating back to the 1600s when it first used as a burial ground.  

A quick google search revealed the path to the famous graves and we found them quickly. Yes, that is me using using my wand to point to Riddell's name. Pedro thanked them for their (unwitting) contribution to the Wizarding Universe, while I geeked out. 

By then, It was time to head to the castle for our tour. We walked back up through Victoria's Street to enjoy the views of the Royal Mile on the way. 

There's Tolbooth Kirk again from the graveyard and Diagon Alley.  It is very impressive and cool to see. 

I reserved our Edinbrugh Castle entry tickets for as soon as it opened. We got there a bit early so we enjoyed the sights from the vantage point.

We were entering straight through the Porticullis Gate (P: look at those spikes!), and followed their one-way COVID friendly route. I knew many of the exhibits and rooms were closed, but we followed the route and went through their mini museums.  Each time we turned a corner outside, there was a different view as well. I took pictures were I could, but I was trying to soak in the history as well (and history is not my thing, but this was different). The one that impressed us the most was the Scottish National War Memorial. There was no photography allowed (respectful) but I will never forget it.  Pedro and I agreed visiting that was worth the Castle tour alone.  I highly recommend visiting this memorial.  Walking through the great hall, you are hit with such a feeling of deep respect for those who served.  There were monuments for everyone, from veterinarians, nurses, young drafted men, and citizens who were caught in the middle. The quotes on each one were profound, and we took our time to read each one and its dedication. 

Here are some scattered photos around the rest of the castle.

We had some time to spare before our lunch reservation, and by that time I knew the Diagon Alley shops were open. The Context Museum was amazing and I found a version of Butterbeer. We also visited the Enchanted Galaxy shop which was of course expensive, so we settled for some Hogwarts house patches (Pedro is a Gryffindor and I'm a Ravenclaw). I plan on making house scarves for them ASAP.  As we were exiting Victoria St, a woman complimented my Ravenclaw hoodie, which just completed my whole nerd experience. 

On our way to lunch, we saw part of the University of Edinburgh. I believe it's more of a venue than a place for classes.  I can't imagine being able to concentrate in architecture like that the first few months.

We had lunch at Bon Vivant, a restaurant Pedro found online.  It was European style cuisine, very dark and fancy.  We were hitting a food coma hard. So we decided to take a taxi to our next stop, Arthur's Seat.  It's the main peak of an ancient volcano in Holyrood Park, named after King Arthur though the exact history is unknown.

This is where I wondered why my husband inevitably has us climb a mountain wherever possible.  What is Pedro's obsession with finding the highest point of the city??  (P: it's all about the view)

I took us a little over an hour, with me calling for frequent breaks. I was having flashbacks to our Honeymoon where he had us climb to the Wesser Bald Fire Tower via the Appalachian Trial in the Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina. And if you're picturing us as fit hikers, guess again. 

There are several vantage points on the zig zag path up to the peak.  I hinted the view would still be good at each of these, but Pedro wasn't having it. Darn. 

          There were also a ton of magpies at the peak (P *bitterly* : at least they get to fly up here).

We enjoyed the view and took the time to catch our breath.  Then we began our decent.  Our next tour was in an hour and we still had to get back to the Royal mile. My knees were buckling and I slipped a few times in the mud trying to avoid the loos rocks on the way down.  

S: Taxi?

P: Yep!

The taxi dropped us off directly in front of the Scotch Whisky Experience. The tour was a cheesy slow moving barrel ride with a holographic ghost guide.  Flashback to Disney/Universal back in Florida! The main attraction for us was the Diageo Claive Vidiz Whisky Collection.  Claive Vidiz was a whisky enthusiast who sought to collect many variations of Scotch whisky including some rare bottles. After his death, the collection of over 3,000 bottles was purchased by Diageo who sought to do two things: never open a single bottle and display the entire collection to the public.  So that's how it ended up on the tour.  I think it could be nicknamed the Amber room the way they lit up the bottles on display.

We got a taste of whisky from each of the 5 regions of Scotland along with a scratch-n-sniff card to tell us the notes we were supposed to be tasting.  All I can say is be weary of whisky from the Isle of Islay.  It brings a whole new meaning to 'fire whisky' with the potent smoky flavor. We also learned a new drinking toast, the Gaelic 'Sláinte Mhath' pronounced 'slange-va'. Cheers!

Needless to say, we were a bit sloshed so we decided to walk back down the Royal Mile to find dinner. Pedro kept searching for authentic Scottish food but they were too far for me, so I claimed a pizza place with a view of the castle was Scottish enough. Turns out it's the #1 pizza place in Edinburgh, called @pizza, so I win! I recommend the 'At Tiffany's The Breakfast One' which was so satisfying and a good way to soak up the alcohol. 

Then Pedro sought out a perfect place for dessert to end the night.  He found a place called Coro the Chocolate Café. With chocolate fondue and crepes, Pedro swooped in for the dessert win.

By that time, it was 8pm, so we still had some time to kill before our train at 9:45pm.  We walked down Princes St to view the Castle lit up in the distance as well as the Scott Monument. 

By this point, it started to rain and we were so tired, we decided to head to the train station and wait out there in the warmth. Pedro slept on the train to Glasgow, while I checked the time tables for our connecting train. The one we were supposed to take was cancelled so we had to wait a bit longer for the next one to Anniesland. I think we got home just before midnight. Can't believe we did Edinburgh in a day!