Did someone say “breath of fresh air”? This is exactly how Edinburgh makes me feel! The blend of ancient streets, vibrant culture, and stunning landscapes is like nowhere else. Discover the magic of the UK’s most enchanting city.
You are walking up the steps from the train station off of Princes Street in Edinburgh, Scotland and your senses come online the sound of bagpipes fill the air and your eyes are drawn upwards to the buildings and to the Scottish Monument. The world’s second biggest monument to a writer and poet and it doesn’t hurt that his dog is carved along with him in marble. It’s standing in all its gothic glory. It was truly buzzing with life and activity on the streets that clear August day. What we didn’t realize is that we were visiting during their peak summer festival season. The street performers and musicians graced the sidewalks as you passed by groups of people dressed in costumes and unique outfits. The crowds were huge by mid-day and we kept seeing the double decker red buses pass us and by and made a mental note we should get on one of those to beat the crowds. We made our way to the Frederick House Hotel to drop off the bags and go on an adventure to the streets of Edinburgh. The hotel was a Georgian home right in the town center and about a five minute walk away from Princes Street. The hotel had a clean and modern feel to the rooms. I have never stayed in a place without air conditioning and we just so happened to be there one the warmest and driest seasons they were having. When I read online about the area I was thinking that I would be needing my raincoat at all times. I still carried it in my small backpack just in case it did start raining. I also had a sweater in my bag and a short sleeve shirt under all that to say that you need to dress in layers when you are there. I think I had taken off and put on all my lawyers every hour or so. You will be happy that you bring around a small backpack with you. Sure you will look like a tourist but that doesn’t matter because you will be comfortable and be able to enjoy the day at your own pace. We had a short time in the city, only two nights. I would have loved to had more time in the town but we did six miles the first day just walking around and exploring and we walked nine miles the second day.
Once we stepped out into the streets of the town we really didn’t have a place to just start exploring. We walked to the Grassmarket and decided to sit down at a pub called “The Last Drop” and enjoy a cold beer on the sunny summer day. The patio tables were full and we sat down on a stoop hugged into the building and as we were enjoying the live music a waitress came to tell us we can’t sit there. It’s a private residence. We looked at the side wall and there is a plaque saying it’s an air bnb. “Whoops” we get up and suddenly a patio table opens up. We sit there and enjoy the street musician and chat with a nice solo traveler as we think of what to do next. As someone who is a total Harry Potter nerd, some of the first things I wanted to do when we went there was to see some of the places J.K. Rolling was inspired by and modeled some of the cultural aspects inside of her novels. Wandering through the streets of Edinburgh feels like stepping right into a magical world, especially for any Harry Potter fan. The vibes here are just chef’s kisses. We decided to do a loop around the famous curved street Victoria Street. The shops are painted in bright colors and have some of the most amazingly curated items. Scottish tweed clothing and accessories bags, wallets, hats, and even converse. Cashmere blankets, scarfs, and gloves. The bookshop there was so fabulous with old books stacked to the ceiling and right beside it was a store dedicated to Harry Potter and as you can imagine it was very crowed and busy there was a que out the door to check it out. As much as we wanted to spend more time in the shops with our limited amount of time, we were more interested in seeing the city then spending time in shops.
We strolled over to Greyfriars Kirkyard, where the legend of Greyfriars Bobby lives on. People say rubbing his nose brings good luck, and trust me, I wasn’t going to miss that! This is an iconic place because of the story of the Skye Terrier, the exceptionally loyal dog who guarded his master’s grave inside of the Kirkyard for 14 years. ‘Bobby’ was the name of the terrier who belonged to John Gray, a night watchman for the Edinburgh Police. The two were inseparable for two years. However in February 1858, Gray died of tuberculosis. He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. Bobby spent the rest of his life sitting on his master’s grave. The gardener and keeper of the Greyfriars tried many occasions to remove Bobby, but in the end they felt bad for the little dog. He built a shelter and was red regularly. Bobby never spent a night away from his master’s grave even in the most dismal weather conditions. When Bobby died in 1872 he was buried right inside the gate of the Kirkyard near John’s grave. The state is there to immortalize the love of man’s best friend and heart warming story of true love.
Then, right there in the kirkyard, we stumbled upon the very names that J.K. Rowling herself drew inspiration from—Thomas Riddle, Professor McGonagall…it’s like the magic was all around us, just waiting to be discovered. Pure inspiration. Unfortunately, McGonagall’s grave was tampered with, so a new plaque had to be placed there. I did my best to capture the eerie yet beautiful ambiance of the graveyard, especially at dusk or dawn. Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to read Harry Potter because it was considered “of the devil.” I started reading the series in college and fell in love with the books, which I now reread every year. Learning about the struggles that J.K. Rowling went through while walking down the street that inspired her truly makes you appreciate the rejection she faced for her manuscript and how she kept pushing through with a story she believed in. Art is meant for you; it doesn’t matter what others think. If you believe in your art, it will find its way to the right people.
We ended the long adventure day with a meal at the Rose Street Brewery that was once called Nicholson’s Ale and Gin House. The character of the building was so warm and welcoming. The restaurant was a brewery for over 150 years. It was located on the first floor of the building where ‘Auld Reekie Ale’ was produced. ‘Auld Reekie’, reek meaning smoke, is a traditional nickname for Edinburgh, a nod to the smoky brewing processes. They had traditional menu items like their famous meat pies, seafood soup cullen skink, haggis, neeps, & tatties. We enjoyed a meat pie with beef rib, skin, and pulled brisket and a dish called balmoral chicken, a roasted chicken breast with haggis stuffed inside, wrapped in smoked black bacon and a whiskey sauce. It was the perfect end to a long day and when we made it back to the Fredrick House Hotel there was no problem falling asleep except for when I woke up at 12am to ask for a fan because the hotel was so hot (no air conditioning in Europe). That was a life saver and we were able to get back to sleep to prepare for a long last day in the amazing city.