Thankfully, the overnight bus to Edinburgh was exponentially more pleasant than the overnight bus home from Liverpool. In order to ensure neither Amanda nor I sat by gremlins, we decided to switch off on the window seat (me on the way there, Amanda on the way back) and sit in the same row. Also, the bus to Edinburgh didn’t have other stops to pick up additional passengers, so it was a lot smoother ride than before.
When Amanda and I finally arrived in Edinburgh, we were surprised to see SUN! And no rain! For those of you who aren’t familiar with Edinburgh, apparently it is almost always rainy and foggy there, but we were lucky enough to have good weather for the entire weekend! We were also excited to discover that our hostel was very close to Edinburgh castle, which means it was centrally located and close enough to walk to everything.
Before setting out for the day Amanda and I grabbed a full Scottish breakfast, which is basically a full English breakfast with a slight twist, and headed over to Waverly Bridge, where we decided to embark on city bus tour. Unlike the one we did in Lisbon this wasn’t one of those obnoxious red ones you see in every city with the audio guides – this one was much smaller, and had a live tour guide explaining the history of the new and old city of Edinburgh. However, like the one in Lisbon it was hop on/hop off, so we could easily choose what we wanted to see, get off, and easily get back on again.
First we chose to hop off at Holyrood, which is where the Scottish House of Parliament, Palace of Holyroodhouse, and Arthur’s Seat are located. The Parliament building was extremely strange – the design was extremely modern, and there was almost no security. This is in great contrast to Westminster, where security is extremely strict and the design is very sophisticated and elegant. The Scots currently have a bill going through Westminster petitioning to break away from the UK and have their Parliament be the sole ruling body… I guess only time will tell to see if that actually happens!
Next we wandered across the street to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is the royal residence for the Queen’s visits to Scotland, and most famously where Mary, Queen of Scots spent most of her time. The inside of the palace was beautiful, as expected, but even more Amanda and I enjoyed the gardens and abbey ruins outside of the palace. Apparently there used to be an abbey adjoined to the palace that was accidentally burned down, but the remains are still in tact. The gardens are HUGE, and with beautiful flowers and large stretches of grass everywhere. Walking through there you can totally imagine the Queen throwing a spectacular garden party!
From there we crossed over the Holyrood National Park, which is where Arthur’s Seat is located. The tour guide on the bus said that this would be a “gradual walk” to the top – however this was far from the truth. In true form Amanda and I got some soft-serve ice cream at the bottom of the hill, and started the ascent. As we got further up the path got steeper, which proved to be interesting for me especially because I was wearing my flip-flops. Despite the obstacles we made it to the top, which was DEFINITELY worth it because we got to see some beautiful views of the Edinburgh region.
At the end of our hike we were happy to re-board the bus, and head to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Calmly wandering around the museum was the perfect activity after our accidental hike. Plus it was awesome because there was an exhibit of portraits of important Scottish figures, so we got a history lesson along with the art.
When we were done at the Portrait Gallery we took a quick, but much needed nap, and embarked on a ghost tour that we had seen earlier in the day. The man giving the tour was crazy, but awesome – he was dressed in full costume and was acting in character the entire time, and had a good balance of jokes mixed in with his scary stories so we were fully entertained.
At the end of the tour we were pretty hungry, so we stopped at an Italian restaurant near our hostel. Amanda got a gelato meant for at least three people, and finished it herself. Epic win. When we finished dinner we happened across a pub that was playing Scottish folk music, so we decided to hang out and listen for a bit before heading to bed early (I know, we’re lame, but we were really tired from the bus ride and the full day we had!).
The next morning we woke up early to get the most out of our day. Since it was about midnight in California I thought it would be fun to call my sister Robyn and wish her a happy birthday. However, because she didn’t recognize the telephone number she decided to have her friend Frannie answer the phone instead, which thoroughly confused me. We ended up talking in the end though, which was sooo nice.
After a quick breakfast, Amanda and I took the short walk over to the Edinburgh Castle, and immediately hopped on a free tour to look around. Edinburgh Castle is apparently the second most visited castle in the UK (after the Tower of London), and we were quickly able to see why. The castle itself was beautiful, and since it was a clear day you could see all the way out over the city of Edinburgh, which was awesome. Not to mention that it was built on what used to be a volcano, and the mountain blends in with the castle, which looks really intense and intimidating. We also got to see the Scottish Crown Jewels, the Coronation Stone, and the Scottish National War Museum while we were there, which was very cool as well.
We grabbed a fast lunch right outside the castle, did a little shopping at the Grassmarket, and then continued on to the Scottish National Museum. Amongst other exhibits this museum basically gave the entire history of Scotland from prehistoric times to the present. While we enjoyed the museum, we were tired of being inside looking at exhibits so we left, grabbed our bags from the hostel, and hung out in Princes Street Gardens to enjoy the beautiful weather. We were lucky to happen upon a guy playing bagpipes in the street so we hung out for a while to listen to him. We also ended up meandering around Charlotte and St. Andrews squares before ending up at a pub, where we got cheap food (yay!) before going to the bus station to hop on the coach home. We were definitely sad to leave Edinburgh, and Amanda and I both agreed that this has been one of our favorite cities that we have seen thus far in the UK.
Today got off to a slow start needless to say since we were so tired. However we got it together by the afternoon, and went to enjoy the rare London sunshine out at the Camden Market! That place was insane, but definitely a good place to explore and people watch. It was also nice to be walking around after sitting in the bus cramped up for so long. We’re also done a fair share of movie-watching today, since my unlimited internet pass runs out tomorrow. Today’s viewings included “Notting Hill”, “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”, and of course this past week’s episode of “Pretty Little Liars” thus far, but I’m sure there will be more to come by the end of the night.
I absolutely cannot believe that I only have two more weeks left in London – the time has absolutely flown by! Even though I was only in Spain for five weeks last summer that trip has felt eons longer than this one. I still have a lengthy “to do” list of places to see in London before I leave, so I will be sure to keep you all updated as I check those off! Hope you are all staying cool in the heat waves!
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