Edinburgh!

My roommates and I set out recently on our first weekend trip out of the country to visit Edinburgh, Scotland! We spent two days and one night there; it was a really early morning, leaving our apartment at 4:00 am to get to our flight, but it was so worth it. I fell in love with the city! It’s about half the size of Dublin, so it felt very quaint and manageable. The buildings are beautiful, and I couldn’t get enough of walking around the streets and seeing as much as possible. 

It was also my first hostel experience, and it was exciting! Our window looked right out over the city, and we were right in the middle of Old Town and next to the Royal Mile, the most popular part of the city, all for only twenty euros a night. 

We spent most of our time just walking around and window shopping, but we also got to tour Edinburgh Castle! It was basically a huge museum in a beautiful castle overlooking the city and the distant highlands, and we got to learn lots about Mary, Queen of Scots, and even see the crown jewels of Scotland! We also went to the Scottish National Gallery (free entry!) and got to see works by Picasso, Van Gogh, and many other iconic artists. 

We even got to be in town during one of Scotland’s rugby matches in the huge Six Nations rugby tournament going on in Europe right now. That meant it was impossible to find a seat in any establishment with a television, but we got to enjoy the atmosphere of the city filled with passionate rugby fans, many of whom were proudly wearing kilts. 

Throughout our trip, we got to meet several Scottish people, one of whom is a busker magician named James. His fans call him the “Tartan Trickster,” and he enchanted a huge crowd in the street with his illusions. He said he’s busked all over the world for over twenty years, but Edinburgh is his favorite. 

We learned that bagpipe music is always close by; more often than not, we could hear it echoing down the winding city streets from somewhere, close by or far off. 

Overall, we had an amazing trip to Edinburgh, and I can’t wait to go back someday!