Life in London: Edinburgh july 2010

The thought of no travel for the better part of a year was too scary so I booked a long weekend away in July to Edinburgh where I wouldn't need a passport to travel to. Train tickets were organized (only £29 round trip), 2 nights at the Radisson hotel with 1 of the nights free (being in the know does pay off sometimes) and I found 2 travel companions (my past flatmate A and my current flatmate S). Result! A trip to look forward to to a city I've always wanted to see, with great company.

The day finally arrived and off we went, arriving to a hot sunny Edinburgh afternoon. After checking in we went out for a wander around. Our hotel was very centrally located, right on the Royal Mile, which made exploring very easy. There is a lot to see in such a small city and we made the most of our time there. The second day we woke up to the pooring rain and learned Edinburgh weather can't be counted on. We found a place for breakfast hoping by the time we finished the rain would stop. It didn't but we headed for the Castle at the top of the Royal Mile with a stop in in a church, the St Giles Cathedral to escape the rain and listen to the beautiful sounds of a visiting American choir. My favourite bit of the cathedral was the small carving of an angle with bagpipes.

Edinburgh Castle is where you end up if you follow the Royal Mile to the top of the hill. On this day it was in the clouds, but because the city was blotted out it added to the atmosphere of what it must have been like 100's of years ago. Tip: I would suggest getting to the castle early and having breakfast there, the canteen/restaurant has great views of the city and sells fantastic pastries.

After the castle we explored the shops, had a great Thai lunch, and then after a freshen up, headed out to check out the night life. We learned a night out must end with fried food, anything you can think of fried. Pizza, Mars Bars you name it.

Our final day we planned to take a walking tour. We woke up it was sunny so A and I chose summer clothes, shorts and such, but as weather in Scotland does it changed, and the sun went in the wind picked up and that was it for summer weather. In an effort to keep warm I quickly bought a scarf, now my souvenir of Edinburgh and a reminder of how fleeting summer can be in Scotland. The walking tour was great, we saw Harry Potter sites, learned some history, lots about the city and were told the story of the Stone of Destiny (aka Stone of Scone).

Then it was time to get a bite to eat grab our bags and head to the train station. Time to head home. Edinburgh is a great city, I really liked it. Possibly because it reminds me a little of home, some of the buildings look the same as the historic part of Halifax, the people are friendly, the wind, the size of the city, and the fact that it is a university town. For whatever reason if it wasn't so cold I would seriously consider living there. It is one of those cities that I just click with.