Britain Europe Travel

In Edinburgh…again!

By on Friday, May 29, 2015

Oh the number of times I’ve been to Edinburgh. It might be my most blogged-about place. But what can I say? I love it so so much.(If you’ve been behind, you might want to read about my exploits with my mom, with my biffle when we thought we were headed to Paris (!) or on my road trip.)

This time, I had a constructive reason to head up the coast: an academic conference. Despite feeling ridiculously nervous about presenting a paper on how the media impacts British perceptions of immigration and race relations, I couldn’t help but be excited about taking a Virgin Train up. Although I’ve spent a lot of time at Waverley Station, that’s been inter-Scotland travel. The plane or driving has always been much cheaper when it comes to getting to Edinburgh. But since I got paid for my trip, I decided to splash out and take what is reputed to be one of the most amazing train journeys in the UK.

It really is gorgeous.

Fields of rape (yes, that’s a product here) out my window.

 

The Scottish coast.

 

A huge portion of my trip was dedicated to the conference at the University of Edinburgh, but no self-respecting visitor to Edinburgh can miss a few things, IM(H)O.
1) Arthur’s Seat: the precarious mountain lurking above the city is a MUST to hike for the best views of Edinburgh, Leith and beyond. But don’t take my word for it. A picture is (for writers like me, sadly) worth 1000 words, at least.
The crest of Arthur’s Seat. What a hike up! Short but DIFFICULT!

 

 

 

A view of Holyrood Palace (the Queen’s residence in Edinburgh) from Arthur’s Seat.
I must say, I was proud I got to the very top. I’m out of shape!!!

2) The Royal Mile: I once went on a ghost tour of the Royal Mile, which isn’t really my cup of tea usually. However, it infused me with SUCH a love of a street I’ve typically thought to be the armpit of the Scottish tourist world.

The view of the city from the Castle is almost as good as on top of Arthur’s Seat!
St Giles Cathedral is my favorite church in all of the world. So unusual and beautiful.

 

And no walk along the Royal Mile would be right without coming down to the end at Holyrood.
3) Greyfriar’s Kirkyard: Perhaps odd for a gal that isn’t so in to ghost tours, I love love love cemeteries, as anyone who reads about my multiple Paris travels knows. Greyfriar’s Kirkyard is a beautiful old cemetery that has a lot of names from Harry Potter in it. I think JK Rowling must have gone out on walks through this cemetery for inspiration- there are Riddle’s, Moodie’s, McGonnagals and more. Every time I take a walk through the Kirkyard, I find more and more names I recognize.
 

4) Food at La Petite Mort: this is a very new addition for me. While I like vegetarian haggis as much as the next person, I’ve never really considered Edinburgh a culinary mecca. BUT THIS PLACE, OMG. Sorry for the caps, but seriously. This is probably the best restaurant meal I have ever, ever had. Just looking back at the picture makes my mouth water. It’s a bit off the beaten track, but I would definitely, definitely recommend going out of your way to try this place. Have the gnocchi. It won’t disappoint.

5) Walking around to see what you stumble upon: OK, maybe this is a bit of a cop out because this is an important thing to do in any city. I love getting lost and trying to find my way back to my hotel or Airbnb. But in Edinburgh, you never know what you’re going to see: brand new glass-front construction, ancient crumbling foundations, delicious Greek cafes like the Richmond, or an amazing sunset.

 

 

 

I would finish this post by promising to go back to Edinburgh, but I think I’ve proven that I can’t stay away as it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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