Clad In McKenzie Tartan

Having just left London, I am continuing to record my travels broken up day-by-day. This post includes my adventures, experiences, and new friends I came to know during the 6 days I spent in Edinburgh from the 24th-29th of December. I was very excited for my time in Edinburgh as a way to tour the University and get back to my McKenzie roots. That being said, let’s get to it!

EDINBURGH DAY 1: Christmas Eve in Scotland

Another early wake-up call and I found myself on the tube with tickets in hand. Arriving at King’s Cross station, I took an honorary picture in front of the infamous Platform 9 3/4 from the Harry Potter fandom and boarded my train headed for Scotland. The train ride from London to Edinburgh was as humble— yet undeniably gorgeous— as I had imagined. A four hour trip characterized by rolling green hills and farmland against the coastline was not one I wish to forget soon. As I arrived in Edinburgh, with backpack in toe I hiked up the steep hill towards the Old City. I even happened to come face-to-face with Edinburgh Castle while making my way to my hostel which was situated at its base. After checking in and dropping off my bags, I headed back down the hill towards the flats and shopping district of the New City. After running in and out of tourist shops and avoiding the chain retail stores of H&M and Top Shop, I walked back up the hill to stroll along the Royal Mile before finding a grocery store and returning to my hostel to cook dinner.

After chatting and sharing a meal with my new companions in the hostel, I braved the cold and decided to spend Christmas Eve in style. I walked back down towards the New City and continued until I reached the Royal Botanic Garden for their Christmas light show. The outdoor circuit included many interactive bits, a coordinated light show with music, hot cocoa and food stands, and even Santa Claus himself! Not to mention the ice and frost that covered many of the plants within the garden added to the magic of the night. After spending about three-and-a-half hours enjoying—and freezing—the gardens I walked back uphill to the hostel to watch a Christmas comedy the hostel was showing. Having warmed up with a cup of tea, had a couple laughs, and spending my first night in Edinburgh among the gardens, I found myself quite enjoying this year’s Christmas Eve!

EDINBURGH DAY 2: Merry Christmas!

Giving myself a small Christmas present, I slept in for an extra hour before eating breakfast and getting ready for another walking tour with Sandeman’s—the same company that I did a tour with in London. Before leaving the hostel, on my bed I found a pair of stockings filled with mandarin oranges and chocolate! After changing into my new Christmas socks, I left to meet up with my tour along the Royal Mile. The tour of the Old City led us up and down the Royal Mile, up to the castle, down to Greyfriars Kirkyard, and up and down the streets of Edinburgh. Our guide pointed out the city’s dark history as well as locations famous authors such as J.K. Rowling and Diana Gabladon took their inspiration. Within the Kirkyard we hard tales of the terrier Greyfriars Bobby and even visited the graves of Tom Riddle and McGonagall which were the names Rowling used as major characters within her series. On the tour, I became close with a girl named Elana from Buffalo, New York, who was staying in the same hostel as I. After the tour, we headed to a bar to get to know one another better over a couple of Irish Coffees to warm up.

Elana and I headed back to the hostel in the early afternoon for our Christmas lunch. The hostel prepared a beet stew, mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, brussels sprouts, brownies, ice cream, and provided loads of wine for all of us. We talked for a long time with others at our table and met many interesting people. I was most intrigued by a couple from Alaska and Australia who had been sailing on their personal boat seeing the world for the past eight years. Filled to the brim with food and wine, Elana and I set out for an evening walk and ended up sharing a pint together to wrap up the evening.

While I wish I could have spent Christmas in the company of my family back home, it was really great to FaceTime with them in the evening. However, my day in Edinburgh happened to be very peaceful and filled with new friends and great company. So far, the city is really growing on me and I can’t wait to spend the next couple days getting to know it even better!

EDINBURGH DAY 3: Hiking & the University of Edinburgh

As all of the stores were closed again for Boxing Day, I woke up early and got ready for my hike up to Arthur’s Seat. The highest point within the entire city was sure to provide me to take in all of the stunning views Edinburgh has to offer. After headed down the Royal Mile and past the Palace of Holyrood House I arrived at the base of the hill. Hiking through the wet clay and slipping on the slick heather that covered the sides of the trail I finally made it to the incredible—however very windy—summit. I spent my time tracking where I had been around the city as well as identifying places I planned to visit in the coming days. I picked my way down the hill following deer trails before I popped out near a large pond at its base. From there I walked across town to another viewpoint where I enjoyed many Roman monuments on top of Carlton Hill and ate my lunch.

I returned to the hostel to warm up with yet another cup of tea to rest my feet before headed back out for the evening. As I had previously applied to the University of Edinburgh for a masters program last year, I was very excited to explore the campus. While there were not any students around and the buildings were closed due to the holiday, I found it difficult to imagine it otherwise. Even though I did not find the campus very appealing at the time, a short walk led me to a large green space right next door. Walking around the city I am so impressed by how all of the plants and grass thrive despite the cold. I cannot even fathom how wonderful it would be during the summer months. Although the campus itself was not my favorite place at the moment, I could easily picture myself living there for a couple years or more in the future.

Returning to the hostel for dinner I met up again with Elana and we went to a couple bars to share our travels from the day and enjoy hot spiked drinks. The more time I spend here in Edinburgh the more it grows on me. I already know that I would love to return sometime in the near future.

EDINBURGH DAY 4: Museums & Hauntings

Finally, things were back open from the holiday season! Before I left to explore, I packed my bags and moved to a new hostel down the street. Although Castle Rock Hostel was a wonderful place to stay, my new accommodation at High Street Hostel offered the same activities in a much smaller and relaxed environment. After checking in and dropping off my bags, I spent most of my day today going to museums and in-and-out of stores around the city. After a late start to my morning, I walked down the hill into the New City and stopped for a Full Scottish Breakfast at the Black Rose Tavern. The meal came with a sausage, potato scone, bacon, a fried egg, beans, black pudding, haggis, a grilled tomato, battered mushrooms, and toast for only £6.95! All I can say is that the Scottish have really mastered the art of comfort food.

With a full belly I made my way to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery—which was much like the portrait gallery in London, however it was composed entirely of Scots—and the National Gallery of Scotland where I viewed pieces by da Vinci, van Gough, and Monet. Next, I wanted back through the streets of the New City and up the hill to the Old City to spend the afternoon. I wandered around for much of the afternoon taking in the sights, more local museums, and even stopped to visit Greyfriar Bobby’s memorial.

During another homemade dinner at the hostel I sat with other travelers and watched a movie in the hostel’s lounge area. Before long, I was invited to a pub crawl for that evening coordinated by the hostel. We started at a Frankenstein themed bar which was interesting to say the least, however I had to leave early to meet up with my tour for an Evening of Ghosts & Ghouls. The walking tour took us around the city where our guide told us grisly tales of witchcraft, torture, and spirits as we ventured down medieval closes and before we descend into the haunted Blair Street Underground Vaults. The vaults were originally created as underground space of an old bridge that connects large sections of the Old City together. As the spaces were not easily regulated no watched, they became popular areas for undesirables. As our tour came to the end, we gathered in Megget’s Cellar within the vaults for a glass of whiskey. I had a lot of fun while on the tour and our guide’s theatrics added to the spooky ambiance of the night.

After leaving the tour, I regrouped with the pub crawl before meeting up with Elana to grab a drink down the road. We made a plan to meet up tomorrow in Glasgow as it seemed as though we had already seen much of what Edinburgh had to offer. With that in mind, we returned to our hostels for the night both excited for what tomorrow might bring!

EDINBURGH DAY 5: Day Trip to Glasgow

As Elana and I did not have plans to meet in Glasgow until the afternoon, I decided to take a long morning walk and venture a bit outside of the city to Dean’s Village. Passing through the New City, I found myself walking along a river path, through a graveyard, and then popping out to a Museum of Modern Art. I wondered around inside for a little bit and admired the works of Warhol and Paolozzi before I found myself back outside. I ended up walking the river bank all the way to the edge of the New City where I decided it was time to grab my train tickets to Glasgow.

From the station in Edinburgh it only took an hour by train to reach Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow. Once out of the train station, I headed to a nearby information center to get a map and for recommendations of what to see within the little time I had in the city. With a little bit of guidance, I stopped first at the George Square Christmas Market to enjoy the festivities before I embarked on my long walk to Saint Mungo’s Cathedral. Saint Mungo’s, or Glasgow Cathedral, is the oldest cathedral on mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow having been built between the 13th - 15th centuries. The location was also used as a filming location for my favorite television and book series, Outlander. The Cathedral doubled as the L'Hôpital des Anges where Claire Fraser volunteered while her and Jamie lived in Paris. Situated on a large hill above the Cathedral was a large graveyard and Necropolis that gave wonderful views of the city. Having enjoyed my time exploring Saint Mongo’s and the Necropolis, I walked back down to the center of the city to meet up with Elana.

I met up with Elana back at the Christmas Market and we headed down to the River Clyde and walked for a while and caught up on how we each spent our day. We then took a large loop through the city before returning to the Market at George Square to warm up before catching the next train back to Edinburgh. After a little trouble with my credit card, we were off!

As it was Elana’s last evening in Edinburgh, we went out to dinner at The Advocate next to our hostel. We both tried the hot steak pies and made promises to keep in touch in the future. After saying goodbye, we both made our way back to our hostels for the night. I was very lucky to have found such a fun and kind travel companion to spend my time with while in Edinburgh. Not only did she make the push for me to join her in Glasgow for an afternoon, but she also got me out of the hostel to enjoy our evening over a couple of drinks and laughs. Tomorrow will be my last day in Edinburgh and I hope to make the best of it!

EDINBURGH DAY 6: High Tea & Home

Having finished off the rest of my breakfast food, I made the effort to take a final long walk through the New and Old Cities and up the Royal Mile. I returned to the hostel to make lunch and put together some food for my upcoming flight in the evening. Then, it was time for my reservation at the Scotsman Grand Cafe and Hotel! Upon arriving I was given a nice table next to a window which allowed me the perfect position for some people watching. After ordering a Whiskey Tea, it wasn’t long before my grand tower of high tea foods arrived. There were finger sandwiches filled with egg, salmon, and spicy mustard; mushroom quiche; a thick celery soup; scones with dried apricots apricots and topped with whipped butter and jam; raspberry shortbread with almond shavings; a delicate sponge cake; chocolate moose on shortbread drizzled with apricot sauce; caramel custard with crème brûlée top; and finally, a custard with raspberry jelly on top. Having enjoyed my tea and deliciously delicate snacks, I was stuffed to the brim.

From the Scotsman, I decided to walk off my stint at high tea and defended down the hill on the Royal Mile to take a final walk through the park by Arthur’s Seat. As it was getting darker, I begrudgingly left and headed back to the hostel to collect my things and grab my bus to the airport.

Leaving Edinburgh I know that some day I want to return. Whether that be on another vacation, attending the University as a postgraduate student, or on a more long-term type of stay, I could easily see myself one day calling this wonderful city home. I had such an incredible couple of weeks vacationing in London, Stonehenge, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. Although London was not to be missed, I think Scotland has become a very special place in my heart. Given the chance, I would return in a heartbeat! As for now, my adventure continues in Spain, another wonderful part of the world. I am so thankful for the many experiences I’ve had these past couple weeks and months living and traveling abroad and I am so excited as to what may come!