Summer officially ended while we were on our train ride from sunny Liverpool towards the capital of Scotland. We chose Edinburgh for many reasons. Many (free) museums. Culture. Scotch Whisky. Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. Harry Potter. Bagpipes and men in kilt! But all throughout our stay here, we experienced overcast skies and showers every now and then. Wet and cold in Edinburgh but we’re not complaining. Behind our apartment is the Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat beckons. Many young hikers all geared up for the hike, some with their fur babies — and I only managed to watch them while sipping coffee and enjoying scones in the Holyrood Cafe by the Palace.
The Scottish pride left me with a good impression 38 years ago. I just love how they feel proud of their independence and their national icons. Alexander Graham Bell, Robert Burns, Alexander Fleming and the more contemporary Andy Murray and Sean Connery of 007 fame. J.K. Rowlings is British but she drew inspiration from many spots around Edinburgh for her 7-volume Harry Potter books. In fact there were way too many Harry Potter tours around here to show visitors the Elephant House, the self-proclaimed birthplace of Harry Potter. The Greyfriar Kirkyard, the burial site of Thomas Riddle aka Lord Vxxxx “who must not be named”. (Rowlings picked out names from the graves here, and no one knows who this Thomas is). The beautiful Victoria Street emerged in her imaginary Diagon Alley and you’d be surprised how many wands they sell around here. Plus many more.
But it would be a waste to miss the Scottish Museum of Modern Art (there were 2 across each other).A tad distant from the center with a wide expanse around the buildings. Then there’s also the National Gallery of Scotland and the Portraits Gallery. If it were sunny or at the very least rainless, it would be nice to lay out a picnic mat and just chill. I noticed though that all the flat whites and hot chocolates I drank in the museums were all good! And yes, their scones, muffins and brownies were too. One lunch we had (and repeated) was in Rock Salt Cafe along Jeffrey Street. The Scottish Breakfast was truly a big brekkie with ham, eggs, hash brown, haggis, sausage, black pudding, pork and beans and the thickest slices of really good sourdough. If that is not enough, let’s see if you can resist their baklava and other yummy pastries.
So there. Edinburgh may give you a lot of rain or spoil your mood but there are always the museos and the good food waiting for you. From big breakfasts to the national dish of Scotland called haggis, to the many pubs serving draught beer or whisky bars, to the many gelato and pastry shops! Many housed in century old apartment buildings.
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