Great Scot! Part 1: Edinburgh
I have to admit that there’s something really comforting about traveling to an English-speaking country, especially in terms of ease of getting around. Maybe that has something to do with why I enjoyed my Irish and English adventures so much. However, I have to think that the natural beauty of the land contributes a lot as well. A few weeks ago I finally made it to Scotland and I honestly can’t wait to get back.
Having heard Edinburgh was quite nice (and since EasyJet flies there from Geneva), I decided to make that my primary destination. As luck would have it, a friend-of-a-friend is studying there so I even had a de facto tour guide and place to stay.
I arrived on Friday January 25th to rain and wind (big surprise). I met up with Erin and wandered around the city for a bit while she went to class. We then headed for dinner and spent the evening at an Australian bar with some of her friends to celebrate Australia Day (which is comparable to the 4th of July for us Americans).
The Merkat Cross in front on St Giles Cathedral
The Cathedral by night
John Knox, a reformer who spent a lot of time in Geneva, is still buried near the cathedral. Of course, the cemetery is now a parking lot (that yellow square marks his grave)
Edinburgh Castle
On Saturday morning we took a free walking tour from the same company Joe, Brian and I used in London. Erin came along and got to see a few things and learn some history she hadn’t known before. Lucky for us, the rain subsided, though the skies were still plenty gray. While Dublin is rather industrial, Edinburgh is very much a medieval city with lots of amazing old buildings infused with magic and majesty. After walking around for a little while, it comes as no surprise that this is where J.K. Rowling invented Harry Potter and wrote the first book.
Herriot's School, allegedly J.K. Rowling's inspiration for Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The Elephant House, the coffee shop where J.K. Rowling allegedly wrote the first Harry Potter book
Me in front of the Elephant House. Gotta love display fonts...
Greyfriars churchyard
statue of Greyfriar's Bobby, a terrier who wouldn't leave his master's graveside and became a local legend
Deacon Brody's Tavern, named after a prominent citizen whose double-life of crime and lechery inspired Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
a statue of Deacon Brody
window from the Scottish National Gallery featuring one of my favorite pieces there
preternaturally green grass in one of the city’s parks
Following our tour, we toured the National Gallery and did a bit of shopping. Unfortunately, the castle was closing so I wasn’t able to actually tour that, but perhaps another time. By the time the sun went down, we were pretty exhausted so we decided to grab some dinner (Mexican!) and a catch a movie (the excellent Dan in Real Life which still hasn’t made it to Switzerland). All in all it was a great day.
After finding some breakfast and wandering around the shops of Princes Street on Sunday, it was time for me to take MegaBus up to Aberdeen where I would spend the rest of my trip.
Having heard Edinburgh was quite nice (and since EasyJet flies there from Geneva), I decided to make that my primary destination. As luck would have it, a friend-of-a-friend is studying there so I even had a de facto tour guide and place to stay.
I arrived on Friday January 25th to rain and wind (big surprise). I met up with Erin and wandered around the city for a bit while she went to class. We then headed for dinner and spent the evening at an Australian bar with some of her friends to celebrate Australia Day (which is comparable to the 4th of July for us Americans).
The Merkat Cross in front on St Giles Cathedral
The Cathedral by night
John Knox, a reformer who spent a lot of time in Geneva, is still buried near the cathedral. Of course, the cemetery is now a parking lot (that yellow square marks his grave)
Edinburgh Castle
On Saturday morning we took a free walking tour from the same company Joe, Brian and I used in London. Erin came along and got to see a few things and learn some history she hadn’t known before. Lucky for us, the rain subsided, though the skies were still plenty gray. While Dublin is rather industrial, Edinburgh is very much a medieval city with lots of amazing old buildings infused with magic and majesty. After walking around for a little while, it comes as no surprise that this is where J.K. Rowling invented Harry Potter and wrote the first book.
Herriot's School, allegedly J.K. Rowling's inspiration for Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The Elephant House, the coffee shop where J.K. Rowling allegedly wrote the first Harry Potter book
Me in front of the Elephant House. Gotta love display fonts...
Greyfriars churchyard
statue of Greyfriar's Bobby, a terrier who wouldn't leave his master's graveside and became a local legend
Deacon Brody's Tavern, named after a prominent citizen whose double-life of crime and lechery inspired Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
a statue of Deacon Brody
window from the Scottish National Gallery featuring one of my favorite pieces there
preternaturally green grass in one of the city’s parks
Following our tour, we toured the National Gallery and did a bit of shopping. Unfortunately, the castle was closing so I wasn’t able to actually tour that, but perhaps another time. By the time the sun went down, we were pretty exhausted so we decided to grab some dinner (Mexican!) and a catch a movie (the excellent Dan in Real Life which still hasn’t made it to Switzerland). All in all it was a great day.
After finding some breakfast and wandering around the shops of Princes Street on Sunday, it was time for me to take MegaBus up to Aberdeen where I would spend the rest of my trip.
Labels: Edinburgh, Harry Potter, Scotland, travel
posted by Aaron at 3:15 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home