Advertisement
Say hello to Edinburgh!
The view from Edinburgh Castle.What a week it has been! The bad news is...my allergies have been given me a hard time and made me lost my voice.
The good news is...I'm still having the time of my life!
We arrived in Edinburgh last Saturday and have been busy nonstop with sightseeing and exploring Scotland's capital.
Our accommodations were very centrally located...right off the Royal Mile (the most happening and busy street of the city). The highlight of our hostel was the fact the showers were big enough to turn around in and had a separate water closet. And free breakfast.
It's the little things, right?
The history and architecture of this city is so beautiful and interesting. They have done such an amazing job preserving historic buildings, closes, and relics. There were moments where we would stop, look around, and wonder...
Is this real, or are we just dreaming it all?
We toured St. Giles Cathedral and I was so taken by the reverence and beauty present in the church. They had beautiful live music playing (which I, of course, couldn't help but
I'm home!
Because I'm a princess, and princesses live in castles, right? record for a bit).
The size of the cathedrals here make Immaculate Conception in downtown Jacksonville look like a chapel.
Next on the agenda was a walking tour of Mary King's Close, which explores a section of the old underground city of Edinburgh.
Did you know that there was an old city underneath modern day Edinburgh? Well now you do. It was the city that dates back to the time of the horrific bubonic plagues. And let me tell you...exploring these places in the ground, seeing how these people once lived, and how hard life was...all made me appreciate my life (and modern day medicine) much more.
One of my favorite parts of our stay in Edinburgh was touring the Edinburgh Castle. This magnificent place looks down upon the entire city and houses the crown jewels of Scotland (I wish they had let me take a picture. The ring they had on display encompasses the standards I have for my future engagement ring from my future fiancé that does not yet exist.).
Anyway.
The audio guide provided to me as I toured the castle grounds gave
The Elephant House
Elephants everywhere! great insight on the history that took place on the very earth I was walking on. Kings were born here. Great royal parties were thrown here. Prisoners of war were held here (and tried to escape to no avail).
The feeling was unreal.
I was so glad our instructors allowed us ample time to explore the city at our leisure and at our own discretion. This made for some great adventures and discoveries. We ate at adorable street-side cafes, walked up and down the historic streets, and enjoyed great times at local nightlife hotspots.
We stopped into The Elephant House, the place where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone! Not to mention, the food was awesome.
AND they had elephants all over the place.
I was in heaven.
On our last night in Edinburgh, we attended an authentic Scottish Ceilidh put on by the Edinburgh Ceilidh Club. If you don't know what that is, it's Scottish dancing! Luckily, they had several practice rounds for our inexperienced group...but it was SO fun! Some of the regulars even wore kilts.
I'm amazing
St. Giles Cathedral
Breathtaking, isn't it? at the diversity I have encountered on my trip so far. I've met people from France, Italy, New Zealand, and Wales just to name a few. I have officially realized how huge our world really is, and I can't wait to explore more of it.
This morning, I sadly had to say goodbye to Edinburgh. It was truly a magical city and surely not my last visit. It's been a long travel day, roughly 5 hours, to cross over the Scotland-England border into Liverpool. So far, we have arrived at our hostel and taken a bus tour of the city. We saw lots of Beatles related sights and places...including Penny Lane!
Tomorrow, we take a day trip to Wales then come back here to explore Liverpool at our leisure.
Until next time.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.075s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0465s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
