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After spending a few days in London getting over our jetlag our intrepid threesome (haha) were boarding a train to Edinburgh, Scotland. Our expectations were high as pretty much everyone we talked to said "oh emm gee you are going to love Edinburgh". So we set off to see if it could live up to the hype.
Walking out of the train station onto a bridge spanning the river leith, we could not help but feel we had gone back in time. Impressive, tall stone buildings rise up on either side of the river that look unchanged from centuries ago (probably because they are!). For a couple of fresh off the boats from New Zealand this was a pretty amazing first impression. We tottered with our lightly packed bags to our hostel and got settled in.
We started the next day with a Sandeman's walking tour of the city. Highly recommend this! Our lovely guide Fiona walked us to all the top Edinburgh attractions, such as the castle, which is situated precariously on the top of a hill, St Giles cathedral and Greyfriars Kirkyard. The sites were amazing and her stories were a highlight.... But nothing could compare to when she pointed out that in the cemetery were names on headstones that one would recognise if they were a fan of certain books about a famous wizard. Yes! Harry Potter!
This revelation lead to LJ and I spending the next hour running round the cemetery exclaiming "Oooo McGonagall! Moodie! and so on. We duelled with 'wands' in front of Tom Riddles grave, we stared in fascination at the building that was the inspiration for Hogwarts and we bought postcards at The Elephant House cafe which was where JK Rowling sat to write the books. That evening we took a tour under the city to Mary KIngs Close, which has been built over but was originally part of the city. I think LJ and DS expected it to be more scary, but the history was interesting.
The next day, our final day in Edinburgh, we walked up Arthur's Seat to get 360 degree views. It was the first sunny day we had encountered since landing in the northern hemisphere so we were, naturally,over the moon. The view was spectacular, definitely worth the walk up (turns out we took the more difficult route). Feeling a bit sweaty and in my case sunburned (yes I know, who gets sunburned in Scotland) we headed back down for a pint and a bite to eat. The Sheep Heid Inn claims to be the oldest pub in Scotland, but it actually turns out its the oldest site where a pub was, the actual building isn't that old at all. We let this go though as we all had a wee nap in the beer garden, before taking a taxi back to our hostel.
Edinburgh exceeded all my expectations and is a must for anyone who is visiting the UK, especially Harry Potter fans! It combines interesting history with amazing architecture and you can forgo public transport as all the main sites are walkable.
P.S ..... DS wanted me to add that in the male bathrooms in Cabaret Voltaire, a club we ventured to, there is a variety of man perfume that is distributed by a member of the staff, yes that is their job and you can't leave until you choose one. So if that's up anyone's alley........
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