My Edinburgh trip!

Hello and Namaste to all!

   Me and my family had been planning this trip for the past 6 months or so. So, you can probably guess how excited I was when the time finally came for us to go to Edinburgh! This was the first time I was staying somewhere else other than my home in the UK so I was super excited for this trip!

Day 1:

   We went to Edinburgh by a bus so it took us almost the whole day to reach Edinburgh. You could guess that we were exhausted and sleep deprived by the end of the day... My first day in Edinburgh consisted of basically exploring the city by foot. We didn't know much about the city so we decided to walk to Princes Street. Princes Street is a major shopping street in Edinburgh and as a shopaholic, I was overjoyed to be there! I couldn't resist but do some light shopping on that day.

   We were impressed by the beautiful architecture of the buildings in Edinburgh right from the very first day. I could tell that the city was rich in history and it had managed to preserve all of it so well! From Princes Street, the view of Edinburgh castle was magical and even from a distance, it looked majestic.

On the way back to our hotel, we managed to spot mini Kelpies statues. Apparently according to folklore, Kelpies are bad water horses that drag humans from land to the depths of water and drown them!

Day 2:

   As you will be able to see from the pictures, it was a very rainy day. I was kind of disappointed with myself for my poor judgement of the Scottish weather and not dressing appropriately for a rainy, cold day. Anyways, we decided to go on an organised tour to Holy Island and Alnwick Castle for our second day in Scotland. Although, the weather wasn't very favourable for us, it was nonetheless a memorable day for me.

   On Holy Island, we went to look around Lindisfarne Castle in particular. The castle stands on top of a small hill and looks out onto the North Sea. It was really tricky to climb up and down the hill as there were no proper stairs. Although, we didn't have enough time to explore the whole castle, the view from the top of the hill was enough to leave me inspired. I can only imagine what the view is like when the sun is shining.

   The pictures that you see above are of Alnwick Castle. Alnwick Castle is truly a celebrity amongst castles. It was featured as Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films and has also been featured in Downton Abbey! I must admit that it was probably the most majestic and magical castle that I went to in my time in Scotland. I have never seen as much grandeur as I saw in the State rooms of the castle. I literally entered every room with my eyes wide open and my jaws dropping in admiration.

   By the way, did you know that Europe's largest tree house houses a restaurant? That tree house is in Alnwick Castle! We didn't go inside but we also didn't want to miss seeing it. The tree house looked like a work of fantasy.

   It had been a long and wet day for us but I returned to Edinburgh with contentment and admiration.

Day 3:

   We had a good start to our third day in Edinburgh because we had a scrumptious vegetarian breakfast and tea  in a restaurant near our hotel. Nothing beats a hearty breakfast in the morning!

   On this day, we decided to visit the famous Edinburgh Castle and also take a city bus tour. I fell in love with a few things on that day. I discovered how much I enjoyed riding open top buses especially through interesting cities such as Edinburgh. You have no idea how happy I was riding on that bus, with the wind practically blowing my hair in all directions and me trying to capture everything through videos.

   I also fell in love with Edinburgh Castle seeing how spectacular it was! The view from the castle of the city below is just amazing! It is absolutely a must see! I must say though that the exterior of the castle impressed me much more than the interior. Although, the interior was not less than extraordinary! I also enjoyed visiting the Prisons of War. A little bit spook always adds interest!

   We ended our day by visiting the Tartan Mill and Exhibition which was located nearby. My mother is a huge admirer of tartan shawls so you can imagine who must have felt like a kid in a candy store, right?

Day 4:

   Let me introduce you to the most prettiest village that I have seen till date. The cottages that you see above are from the village Luss. It is a small village but not boring at all! About 90% of the cottages are adorned with beautiful flora and I must give them credit for maintaining them like so. The place is simply a pleasure to sore eyes!

   So, today we decided to go on an organised tour again but this time to Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle. The tour bus stopped at the village Luss for lunch and to board the cruise boat for Loch Lomond. We decided not to take the cruise boat as it was cloudy and drizzling.

   For the first time, since I had stepped on the lands of Scotland, I tasted Haggis. Haggis is the national dish of Scotland so I felt that since it is my first time here, I must try it! Haggis is a savoury pudding consisting of sheep innards, onion, oatmeal and various spices. It was served with tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (mashed turnip). The taste was definitely different but not bad at all! I have eaten sheep's innards before but cooked differently. I could tell here, the innards had been cooked and spiced differently from how we would in Nepalese cuisine. It was nevertheless a very hearty and satisfying meal.

   Next, we went to look at Lake Lomond. The shore was made of shingles which, I enjoyed walking along. Personally, being near a large expanse of water always makes me feel very calm. There were a few tourists around but not too many so I had plenty of opportunities to admire the beauty around in my own sweet time.

   We stopped again after leaving the village Luss to pick up other passengers who had taken the Loch Lomond cruise. I am glad that we stopped there for it was quite a photographic place! The small dock area was a quaint place but not a place to be missed or ignored.

   Like many castles in Scotland, Stirling Castle towered on top of a hill. Naturally, the view from the castle was amazing! It feels surreal to be standing inside these majestic castles and viewing the rest of the land below. You can just imagine how the royalty then must have felt, overseeing their kingdom below. Stirling Castle may not be as large in area as perhaps Edinburgh or Alnwick Castle but it has a more warm and inviting feel to it.

   The tour today allowed me to have a more in-depth knowledge about some renowned kings and figures in Scottish history such as William Wallace, Rob Roy and Robert the Bruce. On the whole it was an interesting and definitely a worthwhile trip.

   So, this is the end of my photo diary! This trip was extra special for me because I had a proper holiday with my family after a very long time. On the whole it was an enjoyable and memorable experience for me.

Sending lots of positivity and good wishes!

Ambika.