Exploring Edinburgh Scotland

One of my favorite cities in the entire world is Edinburgh, Scotland. It is beautiful, bold and historic. The buildings date back hundreds of years; there are things to climb, and art everywhere. It is so easy to get lost in time in a city that is timeless.

I rented an Airbnb 10 minutes from Prince St. It was BEAUTIFUL. Tressa, my host, was so helpful and amazing. It was so easy to walk to everything. I dropped off my bags as soon as I arrived and walked to Holyrood Palace right off High Street (The Magnificent Mile). I was still able to use my student ID for a discount and did the basic tour of the palace. My favorite park was the Abbey and the gardens outside of the palace. The Abbey is in ruins and the garden is vibrant with color. I met a wonderful couple that gave me advice about driving on the left hand side of the road as well.

After, I walked up and down The Mile and decided to eat on a side street at, Lilas. It is a Mediterranean restaurant and had delicious Dolma. When I finished my dish, I headed to the Prince Street Gardens, which were in full bloom.

I then headed over to the Water of Leith and walked along the flowing stream. I somehow ended up at the Royal Botanical Gardens and saw everyone working out. Naturally, I decided to book it home and through on my workout gear to join in on the activity.

Afterwards, I headed to Calton Hill to catch a glance at the Summer Solstice moon. It was maybe not the best idea after running and completely a workout. The walk was completely uphill. The city lights were so bright and the moon was glowing. I met two girls from the city and walked down the hill with them before heading in for the night.

Edinburgh is an easy city to travel around in. You can walk everywhere or hop onto the public transportation to get to wherever you would like to go. For the most part, it is very safe and there is not any crime that I have witnessed. Keep in mind that everything closes fairly early. But when you go to the city, just walk around. You will stumble upon something around every corner.

I will say, try to not only do the tourist trap things. There is art and music everywhere in the city. I sometimes like to stop and listen to artists play their guitars in the streets. At the end of summer, there is also a huge film festival in Edinburgh and the streets are packed with performers. It is definitely worth attending. It is an old city with new flare.

 *Unfortunately, most of my photos from Scotland were lost when I dropped my phone and shattered the screen. But no worries, I am already planning my trip back for next year.