Another early morning, and we are on another train!
We left our airbnb early in the morning, and left Glasgow by train to cross to Edinburgh, arriving around lunch time. And I was pretty stoked to get there because my friend Eilidh was meeting us there! She had been studying/living/working in Edinburgh all summer, and so it was fun to be able to see her after a while!
We landed, and paid to store our things at the train station, and then Eilidh took us for a walk to one of her favorite places to eat.
We all ended up getting Mash, and I got lamb (because I love it, and so rarely find it affordably. My mom and grandma LOVED this place, and raved about it to other family members after, so I’d say it was a pretty stellar recommendation by Eilidh haha!
After lunch we had to part ways, because Eilidh had a train to catch to London. That’s why I was so anxious to meet up, because we would just barely miss each other otherwise, so I was pretty happy to catch her!
Leaving Eilidh at the train station, we started wandering up to the Royal Mile, the famous road that cuts from the bottom of the hill all the way to the castle. We had signed up for a free city walking tour that started on the Mile, so we made our way to the meeting spot.
It was a shock to be on the Royal Mile again. Like I’ve mentioned previously, I was in Edinburgh 7 years ago, when I was young and spry. And to walk the same roads, see the same buildings, was such a surreal feeling, coupled with pretty extreme deja vu. Suddenly I was 17, running around with my highschool friends, busking our Fringe show on the Mile to anyone and everyone. I recognized some of the shops, the buildings and statues, it was crazy!
We met up with our walking tour, but about 20 minutes in, we realized that we were not interested anymore. The tour guide was weird and kept on talking about things that didn’t make sense or seem important. My mom just leaned over and said “when they move on, let’s just stay here.” And that’s what we did. The group kept walking, and we turned and walked the other way.
So we made our own walking tour, starting with St. Giles’ Cathedral, one of the most noticable sites on the Mile.
From St. Giles, we wandered west, up the Mile towards Edinburgh castle.
The Mile was just as loud and hectic as I remembered. And I just loved it.
We made it to the castle, and decided to go in and see what was what. We even waited a little and went on a guided tour of the castle.
From the castle you can see the city on all sides. Looking north you can even see the North Sea.
The castle was also beautiful, and very well kept.
We were able to see the Royal Jewels of Scotland (no pictures allowed), including the crown and scepter. We also could go into the Hall of Heros, where the names of those who fought for scottish freedom were listed (no pictures again).
We also went into the chapel, and royal apartments.
From the castle you can really see the different in the sides of the city – looking north is the new city, with a more modern style of building. The south is the old city, less color and style. The castle and the Mile seems to divide them.
We left the castle in the later afternoon, and made our way back down the Mile.
We eventually made our way off the Mile, towards Waverley station, catching the sunset.
We picked up our luggage and took the train to our airbnb. Once we had settled in, we walked to a small grocery store to grab some things for dinner. The shop ended up being in the train station, so it wasn’t much, but we got what we needed. The place we were staying at was really nice too, and my grandma complimented me aggressively on our airbnb location (she was proud of me!)
A busy day walking ended as it usually does – wordscapes and netflix. It’s just nice to spend time together 🙂
Tomorrow will be another busy day!
Wandering Miss Emma.K 