~Exploring Edinburgh, Scotland ~

I've been excited to share this post above the rest!
Aside from a castle, a palace, and Christmas fuzzies, Edinburgh has a lot to offer and we attempted to do it all.

CALTON HILL

On the east end of Princes Street lies Calton Hill. 
Out of all of the sites we visited in Edinburgh, this was by far my favorite; so much that we went back more than once. During day and Night.
One can take in 360 degree views of the city from this glorious spot. We caught the sunrise with a hint of a sea breeze on our first official day in Edinburgh, and it was nothing short of magical. 
I firmly believe that our wonderful visit to Edinburgh was shaped by watching the sun rise over Arthur's Seat (another famous hill) and through the pillars of the National Monument before we visited anything else. And I don't think our trip would have felt complete without a walk up Calton Hill. 

A bit of the hill seen from the North Bridge

There was a Starbucks next to out hotel.
Hot cocoa and Calton Hill went hand in hand.

Facing the North Sea. The morning sky was insanely beautiful!

I now realize I was dressed like a garden gnome on this day...

Perfect timing. Sunrise moving through the National Monument of Scotland. Not a drop of photoshop.

The Nelson Monument

I had to get a picture with The Nelson Monument; my given surname is Nelson. I've traced my lineage back to the 1500's with help of professional genealogists. We're from England (my Nelson side), but I can't claim relation to Admiral Lord Nelson or his monument. It was still worth the photo op!

It was pretty windy after awhile. And that'd be why I'm smiling with hair in my face.

Shot from a trail at the base of Calton Hill. This hill is Arthur's Seat, and no, we didn't climb that beast this time around!

NIGHT AT CALTON HILL

ST. GILES CATHEDRAL

The cathedral (aka Edinburgh High Kirk) was beautiful, as a great majority of cathedrals around the world are. I particularly loved the crown steeple a top the cathedral, which is an element of design I have yet to see adorning any other. 

The cathedral is definitely worth a stop if you happen to walk by it. It's free, and serves as a warm place to rest your feet if needed. A photo "permit" is required and can be obtained right inside of the entrance for £2. I paid, of course, but the lovely ladies at the desk gave the kids "permit" stickers at no extra charge. 

Another element, aside from the crown steeple, that stood out the me was that this cathedral is VERY asymmetrical compared to the dozens of others I have visited in Europe. 

It was the first thing I noticed. There were quite a few chapels added to the right side of this place throughout the years, but not so much room to balance them on the left because of The Royal Mile. Yes, the main nave is symmetrical (as seen in photos) but this cathedral is perfectly lopsided when you see the entirety of it. I thought it quite neat, and odd.

Interesting fact: What is now the parking lot in front used to be a kirkyard (graveyard) attached to the cathedral. Many of the effigies seen in the cathedral honoring important Scotsman/Bishops are NOT where they are entombed. The parking lot was paved without digging them up. There are markers laid into the parking lot asphalt indicating where there bodies are buried.

CAMERA OBSCURA

I really thought Camera Obscura would only be worth it because we had kids in tow, but it's fun for people of all ages.

If you are from the south or east coast and have visited Wonderworks (I have in Gatlinburg, TN), this is the Scottish equivalent. 

If you haven't been to Wonderworks, think of it as a half  novelty, half science museum that is completely hands-on.

I wasn't too amused with all of it because of the 'been there, done that' factor (and the place could use some updating), but the kids really loved it. 

Personally, I feel the admission alone was worth the rooftop views and seeing one of the oldest camera obscura towers still in function.

Admission to Camera Obscura:
£14.50 Adults
£10.50 Kids 5+
No family discounts.

The Camera Obscura Tower, on the left.

Thermal camera. 

You can get a wonderful view of the St. Giles' crown steeple from a top Camera Obscura (above photo: Left side) or even the Edinburgh Castle (as seen in the two previous photos).

NATIONAL MUSEUM of SCOTLAND

It's free, it's beautifully laid out, so why not?

Totally reminded us of Paris' Natural History Museum, but didn't cost a dime.

GREY FRIARS KIRKYARD


I wasn't following the Harry Potter Trail during my travels in Scotland (I do love HP, but my love for history is above all). However, I had no issue with seeing HP sites as they presented themselves. 
I knew we'd make it to Grey Friars at some point, simply because I am fascinated by all cemeteries. We happened to visit as dusk fell; right around the time we exited the National Museum. 
It was awesome timing. 

We did find Tom Riddle's grave, and I will warn future visitors that this place is muddy as heck in certain areas. Beware of the shoes you are wearing on the day you plan to visit this cemetery. I watched a young woman pulling hand luggage through the mud whilst wearing heels to see Tom Riddle. That's a die hard Potterhead.

A raindrop got my lens! Or maybe it's an orb?

MUSEUM of CHILDHOOD

Another one of Edinburgh's free museums (they make up for costs with the castle and palace, I promise).
We got a kick out of Nuremberg's Toy Museum, so we decided to hit up this place. 

Though not as large as Nuremberg's collection, there were some interesting things in this museum. Not all of it was dedicated to board games, toys and dolls. I thought it cool that old baby and kid products from yesteryear were on display, too. IE; Baby products (diaper powders, formula canisters, bottles, etc,), child medicines, dinnerware, carriages, and such.

You can't kill a day in this place. We spent maybe 45 minutes inside. It was free, so you won't hear me complain.

RANDOMS THROUGHOUT THE CITY 

I absolutely loved every nook and cranny of Edinburgh. 

The Close's, the cobblestone streets, the architecture, you name it. 

Everywhere you turn, there's a picturesque setting begging the attention of your gaze and/or camera.

Daddy in the window. No worries, he came home with a huge and pricey bottle of Scotch-whiskey. I made sure of it.

Canongate Kirk

The best restaurant that we never ate at: The Witchery

Generally speaking, any friend of mine will know what this place is.
All hail J.K Rowling.

Good Deeds: Le husband helping an elderly Scottish man change a tire. Thought it'd be bad juju to walk by without helping.

RESTAURANTS

I don't talk about restaurants often, but I cannot recommend El Toro Loco off of Grassmarket enough. We loved it so much that we ate there twice! 
And I must recommend Nando's off of Chambers Street. The staff was super nice, the chicken was great, and the purchase of soft drinks came with free refills during our meal. A first in Europe! Plenty of seating for large groups, too.

We ate at quite a few places, but those deserved mention.

El Toro Loco: Beware of the hot sauce labeled Da Bomb....I warned you.

Dining at Nando's: Loved the sauce collection. If you're not a fish and chips person, visit this place for the next best alternative: Chicken and chips.

ALL in ALL

Our family adored the city of Edinburgh! Paris still wins my heart for a number of reasons, but Edinburgh is quite beautiful and up there on my list of favorites. 
Honestly, it ties as #2 with Venice, Italy for me. They are so different from each other, incomparable really, but I couldn't pick between the two if asked. Equally beautiful in their own way!

Should I get the chance, I would love to return to Scotland during late spring of this year. We'll see...I have so many more places I would love to (and plan to) explore in Europe, but Edinburgh is most definitely worth a second trip if the opportunity should arise.

**If you didn't know, this is my fourth post about our trip to Scotland. You'll have to check out the others regarding Stirling Castle & Linlithgow Palace, the Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Botanical Garden, and all of Edinburgh's Christmas festivities. There are a bunch more photos, and some helpful hints.


Next adventure?
We'll be here in Germany and will be visiting something that's known for being tall...hmmm.