EDINBURGH

After a gorgeous train ride from Northern England to the wild sheep-covered hills of Scotland, we found ourselves in the capital, Edinburgh. My sister, Monroe, is currently studying abroad, so we planned to meet up in Edinburgh, and it was fun to take a short foray to the beautiful city with my sister.

On our first day out, we grabbed some fish and chips and then met up with Monroe at her hotel, located on The Royal Mile, the main street in Old Town. We walked in shops with Harry Potter themes, Scottish souvenirs, and genuine kilts and bagpipes. The street is lively and spirited, with street shows on almost every corner. We found ourselves sucked into a show where the performer was juggling fire, and eventually Marcus was pulled into the fun. Now the lovely assistant, Marcus helped the man into a straightjacket and wrapped him in chains. We cheered him on as he slipped free, and left him with a few pounds.

After walking down the picturesque street, our first destination was Greyfriars Kirkyard, a graveyard in Edinburgh that was frequented by JK Rowling herself. Fun fact: JK Rowling wrote a large part of the Harry Potter books in Edinburgh, mostly in local cafes. When a cafe just wasn’t inspiring enough, she would spend time in Greyfriars perusing the graves. There are names such as Thomas Riddell, McGonagall, and Moody on headstones and memorials. Of course, we had to hunt down the inspiration for the Dark Lord himself.

We spent the rest of the evening browsing the streets, impressed by the architecture and being absolutely tantalized by the smell of a pot roast dinner that seems to permeate the air in Edinburgh. We ended the night by splitting a carrot cake between the three of us at The Elephant House, a cafe known for being the birthplace of the Harry Potter series. Marcus took a few snapshots of the bathroom, where Potterheads from around the world took it upon themselves to immortalize some of their favorite quotes.

The next day was our last one with Monroe before she moved on in her Scotland tour. We met at St. Gile’s cathedral, and then visited Scottish Parliament. Pictures weren’t allowed, but it was interesting to see such a historic building still in use! We saw several politicians busying about, running the Scottish government. Then, after getting some Cornish Pasties, we went up Calton Hill, a beautiful viewpoint of the city. I mean, look at the shot we got from up there.

There are several monuments at Calton Hill; the National Monument is the Scottish memorial to the soldiers and sailors who died in the Napoleonic Wars and is modeled after the Parthenon, the Nelson Monument honors Horatio Nelson and his service in the Battle of Trafalgar, the Dugald Stewart Monument which is also inspired by Greek architecture, as well as an observatory. There is also an incredible view of Arthur’s Seat.

Unfortunately, that was the end of our time with Monroe. We did try to visit a few more places, but our timing was unlucky and we got there after they closed. Apologies again to Monroe’s blistered feet.

We took a day or two off from the terrible, stressful, unfair life of exploring the world together to stay home and watch some cable TV. We found that Judge Judy was on most of the day, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was on most of the night. It was a win for us! Some of our Airbnbs are less than stellar, so when we stay in a nice place we like to enjoy it as much as possible.

Our last day our in Edinburgh was spent exploring Princes Street and grabbing some MacLeod merch for Marcus’ family. The Leopards come from the MacLeod clan, known for their yellow tartan and a seal stating “Hold Fast.” We looked through several shops and picked up what Marcus’ family wanted. We also hunted down “McLeod Street”.

Once we found what we needed, we started down Princes Street with some pumpkin spice frappuccinos. Our first picture stop was Scott Monument, a gothic monument to author Sir Walter Scott. There are beautiful gardens surrounding the monument and it was a beautiful spot to spend an afternoon. We continued through the Princes Street Gardens to the best vantage point of the Edinburgh Castle. We stopped in front of Ross Fountain, a curious fountain that provides the best view of the castle. Situated at the top of a volcanic hill, the Edinburgh Castle is a beautiful and imposing structure.