Day Three: Edinburgh, Scotland

Our last full day in Edinburgh, Scotland!  It sure is bittersweet but we made the most of it!  For breakfast we headed to a bakery we had been eyeing called "Mimi's Little Bakehouse".  I enjoyed a lox and cream cheese bagel with an iced latte.  I have to say that I'm not a fan of Scotland's coffee.  It is so bitter!  Brianna had some porridge and it looked delicious!

Breakfast at Mimi's.

After breakfast we continued on our way to go visit the Holyrood Palace.  It was beautiful!  I loved walking through the palace and seeing all the rooms and furniture.  Outside of the palace we got to enjoy the Abbey church and the botanical gardens.  I think me and Brianna both preferred Holyrood Palace over the Edinburgh castle.  

A fountain in front of the palace.

The entrance to the palace.  Looks so fancy!

The palace's courtyard.  The grass was so green, all I wanted to do was run through it!

The remains of the Abbey church.

The outside of the church.

Botanical gardens

After spending time at the palace, we headed to go hike Arthur's Seat.  As many of you know, I enjoy hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and basically anything outdoors.  You would think this would be a piece of cake for me.  I was wrong!  The journey to the top was uphill all the way and we had to scramble up rocks for a mile and a half.  It felt like we were just walking up a poorly designed stone staircase the entire way.  It was difficult and required multiple breaks.  Luckily I had Brianna to keep being positive while I was mumbling and complaining in the back!  I'm so glad we pushed through though because I got to witness a breathtaking view.  There was rolling hills and farmland on one side and the city and water on the other.  

The beginning of Arthur's Seat.

Taking a much needed breather!

Our view from halfway.

Almost there!

We finally made it!

Pictures can't capture the view but we could see everything!

It might have been a tad bit windy!  

What goes up, must come down!  I definitely preferred the going down part!  We took a different route on our way down so that we could explore church ruins.  It was magical.  I loved seeing all the different plants and rolling hills.

Halfway back down and looking at the monster we just hiked!

Brianna being her happy, cheery self!

Walking to whats left of the church.

A candid shot of Brianna taking in the view!

Last view of the rolling hills!

After our hike we were so thirsty and hungry.  We decided to head back to Mimi's Bakery and try some of their baked goods.  I got a victorian cake which is a cake filled with jam and Brianna got a chocolate and caramel cheesecake!  They were both delicious!

We ended our day by walking around the Royal Mile and having some dinner at a cute cafe. I couldn't have asked for a better day!  I'm sad that this was our last day in Edinburgh, but tomorrow we head for London!  Yay!  Thanks for keeping up with me and see you in the next one!  Cheers!

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Blessed are the Curious,
For They will have Adventures.

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Second Day: Edinburgh, Scotland

Well after some much needed sleep, Brianna and I had another great day!  We started our day as any inner princess would and visited Edinburgh's castle.  It was quite an uphill walk, but it made for amazing views!

The entrance to the castle.  They are in the process of building a stadium around the front of the castle.

Main part of the castle where the kings and queens lived.

Pretty nice view from the castle.

Perfect place for a selfie!

Another great view.  I love looking at all the old and new buildings mixed together!

At the castle we decided to skip the guided tour and walk around ourselves.  I'm pretty good at directions and maps, but the castle map was pretty confusing.  Luckily I had Brianna to act as my tour guide and lead the way!  It's great to have a travel buddy!

Brianna being my tour guide and leading the way as I sneak some photos!

The castle was huge and we got to see the throne room, living quarters, prisons, and go through multiple museums.  They also had many beautiful memorials for the men who died in war.  My favorite part was just looking at all the buildings and architecture.   It's amazing how people were able to create this beautiful castle without the help of modern day tools!

Part of the Edinburgh castle.

Queen Mary of Scots bedchamber's fireplace.  Makes me want to get a blanket and curl up next to a fire!

Entrance to a memorial building for soldiers who have died.

A memorial for soldier dogs.

A outdoor prison cell.

Prison cell for soldiers.

Shower room for prisons.  

After our nice tour of Edinburgh castle we got some tasty ice cream on our way out. We ended the day by going to the Scottish National Gallery.  It was filled with different styles of paintings from all around Scotland. Unfortunately we only had 20 minutes until it closed but we still got to enjoy most of the museum!

Enjoying some vanilla ice cream!

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I think today went a lot smoother as we had more rest and a better grip of our surroundings.  I can't get enough of just walking around and site seeing!  Can't wait for more!

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First Day: Edinburgh, Scotland

Before going to London, Brianna, another study abroad student, and I decided to visit Edinburgh, Scotland.  I had three flights Wednesday and after 12 hours of travel, we finally made it here!  I was mesmerized when I heard people talking in a Scottish accent for the first time.  Even though I knew that people talked differently here, I still freaked out a little inside!  

When I was still in Kentucky, but it's so beautiful!

After Brianna and I both arrived and found each other, we managed to get an Uber and make it to our hotel.  We couldn't check in yet, but we were able to drop off our luggage and start our day!  Since it was raining and we were exhausted, we took things slow and walked around the Royal Mile.  The Royal Mile is a road in between the Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace.  On the Royal Mile there are lots of museums, historical sites, and shops.   The first thing we did was we got some coffee and then went into the Edinburgh museum.  Then we walked along the Royal Mile and popped into any place that looked interesting.

One of the first Cathedrals we walked by and a statue of a famous poet.

I'm not sure what this was, I think it is government buildings.  It was one of those pictures that you take because everyone else is taking pictures of it! 

The Royal Mile

This is the St. Giles Cathedral.  It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.  The stained glass and vaulted ceilings were magical and the organ was huge! Inside they were having a service so we couldn't walk around too much or take pictures, but we are planning on going back. 

One of my favorite places that we hopped into was a renovated cathedral that was turned into a market place/cafe.  The building was beautiful and the stained glass was breathtaking.   There were lots of vendors inside making it a great place to pop in for a few minutes to get out of the rain.  

One of the stained glass pieces in the cathedral.

A bit of the marketplace and more stained glass.

I thought the person sitting up there was fake, but he was real!  He was working on a huge painting.

Loving his Mad Hatter hat.

The last thing we did was we went on an underground walking tour of Edinburgh called the Real Mary King's Close tour.  It was a tour that took you underground and through old buildings and closes(alleyways) that were built on top of by the government in the 1600s.  We learned about how people lived there and learned more about the plague.  It was a great tour if you are ever in the area.  Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed, so you'll just have to take my word for it!

At they end of the day, we checked in to our hotel, freshened up, took a nap, and got the best take away food ever.  Can you guess what it was?  Fish and chips!  I know, so typical, but it was the best fish and chips I have had by far.  We got it from a small takeaway restaurant called Bene's.  We both were originally in the mood for pizza but we took a hint from the locals who all got fish and chips and we were not disappointed!

Our walk to get our food.

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Brianna and I are both exhausted and our feet hurt but today was so worth it.  I'm still processing that this is real life and that I'm living my dream.  I'm already homesick, but I know that this an opportunity of a life time and I'm so thankful for it.   One of my favorite movies called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has a great quote that I'm basing my trip off of.   The main character works at Life magazine who's quote is

"To See the World, things dangerous to come to,  to see behind walls, to draw closer, to find each other and to feel.  That is the purpose of life. "

It's talking about courage and facing the world head on, to not do something because you are scared, and to make connections with people.  That is my goal.  I'll be honest, I'm so scared to be here, but so excited.  I don't know what's going to happen, but that's not going to stop me from doing what I want.  I want to be adventurous, see and learn about everything I can, and connect with so many different people around the world.  I'm finally here and I'm so thankful.

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