Edinburgh, Scotland

“Traveling—it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”

-Ibn Battuta

We work hard every day to achieve that piece of happiness, but we often forget to live for self. And when you feel like you need to find some time for yourself, a solo trip is worth taking.

Scotland is no doubt one of the most beautiful places I have seen so far in the United Kingdom. The green lush highlands, the serene lakes, and the beautiful architecture are enough to make you fall in love with this place. On one end where Edinburgh holds its beautiful architecture while on another hand the Isle of Skye holds the beautiful landscape.

A day well spent in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I have not seen most cities in the world, but definitely, I can say that the old architecture of Edinburgh is what you will fall in love with. For anyone visiting Scotland, Edinburgh might be the first stop for getting lost in the beautiful and mystic Scottish highlands and serene islands on the northern part of Scotland.The beauty of this place has given me enough inspiration to write a blog on it.

I can agree with the fact that you get a very peaceful and sound sleep in Edinburgh, or maybe my tiredness of delayed late night flight from London to Edinburgh. I had decided to accommodate myself in hostels as I always wanted to know how it feels to stay in a hostel with people from different parts of the world. I had booked my stay at the “Kickass Hostel” in Edinburgh. Don’t go for the name, you may find it hilarious, but I admit that the hostel was really good with a very helpful receptionist and clean environment. The room was a bit small with four bunk beds, but it won’t matter if you are the one who plans to travel on a budget. The advantage of choosing accommodation at “Kickass Hostel” was the easy reach to all the major attraction in Edinburgh. It took me around twelve minutes from my hostel to reach Edinburgh castle. It is on the hilltop of the Edinburgh city. If you are really into history then you must visit the castle as it depicts the history of Edinburgh.

You can buy tickets online here or you can get it at the castle counter. The castle gives a panoramic view of the Edinburgh city which looks amazing with the old structures standing across the city. After spending some quality time at the castle I moved to my next spot which was Scott monument which is also a famous attraction in Edinburgh.

It is a historic Gothic Victorian living stone made for famous author Sir Walter Scott. His Waverley novels were hugely popular all over Europe. The place near Scott monument is also named after his famous novel “Waverley”. You can climb up the monument and enjoy the city view from the top of the monument. You can also spot a bagpiper playing the legendary music of Scotland next to the monument. The bagpipe is the signature instrument of Scotland and missing it on your journey to Scotland is not recommended.

I was lucky enough to see the poppy appeal in Scot monument. If you are not aware of what it is then let me tell you, Poppy appeal is the Royal British Legion’s biggest fundraising campaign for the armed forces community.

If you want to take some good photographs of the city, Calton Hill is a must see for you. It is also declared as the world heritage site by UNESCO. If you walk on the Princess street till the end it will take you to Calton Hill. You can see a lot of photographers with a tripod capturing the beauty of the city. You may also find artist drawing Edinburgh on the canvas. You can spend your entire day sitting there and looking at the beautiful scenic view of Edinburgh.

All the above places I had visited was very nearby to each other and are one of the major attractions.

The city also has a very good transport service, which includes trams, buses, and taxi services. You can find the bus timings on “Citylink” and “Stagecoach” sites, which are intercity and intra-city respectively. But I suggest you go walking if you really want to explore the beauty of the city. Do have a cup of coffee in one of the cafes at the grass market, it will simply add memories to the visit to Edinburgh.

For more travel stories follow me on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/i_am_shiv_paswan/

Or follow my blog at:

https://mytravelstories.in