We arrived around 11:00 o'clock at the airport in Edinburgh and the first Scot that we met was actually really helpful and nice because he helped us buying a ticket for the tramp and telling us where to go so we would get to our hotel. After asking us where we're from and me answering from Germany he told us that he has relatives in Switzerland and that he wished he had learn more German while staying there. He was really nice and tried talking German to us (well the few bits that he knew). The tramp ride took us quite some time but you can actually see quite a lot and bare in mind there's free WiFi.
The city was already quite busy and me and my mum had to walk all the way from St. Andrew Square to Holyrood Road with our suitcases luckily the weather was really sunny that day. After finally finding the hotel (which was very well hidden) we walked to Arthur's seat which was just a few meters away although I think we didn't hike all the way up.
Then we explored the town with our two maps that we had at the time. We walked past the Holyrood Palace and sadly the queen wasn't there and then we walked all the way to St. Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile. But instead of walking towards the castle we decided we wanted to see Prince Street (aka the super busy shopping mile). May I add my mum more or less has got the orientation of a goldfish, which means that she can walk into a shop and while leaving it she would always walk towards the direction where we came from.
Not only did we explore the city that day but we also had our first experience with British supermarkets which is slightly different. Taking into consideration that my mum doesn't speak English and only went to Scotland because of me, she had a hard time in the supermarket and I had to explain every single detail to her. In the end we got some sandwiches and water. To be fair it took me some time to get used to the British coins (I still don't get why the 20 pence coin has such an awkward shape).
The next day we got up very early to get some more water and take the bus to Silverknowes which is close to the sea. My mum read that there is an island and you can walk the while the tide is low. The bus ride took almost 45 minutes but it was really nice cause not only do the tramps have free WiFi but the busses do as well. Not only that but there are mostly double-decker busses which is so exciting cause if they aren't the most British thing ever (I'm joking obviously there are double deckers in Germany as well like in Berlin. But they simply aren't as exciting because there are so many adverts on it you can't even look outside). Arriving in Silverknowes was weird due to it being Wednesday and 10 o'clock almost no one was there except for a few lonely golf players and dog owners. But the view was absolutely stunning.
That day we had an appointment for a campus tour of the Edinburgh Napier University. The campus tours were the main reason for our stay in Scotland because I would love to study in Scotland really soon. The campus tour was impressive although there were a few things that we weren't to fond about (but that's not the topic of this post). But the Merchiston area is a really beautiful are with a lot of little shops like the very adorable shop "Everyone's Designs", which has a lot of cards and other craft and decorationary bits. The most surreal things was probably the German Konditorei (confectionery), just felt like home.
Thursday was culture day as we went to the castle while also exploring Grasmarket. Basically we went along Cowgate (yeah that's the actual name and there is something like a pub and it has a cow growing out of its wall, you don't believe me?), walked along that street and walked straight to Grasmarket and from there we took the stairs up to the castle.
And let's be real for once if that doesn't give you Harry Potter vibes than I don't know what will, even my mum said that it reminded her of Hogwarts and she has never seen Harry Potter apart from some snippets. The view we had from up there was just surreal it was even more amazing than the view from Arthur's Seat. And just knowing how old this castle is and how much history is still there is just mind blowing. The most interesting part of it was seeing the Scottish Crown Jewels and all the museums they had there telling you not only about Edinburgh's history but also Scotland's history. After what my mum would refer to as the "cultural clash" (it was a lot of history for her taste) we treated ourselves with a meal at Jamie's Italian and may I say it was brilliant.
On our way back to the hotel we went shopping for a bit. For example we went to Zara, Topshop, Superdrug and because Jamie's Italian is right at George Street we decided to have a look at all the fancy shops that were on our way. We were casually walking when we saw The Dome which already looked like Christmas because it had all the decorations already. After seeing The Dome my mum decided to have a look at Jenners; house of fraser.
Friday was our last full day in Edinburgh and it'd be a lie saying that I wasn't sad about that simply because the city had me in trance and I adored the people and the culture. But we used this day to visit the University of Edinburgh. Actually we didn't have a campus tour planned because there weren't any tours available at the time but when we found the visitor centre (we actually went to the old collage before walking to he main campus) they told us that there were two places still available for the tour that would start at 11:00. That was plain luck and I couldn't be happier about it. While we had to wait for like 40 minutes we went to the elephant house to take a picture for my friends because my friends are obsessed with Harry Potter after going back to the campus. After finishing the tour we went back to Prince Street to buy a few last things and I wanted a Olivia Burton watch and I haven't found it until then but John Lewis had some in stock which was pure luck again because apparently they didn't sell that well so they didn't have that many in stock but they had one I liked (That's my Christmas present now)
On Saturday we visited Holyrood Palace because you can't just not go and see the queens holiday home when you're in Edinburgh. The audio tour was actually really interesting but I'm too sure if I would want to go another time simply because it was amazing to see but there wasn't a lot to see. After paying the queen a visit we walked along the Royal Mile and went to get some tea and treats in like the cutest, little tearoom called "Clarinda's Tearoom". After that we already had to leave.
All in one I have to say I haven't used my umbrella at all. There was one day when there was a slight rain but apart from it being windy it was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was amazing and I've seen so much and I enjoyed myself so much. Those were actually the first holidays were I was genuinely sad to leave. I will treasure this place in my heart and I'm sure I will come back eventually.
