Though any sort of exploring I do in London usually ends up qualifying as an adventure (whether I planned it that way or not), my first real European adventure took place this past weekend when I headed north to Edinburgh, Scotland.
The weekend was one of many travel firsts. I took my first overnight eight hour bus ride (Advil PM really does work wonders), stayed in my first hostel, used my ‘backpacking’ backpack for the first time and finally got to see men in kilts.
Edinburgh provided a much-needed break from the sometimes exhausting, fast paced environment of London. Still a major city, Edinburgh is much smaller and much greener than London.
I was able to see the city in its entirety without taking any sort of public transportation. Small cobblestone streets packed with cashmere, fudge and kilt stores line the major tourist road, The Royal Mile. Two of Edinburgh’s most famous attractions, the Edinburgh Palace and Holyrood Park, occupy its opposite ends.
Unlike the parks I have found in London, the 650-acre Holyrood Park was full of large hills, actual climbers and the promise of amazing views of Edinburgh the higher and higher you climbed. Though my attempt to hike was not much more than an attempt (pea coats and leather boots are not the best hiking apparel), it was still great to breathe fresh air and be around so much nature.
Adjacent to the park is the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The palace is open to the public throughout the year except when the Royal Family is in residence or Queen Elizabeth makes her annual summer visit. Conveniently, no royalty was around last weekend and I was able to take full advantage of a tour of the palace, as well as the Holyrood Abbey next door.
Edinburgh is also the perfect destination for devoted Harry Potter fans like myself. Though I did get to see the bed where the Queen sleeps during her summers, it was way more exciting and debatably the highlight of my entire trip to go to the café where J.K. Rowling first wrote Harry Potter.
The Elephant House has amazing views of the hills of Edinburgh, tons of tables which seemed perfect for writing international bestselling novels and perhaps the best hot chocolate I have ever had. Needless to say it was challenging for me to leave. I even took pictures of the bathrooms (you would have too, don’t lie).
I also dragged my poor non-Harry Potter obsessed friend with me to a nearby graveyard where Rowling found some of the most famous names in her books, most noteworthy, McGonagall. Not usually a fan of graveyards, it was thrilling to think how a pop culture phenomenon started right on the very grounds I was walking on.
A change of scenery can always provide insight. Traveling to Edinburgh was wonderful and relaxing, but it did make me realize how much I love living in London. As I got off the bus in London at the lovely hour of 6:30 a.m., I could not help thinking how nice it was to be back.
Walking to my hall from the nearest tube stop as London was just starting to wake up, I truly no longer felt like an outsider. I felt like I was home. For right now ‘home’ is not Connecticut or D.C., but London.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
