Enchanting Edinburgh

I've only really wanted to visit Edinburgh, for about the last year or so.  Up until that point, it was never really on my radar.  But, I started reading the 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall Smith, which happens to take place in this beautiful city, and was hooked. Of course, the ability to ogle at gorgeous photos of all the amazing architecture the city has to offer on Pinterest and Google images, didn't really hurt either.  Once I saw what Edinburgh had, I was ready, willing, and able to make the 8 hour journey up North from London. (Speaking of which, I highly recommend the Megabus Europe Sleeper Coach - what a fantastic experience and cheaper than a hotel for the night.)

I must admit, Edinburgh is everything you see in the pictures and more. The architecture of the Old Town is just breathtaking.  Everywhere you look, there are spires and bricks and stained glass and wrought iron.  It's absolutely beautiful.  And the people are some of the kindest I've ever come across.  I was never worried about my bag being grabbed like I did in Paris and each store clerk was ready with a kind word or to chat about their city.  When we became lost, a stranger came up to us to offer assistance before we even had the chance to ask.  

I had only two issues with Edinburgh in general. One, which was unexpected (but shouldn't have been given my penchant for not understanding maps) was the layout.  For some reason I assumed it was much smaller than it was.  When, in reality, it's quite spread out.  Things aren't often quickly walkable.  Also, the hills are quite terrible if you are attempting to walk. The other issue being the weather.  Yes I realize I was visiting a Northern country in October, so the chilly, wet and dismal weather should have been dealt with better.  But when I left Maryland, it was still in the 70s so this instant change was a bit difficult to deal with.  

What We Did: Shopped...a lot on the Royal Mile (There's a heck of a lot of wool and cashmere on that darn Royal Mile!), Holyrood House, Scottish Parliament, Hop On and Off Open Top bus tour of the Old and New Towns, Scott Monument, Jenner's Department Store, St. Giles and the Heart of Midlothian.

What We Ate: Haggis (not fantastic but not terrible either - a bit like sausage) at Maggie Dickson's, Fish and Chips #2 and Sticky Toffee Pudding (where has this stuff been all my life!?) at The World's End, many, many raisin croissants at the St. Giles Cafe (oh so yummy and just happened to be the only place in the vicinity opened for breakfast!),  a chimichanga (because, doesn't everyone try Mexican food thousands of miles away from Mexico?) and of course lots and lots of tea.

Surprises along the way: Like I said earlier, WAY bigger than I expected it to be.
~ This goes for all of the UK as a whole; not many places open for breakfast and when they do it's much later than it is here in the states.
~ Very artsy craftsy creative city which I loved!

Verdict: An absolutely beautiful city which I could live in happily...in June, July and August. I'm not sure I could deal with the weather and the gloom the rest of the year, however, I would go back in a heartbeat to see all the festivals that are held each year (Fringe, Hogmanay, Edinburgh Film, etc.) A lively, bustling, beautiful, historic, creative city filled with kind, considerate people: honestly, what's not to love?