Edinburgh, Check!

I was in Edinburgh for a week in total. I had originally planned only 5 days but I ended up staying the weekend and I am grateful for the extra time!

Day 18:

I arrived in Edinburgh before I could check into my hostel, so I dropped my bags off and walked to a cafe. I walked past the Edinburgh Festival Theatre and guess what musical was playing??? … HAMILTON!!!

Naturally, I scoured the internet for tickets! I ended up asking someone who worked in the theatre what my options were to see the show if I didn’t have a ticket pre-booked. He said that all the third-party sellers are sketchy (e.g., Facebook) because at the theatre they ID the person who bought the ticket, so unless you are buying a ticket from the theatre there isn’t a good chance you will be able to enter otherwise.

I decided to go back that night and every other night until I found a ticket. Lucky me there was a spare ticket that night when I went to the evening show! It was in a really good spot and I was ecstatic that I got in on my first try! The musical was A M A Z I N G! I loved the set design and I got chills when they all started singing! My parents and I watched the Disney Plus version with the original cast during COVID-19. My dad does not watch movies twice but we did watch Hamilton twice which might help you understand how obsessed we are with the show! My parents have already seen Hamilton and that night I got to experience it too! I love the song “You’ll Be Back” with the King! I was grinning ear to ear when I heard the beginning tune of his scene come on. It was SO hard not to sing along with him! I’m totally exposing myself too but I have a little dance I do with the song so I was working on the choreography in my mind!

This might be an unpopular opinion but I don’t think Lin Manuel Miranda is meant for singing on the Broadway stage. He is a very smart and creative man but I found the man who performed Alexander Hamilton with the cast I saw in Edinburgh to do a much better job with the role.

I got to see TWO Broadway shows that had been on my bucket list to watch and I got to watch both of them on this trip! I would watch them again in a heartbeat!

Day 19:

I got sick. I think because I was fighting for my life every night on the Isle of Skye and never got a very good sleep that I was susceptible to whatever was going around Edinburgh. I was planning on doing laundry and having a chill restful day at the hostel but on my way back from breakfast I stopped to pat a dog (obviously). I started a conversation with the man who owns the dog and he asked if I wanted to take his dog for a walk. Of course, I said yes because I didn’t really have anything else going on and it was an excuse to spend the day outside! The man’s name was Peter and he had long grey hair and green circle glasses. His dog was a Border Collie named Mirk (which I think means dog in Norwegian). He was meant to be a working farm dog but was not cut out for that lifestyle. He wasn’t good on the leash but he was still a good boy and seemed to like me! I had tea with Peter afterwards because he was interested in my campervan experience. I was on alert when he invited me in for tea but he was a very kind man and Mirk was lying on my feet the whole time during tea.

I did finally get to do my laundry and I met some girls in my room who I went out to dinner with! We went to a restaurant called the Last Drop. It was located in Grassmarket and there was history inside the restaurant about the executions that took place in the market. There was even a framed noose in the restaurant. Which makes the name of the restaurant have a gruesome relevance to the area. The “last drop” as in people being hanged and dying… I tried haggis at the restaurant. One of the girls ordered it and I tried a bite. We thought it was just normal mince meat and they just called it haggis because it was actually quite good. We asked our server what was in the haggis and she told us it was the real deal… it was good but I don’t think I can wrap my head around it to eat it again knowing for sure that it is liver, heart, and lungs!

Day 20:

I walked around the city and checked out the Harry Potter locations that inspired J.K Rowling when writing the books. She is from England originally but Edinburgh seems to be a place where she drew a lot of ideas from! I went to Greyfriar Bobby. This is a cemetery that has people from the 17th century buried there! Some headstones were so worn that the etched writing was smooth. I saw the tombstone that inspired the name for Tom Riddle and the Potters. There was also a headstone with Sirius Black, McGonagall, and Scrimgeour. I didn’t know where these were located and had a hard time finding them on my own.

I walked past the Elephant Cafe but didn’t go in because I heard bad reviews on the food and drink here. I meant to go back for butterbeer but I didn’t want to shatter my idea of what I thought it tasted like because I’ve also heard it’s not that good.

I walked through Victoria Street and Bow Street. Went into the Museum Context which is a Harry Potter-endorsed store. I went to the Edinburgh castle but didn’t have my shit together to buy a ticket to go inside. The outside was just as cool to visit! Got to see a panoramic view of the city in a beautiful setting sun! And I walked along the Royal Mile.

The hostel I was staying in for the week was called the A&O Hostel. I don’t recommend this hostel if you are visiting Edinburgh. The kitchen is small and smells weird, there is nowhere to sit and eat or just hang, and there were no outlets by each bed. The only two things going for it were it had privacy curtains on the bed and it was within a good walking distance from a lot of city highlights.

Day 21:

Today was a pretty bad day for my sickness. I wanted to tour around but wasn’t motivated for it. I sat in the National Library of Scotland for most of the day just reading my book. I walked to Calton Hill, slowly, and then I had to figure out my hostel living situation for the weekend because I decided to stay longer due to airline prices.

It is so weird travelling when normal events and holidays are taking place. It was Easter weekend and I didn’t take into account that activities might be booked or there might be no vacancies at hostels… I walked around asking hostels if they had availability and some did but it would’ve been like £100 a night which did not sit well with me. The hostel gods must’ve shown their light on me because a hostel I previously visited was full but I refreshed Hostelworld and they had one bed left in a female dorm! I booked it right away and saved SO much money! And it was the top-rated hostel in Edinburgh too! Great location and super comfy! I would recommend the Castle Rock Hostel to anyone who asks!

Day 22:

I got to see one of my closest friends from back home in Edinburgh today! She was visiting the city for a family wedding and our schedules lined up perfectly to be able to spend the day together! We met up for breakfast and I tagged along with her and her family touring the city. It was so nice being able to spend time with a friend who knew me and brought a piece of home to me (just herself felt like a piece of home, I’m not travelling around with a souvenir or anything like that). She also nearly cured my illness by suggesting to me to take Sudafen!

We did part ways mid-afternoon and that was hard for me. I’m so happy to see her and for her to have this trip with her family, but I just felt lonely afterwards and wondering if I am really cut out for travelling alone. I had the best day and laughed with friends and I don’t get that otherwise. I meet people in my dorms and I go out and do fun things with people or by myself but I don’t have that camaraderie for shared adventures. Instead of wallowing in my room that evening, I went out for a ghost walking tour with a girl I met from my previous hostel.

Day 23:

My last full day in Edinburgh. My friend from home suggested I go to Stockbridge and Dean Village and told me where I should eat dinner (at Piemaker). So, I had breakfast at a cute cafe and then I was off walking to this part of the city! That’s a nice thing about Edinburgh is that everything feels like a walking distance away. I don’t think I took bus transit once to get me somewhere! Stockbridge was a cute town. People lining up for bakeries and cafes, moms and daughters shopping, and couples sitting on benches. It was a very colourful place. I walked to Dean Village and walked along the river. I needed to sit and rest for a bit so I sat on a park bench and enjoyed the sun while I read my book!

I made my way back to the hostel. I stopped at Knoops for some fancy hot chocolate and sat in the park just below the castle to enjoy the sun a bit more. Then I dropped my bag off at the hostel before going out for dinner!

It was a productive last day despite feeling sad for part of the day before. I booked an early flight to Belfast on Sunday so I had an early-ish night and an even earlier morning!

Thanks for reading along, see you at the next post about Belfast!