Kia ora! Hello!

II absolutely loved Edinburgh and am planning on going there again in 6weeks, here are a few things we did that make this place so amazing!:

• Firstly, the Christmas Markets! - these are always listed as among the best ones each year

• Edinburgh Castle - a friend that we were staying with knew someone so we got to see some areas of the grounds not typically open to the public

• Walking the Royal Mile from the Castle to the Palace, along the way we watched someone play the bagpipes - this just hit my soul and I shed a couple tears

• Held a couple of owls - Hagrid and Haggis - this was terrifying

• National Museum of Scotland

• Walked up to Arthurs Seat - was hungover at the time and really didn’t want to, however was worth the view and it isn’t strenuous at all

• The Real Mary King’s Close - you head down below ground level and go back in time to wonder the underground streets whilst learning about history from 400 years ago

• CoDE Pod Hostel - this used to be a courthouse and jail, which has turned into a hostel. This is one of the best ones that I have stayed at and at first I was hesitant, but after arriving grew to really love it for the pods, really tidy, modern facilities, quiet and overall vibe

• Greyfriars Graveyard - searched for the tombstones of those that inspired the Harry Potter character names. This is also the resting place of a weekly known loyal UK dog where there is a statue of him, along with other nods to the canine

• Ghost Bus tour - this was quite a bit of fun as we got driven around the city in a two story bus and told some stories about the town

• Walking Ghost Stories tour - similar to the above but a little more interactive and spooky with the delivery of the stories

• Victoria Street - inspired Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films. Bright coloured stores that line a steep street, which is also listed as a World Heritage site

This isn’t even everything we did but to wind it up, just walking the streets of both Old & New Town and the nightlife are also great reasons to add this city to your to-do list!

If Edinburgh wasn’t on your travel list before, I hope it is now :)

Haere rā! Goodbye!