On June 27 2013, my sister and I arrived at the
Edinburgh train station. On stepping out of the train station, we were smitten
by the city. The ancient architecture made us feel like we were back to the 17th
century. The city was so beautiful. We could not stop praising it.
The City
Our train from Birmingham was at 06:30 am. We
decided the previous night that we would rest for a while after reaching
Edinburgh. However, on arrival we forgot about the rest and only wanted to
explore the place. Even before checking into the hostel, we started
sightseeing. The moment we walked out of the train station, we saw what
Scotland is famous for, the bagpipers. We were excited and could not stop
ourselves from getting a picture with him. The bagpiper was playing in front of
the Scott monument. This is a gothic monument for the Scottish author, Sir
Walter Scott. For me, this tower looked a little spooky. We were there to
explore and decided this is where we would start. The tower has various platforms. We stopped at
every platform and looked at the city from there. It only got better. After
climbing a total of 287 steps, we reached the final platform. “Mission accomplished”
we said. The journey to the top was scary. It felt like I was in a Harry Potter
movie while climbing the stairs. The view from the top was mesmerizing. We got
a panoramic view of the city and I have not seen something more beautiful. Our
next stop was the Scottish National Gallery, which is an art gallery and
museum. This was an interesting place. After visiting the museum, we decided to
have lunch and check into the hostel. We did not know that the hostel was
almost an hour’s walk from where we were. It was late evening by the time we
reached there so, we decided to call it a day.
The Scott Monument.
Bagpiper
After having walked a lot the previous day, we
decided to take the 48 hour hop on, hop off tour bus (you have a 24 hour bus
tour option too). This bus takes us around the city and stops at all the
tourist destinations. We can get off the bus spend as much time as we want at
those places and board the next bus that arrives at the designated stops. That
is a convenient option. There is so much to see in Edinburgh and walking to all
these places is impossible. Hanover Street, Princes Street Gardens, St. John’s Church, Johnston Terrace,
Edinburgh Castle, National Museum of Scotland, Museum of Childhood, Scottish
Parliament, Our Dynamic Earth, Palace of Holyrood House, Burns Monument, George
Street, Charlotte Square, The Mound, Lawnmarket and Grassmarket were the places
the buses would stop. We got off at a few stops on day one and the remaining on
day two. Although, we did not spend a lot of time at each of these places, we
made it a point to at least visit all of them.
Here are a few places that I felt I should write
about:
Royal Botanic Garden: A huge garden! This place is a
scientific center where people get to study the various plant species. I did
not know these many species existed; I have so much to learn! Frankly, I have
forgotten most of the names of the plants we saw there. Oh, poor memory.
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| Royal Botanical Garden |
Edinburgh Castle: This castle dominates the skyline
of Edinburgh. I was dazzled by the view. Now, I know why this is Scotland’s most
visited destination! Being a student of history, I stood at
each door and read what was written. It only made me fall more in love with
this city. After clicking a few pictures and learning a lot more about the castle
and city, we moved to the next stop.
The Entrance to the castle
Edinburgh Castle
View of the city from the castle.
Scotch-Whisky Experience: We were so excited to
visit this place and could not wait to see what it had to offer. The tour
started off with a barrel ride through the replica of a distillery. During this
tour, we were told the history of Scottish whisky and also a brief description
of how it is brewed. At the end of the tour, we were told about the different
aromas and flavors of Scottish whisky. Finally, we had reached the best part of
the tour, the tasting. I chose the fruity flavor. Frankly, I took a sip and did
not like the taste. Then, I realized I had jumped the gun. We were instructed
the specifics of whisky tasting following which, I entered a whole new world of
whiskies. This entire tour lasts for about an hour, we absolutely loved it. An
experience I would definitely recommend to people visiting Scotland.
The Experience
Our Dynamic Earth focuses on facilitating a better
public understanding of the processes that have shaped the Earth (known as
earth science). It was day one of dino flash week (all about dinosaurs). There
were a lot of games and events taking place. My sister and I participated in
the dino race. It is a race between a dinosaur and you, if you beat the dino,
you win and if you lose, you are the dino’s dinner. My sister won so, she was
the winner and I lost so, I was dinner. Well, everyone who knows me also knows
that I’m extremely conscious about the way I run. I hate running in front of
people. I have a funny running style. Apart from playing games, we also watched
movies, which educated us about the formation of our planet. A lot of interactive
activities made this place extremely interesting even for Arts students like my
sister and me.
There are a lot more places to
visit and talk about in this city. These are a few favorites of mine.
The dino flash week.
Sisters on a tour and no shopping! Has that ever
happened? I don’t think so. After having visited all these beautiful places, we
topped it all off with shopping. Even the malls and stores in Edinburgh have
the same charm as the places we visited earlier; they look like ancient buildings
or castles with a gothic touch to it.
The city center (Shopping center), Edinburgh
It was the 30th of July, the time to say goodbye.
We did not want to but, had to. Being a student of history, journalism and tourism, I could not have asked for a better place to visit. I got to learn a lot, visit many
places and also, write about them. Would I want to visit this city again? Yes,
in the blink of an eye :)
