Base City: Edinburgh

Accommodations: Castle Rock Hostel

We arrived at this hostel later in the evening, and we were just staying one night. Though it was at the end of a very steep, uphill climb from the bus stop, it was in a wonderful location, with Edinburgh Castle in view from the doorstep. Each bed was given its own whimsical name (I believe mine was Mr. Strong), and we had corresponding lockers. This hostel had the least beds out of all the hostels we stayed at: only four or five bunks. Moreover, this was the first time our locale was kind enough to grant us cool weather (a.k.a. a hostel under at least 75 degrees every night), and the window was left open to our room. It was *heaven*—with the cool air blowing in and the layers of comforters to snuggle up in. To be honest, I was sad that we couldn't spend more nights here. 

Travel: None!

June 23-24: Edinburgh, Scotland

Our time in Scotland began with a flight from Dublin to Edinburgh at 7:30 p.m. We cobbled together a dinner at the airport before we left (okay, if I'm being honest, I wasn't feeling particularly healthy that day and mostly ate Wotsits and Kinder Buenos). The city bus was easy to catch, though I wasn't really overjoyed by my first impression of Edinburgh: the route from the nearest stop to the hostel was completely uphill, and by the end, I thought my calves were going to give out. 

Nevertheless, we made it to the hostel safe and sound, and soon, we were tucked up in bed—and I can't speak for Mary, but that was the best sleep I had the entire trip. 

The next morning, we left bright and early to take advantage of the short amount of time we had in the city, as we needed to catch a bus to London that night. Our first order of business: Arthur's Seat. This extinct volcano overlooks Edinburgh, and it is the legendary location of the castle of Camelot. I went into it thinking that the hike would be fairly easy, but let me tell you: about ten minutes in, I was panting and having to stretch my calves. It didn't help that we took the path called the Radical Trail, which was glorified rock climbing.

We finally reached the summit after a few close calls (Converse aren't great hiking shoes, if you're wondering). It was freezing cold, with a biting wind nearly blowing us off our footing. But the views were spectacular—unlike anything I'd ever seen. 

The unique rock formations and multiple trails made this an unbelievable experience. I only wish that we'd had more time to explore because I would've loved to hike the other plateaus and see the lake up close. 

We descended the summit the easy way (the way we were probably supposed to hike up to the top) and stopped by the ruins of an old abbey before making our way to Holyrood Palace, which sits in the shadow of the mountain. 

Holyrood Palace is the royal residence of the king or queen of Great Britain while they're carrying out their royal duties in Scotland. We arrived at a cool time, as Queen Elizabeth was supposed to visit the very next week and the grounds were bustling with preparations! The palace is also where Mary Queen of Scots lived, and you can see her quarters, which is where her confidant and secretary was dragged out and murdered by her husband. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos inside the palace, but I did manage to snap a few of the marvelous architecture outside and of the ruins of the abbey. I love how monolithic the pillars of the roofless abbey felt beneath the open sky.

Next, we walked back through town to eat at the Elephant House. This was the café where JK Rowling famously sat in the back and wrote the second Harry Potter book while looking out over Edinburgh Castle. We had a delightful couple of steak and ale pies to fortify us for the rest of the day. Greyfriar's Bobby, a statue of a dog, sits almost right outside the café. The dog is famous for having found and stayed by his owner's graveside every day until his death. We then headed to the cemetery, where Rowling drew inspiration for Mad Eye Moody's name and Tom Riddle's name.

In town, we saw the world's oldest floral clock in Princes Street Gardens. The gardens were full of beautiful statues, and we even listened to a performance by some kind of youth choir in the middle of the park. The Scott Monument was a magnificent spire that rose over the gardens beside the shopping district. Unfortunately, it started raining and was getting colder by the minute, so we didn't get a chance to go up the monument for the panoramic views—plus, what better views could you get than atop an extinct volcano?

Next, we headed to our most expensive destination in Edinburgh: Edinburgh Castle. It was almost £18, if I remember correctly—quite a lot more than I wanted to pay. Out of all the things I saw in Edinburgh, which ended up being one of my favorite cities that we visited, this was the only site that didn't live up to expectations. Whereas Holyrood Palace was all decadence and well-preserved history, Edinburgh Castle bore the scars of its varied history, from its military barracks use to its prisons. It was dreadfully cold with the wind blasting us on top of the hill, and sand and small pieces of rock kept being blown into our faces. The coolest part, in my opinion, was the recreation of the dungeons, with the graffiti the prisoners carved into the doors during their interment (including American prisoners!). 

After the castle, we went back to the hostel to ask for advice on a good place to eat dinner. The front desk worker recommended an Asian restaurant called Yocoko that was cheap and specialized in noodles. It was great after a long day of walking, and it lived up to its reputation for being easy on our wallets!

With dinner finished, we rested up for a little while in the hostel before grabbing our bags and heading to the bus station to take the night bus from hell (but more on that later). Next stop: London!

If you've missed any previous installments of our trip around Europe this summer, go here! And don't forget to hit the like button below!