It’s been a while (more than a year…) since the last post. But that’s because of all the good things happening to both of us which kept us busy last year! *Drum roll* We bought a house and got married!!! And now we are very much settled into our new life, place and roles, so back to the grind!
This is a no driving day as the city is expectedly difficult to navigate and the parking system is very confusing based on our experience the night before, where we tried to park near our stay. Luckily, the very lovely Airbnb apartment (will share more about it at the end of the post) that we stayed in is within walking distance to many attractions.
17th May 2017
09:00 | Breakfast at The Elephant House
Having watched the Harry Potter movies while growing up, we decided to pay The Elephant House coffee shop a visit as this place used to be where JK Rowling spent her time writing the Harry Potter series. Thank goodness we were early and thus the place was not filled up with visitors in wizard outfits, which we spotted just before we left. Food and drinks were decent at a reasonable price.
11:00 | Explore Edinburgh Castle
A visit to the famous Edinburgh castle was definitely not to be missed! We walked along the Princes Street Gardens to get there. Just like how we have been doing for all castles, we joined the free guided tour which starts near the castle gate to learn about the history. Plus, with this tour we can get a sense of the perimeter and return to places that we were interested in to take photos after. The tour took approximately 30 minutes.
Here to mention a few places that particularly stands out to me. First, The Great Hall which reflects the medieval Scotland time, and was used for royal banquets back in the day. Next, we had the chance to view the precious Crown Jewels a.k.a. “The Honors of Scotland” which include three objects namely crown, sword and scepter for the crowning of every Scottish monarch, and the Stone of Destiny that the monarchs stood on during their coronation. Lastly, St.Margaret’s Chapel which is Edinburgh’s oldest building that is now still used for wedding and private ceremonies.
Tip: Get the best view of the city from the Battery.
16:00 | Late lunch at Makars Gourmet Mash Bar
Stayed too long at the castle as we decided to revisit each attraction within and took time to marvel at the gorgeous city view from up there. We got so hungry that when we got down to Royal Mile, we just pop into the first restaurant that caught our attention – Makars Gourmet Mash Bar. Surprisingly delicious!
17:00 | Stroll along Royal Mile, Victoria street and Grassmarket
With our tummies satisfied, we continued to leisurely stroll along Royal Mile, but soon lost interest as it is filled with touristy stores selling typical Scotland souvenirs. While strolling around aimlessly, a row of colourful apartments caught our attention. This area is Victoria Street, and sitting on the street was a quaint little blue bookstore “The Old Town Bookshop”.
Our legs continue to bring us to the Grassmarket area, where we got drawn into “Mary’s Milk Bar” to enjoy a fresh cup of gelato. This is the cutest gelato shop that I have ever been in! Seated in front of the window enjoying the view of Edinburgh Castle while indulging in gelato, ain’t we lucky?
19:00 | Return to our Gorgeous Airbnb
This is definitely one of my favourite Airbnb and even inspired part of the decor of our home. It’s a rooftop apartment in an 18th century tenement with a lot of charm. Shall let the photos of the space do the talking!
Will swiftly move on to writing on Day 9 where we went to a really unique location. Stay tuned!
You can read up on the rest of our 17 days’ adventure in Scotland and England here
Anderspluscindy 