Edinburgh, Scotland
Where I stayed…
Couch surfing
In Edinburgh I spent two nights couch surfing on the futon of a very nice young man who welcomed me to stay despite him running in the city marathon the day after I arrived. The marathon had taken over the city for the weekend, raising prices so much it was why I was couch surfing to begin with. He spent the day running while I drank a lot of coffee and in the evenings we watched Chernobyl, which had just come out.
Light House Hostel
Then I spent two nights at this sweet hostel called light house. This place has a religious affiliation which initially made me hesitant as I do not share in that denomination or any, but in the end it seemed the nicest place for the best price.
What a lovely place it was! One of the nicest hostels I have stayed in: spacious, quiet, tranquil even. Set in an old single family home it feels very cozy, like staying at a friends place. My favorite practice of this hostel was no shoes inside. Everyone was welcome to leave their footwear in the foyer and slide into a pair of fresh slippers. Genius.
A few things to do in Edinburgh,
if you were to find yourself there…
1. Simply walk aimlessly around, admire the old buildings and imagine this city through the ages
2. Hang out in the meadows, three large fields in the center of the city, perfect for a picnic or resting on a bench.
Cult Coffee
3. Hit up Cult Cafe for a nice coffee and a really chilled spot to finish up a book, catch up on some correspondence or craft an instagram story. I finished Sharp Objects in the chair by the door, what a scary story.
Natural History Museum
4. Visit the natural history museum, if not for the exhibits then for the architecture. The main hall is stunning, with glass ceilings it feels almost like a giant conservatory. The third floor offers excellent people watching prospects accompanied by a choir of interesting sounds: clatter from the second floor cafe, a child running the length of the first floor, a choir of different languages echoing up.
Grass Market Street
5. Take a stroll down the very touristy Victoria Street. A colorful spot for a little shopping, from trinkets to beautiful Scottish tweed or a harry potter wand. It hadn’t occurred to me that harry potter would be half of the tourism in Edinburgh, but since this is the city of its birth that makes sense. I do regret not taking the harry potter tour.
6. Mary’s Milkbar on grass market square came highly recommended to me by a lovely young german couple who gave me a lift while hitch hiking around the isle of Skye. I decided to treat myself to a non-vegan frozen delight and it was very delicious. A bit rich after being vegan for six years, but homemade and the shop is darling, so I’ll pass along the recommendation to you ice cream lovers.
Beautiful book stores
west port road
7. West Port Road has a lovely selection of used book stores with all sorts of treasures. Obviously an excellent place to find something to read, to take cover from the rain, or a quiet spot to kill some time admiring old book covers. This road also has lovely selection of cafes and vintage shops - it was painful to leave a few beautiful pieces behind, living out of a backpack leaves little concession to souvenirs, especially not the wool coat of dreams.
love crumb for vegan delights
8. I often find a cafe to frequent in a city, a touch of familiarity each day is special and I often get to know a barista or two. Not to over think it but this is also a safety strategy, for if I went missing perhaps someone working in the cafe could be a point of reference.
Lovecrumb became my spot in Edinburgh. The place has a lovely vibe and even better vegan cakes. My favorite combo was an americano with a slice of lemon loaf cake.
I enjoyed this place so much I even took a selfie in the bathroom.
Calton Hill
9. I’m ashamed to say that despite spending three days in Edinburgh, I did not hike up to Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park. In fact, I didn’t visit the park at all. Why? I have no idea and I have no excuse. I did, however, hike up to Calton’s Hill which offers a lovely view to the Salisbury Crags and the extinct volcano of Arthur’s Seat, the highest point in the park offering 360˚ views set just behind the cliffs.
Calton’s Hill is home to a collection of monuments: one to Scottish Parliament and one to Donald Stewart a Philosopher, and the Playfair Monument (above). All a top a hill, this city park offers view after view of Edinburgh below and the North Sea.
p.s
My final recommendation & perhaps the most important one is to visit Gurkha cafe & restaurant @ 27 Cockburn Street for great Nepalese food. I have no photo of the Alo Gobi I ate there because it was gone in moments.