Thistle Do Nicely

London to start our trip was fantastic. It showed me things I had never seen or thought of before. But I would be lying if I said that Scotland didn't steal the show or the trip. From the second we came out of the train station, I knew this would be one of my favorite places.

After settling into our Rooms for this leg of the trip, our next mission was food. We chose Butta Burger, which was right next to the hotel. We could have liked it just because of how hungry we might have been, but when we returned later, it was just as impressive. Everyone was so friendly the entire time we were in Edinburgh, the moment we got there our taxi driver was very friendly and told us about things we should see. At the restaurant, the woman and man we sat next to talked to us for so long, asking us all about where we were from, where we were going and what he thought we should do.

One of the first things we saw was the Grassmarket, a small market(due to the time of year), like a Saturday market. There were many neat paintings and art of Scotland and other things you would see at other Saturday markets. While we were at the Grassmarket, we had breakfast, at which point we tried the famous Scottish dish, haggis. I didn't think it tasted that bad; I even enjoyed it. That would be a lie, the texture is something I had a hard time getting behind, but the taste was great. We rode the Hop-on Hop-off bus here in Scotland as well. I like starting a location with the bus so that we see all of the main tourist things, get a map, and have a solid base to decide what we all want to see. We got Brody to the Nike store, where we found shoes that he was super excited about. We went to the Hardrock Cafe for dinner, which was much better than the one I went to in Philadelphia(#sorrynotsorry). We had terrific Basil Strawberry lemonade. If you like flavored lemonades, I would suggest you try your version of this.

The Grassmarket and Hop-On Hop-Off Tour

We all made our way to the National Museum of Scotland Some of my favorite things were the first cloned sheep and a Formula 1 car simulator. It was more challenging than the F1 video game Ben and I play. Funny enough, the two things were in the same room. My favorite thing, however, was the botanical gardens on the roof, the gardens weren't really in season, but the view was. I took one, if not my favorite photo, of the trip there. Ben and I took some time to walk Victoria Street. For those harry potter fans, this is where Rowling got the inspiration for Diagon Alley. J.K. Rowling got a ton of her inspiration from Edinburgh and Scotland; she still lives on the outskirts of town. For dinner, that night, just Ben and I got pizza at @Pizza, which was some of the best pizza I've encountered.

National Museum of Scotland Botanical Gardens and Queen Street Gardens

Walk Around Town, Including Victoria Street and Dean Village

More of Ben and I's adventure lead us to tattoos at Bizarre Ink. I got a bouquet of Sakura or Cherry blossoms that the artist already had drawn up, deciding against a thistle(Scotland's national flower). Ben got something from the Zelda video games. We then went to Mary Kings Close, an area of town that was buried for the Royal Exchange(basically to add room for a market above it) in the 1800s. Different houses belonged to the various classes of the time. We were told stories of the plagues and haunting that happened there. One of the most interesting parts was a house that was suspiciously colder than the others. The Tour guide told us of a little girl who had "the sickness," whose parents left her behind. In 2012(I might have this date wrong), a ghost hunter came into the close and saw the little girl; she was scared and lonely. The Ghost hunter went to find a toy for her and found a tartan Barbie. The little girl was finally happy and a little less alone. After this, people visiting the Close would bring toys and dolls for the girl. Unfortunately, in 2019 someone stole the Barbie. No one knows who took the Barbie, and they are more worried about that person's safety than the doll. You shouldn't mess with sad ghosts/spirits. It was cool, but unfortunately, no photos were allowed as it is under a government building.

St. Giles’ Cathedral

On July 6th, we went on a 12-hour tour to Loch Ness and the highlands of Scotland, a crash course of Scottish history. On the way to Loch Ness, we saw hairy coos(cow), Rainbows by hills, the "Hogwarts" train bridge, the three sister mountains, and Fort Williams, where the Williams that massacred the McDonalds base was. Funny enough, the first thing you see in town is a Mcdonald's restaurant. Loch Lochy(Lake Lakey, if you will). I remember watching the hills pass by while on the bus and thinking that they looked like they were reaching for the skies so the clouds and fog could lay a blanket over them, to let them rest or roar, whichever they choose.

Finally, we reached Loch Ness. The obvious mission here was to find Nessie in the deep dark water. The water was such a dark and deep color that it made sense that Nessie could be hiding down in the waters. We took a boat from the visitor center to the castle as part of the tour.

Highlands and Loch Ness 12-Hour Tour

Our last full day in Edinburgh sent Brody, Ben, and I to the Edinburgh castle. There were also a lot of buildings here that we weren't allowed to take photos in. The views from the castle were astonishing, as they were once used to watch for attackers. You could see forever. They still launch a canon every day at 1 pm from the castle. It fires a blank. Brody got a video of it. Ben and I spent the rest of the day walking around town and looking at the shops.

Edinburgh Castle

I enjoyed Edinburgh so much. I could have stayed there so much longer to see everything. That means one day when I return, I will be excited to see the things I "missed" this time. We are next off to Aberfoyle, where I am writing this from, and will be here till Thursday when we continue our journey to Paris, then Rome. Cheers.