Edinburgh & Harry Potter ⚡!

22.2.2018 -

I'm in Edinburgh! (Pronounced e din-borough) Specifically, I'm taking tea at the Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote the HP books two through four!! Earlier today I went on a light and fun Harry Potter city tour, but more on that in a little bit.

I got in yesterday at 9:30/10am, dropped my stuff off at the hostel, then headed to the Royal Mile in Old Town to meet up with my tour group. The long, winding, brick road connects Edinburgh Castle (now a tourist destination) with the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's seat in Scotland. Its lines with shops and many, many kitchy souvenirs (with many nicer stores thrown in as well). That walk was nice, it gave me a sense of my bearings and some new ideas of where to explore while I'm here for the next few days.

The weather is gorgeous. It can be very unpredictable, but I really lucked out with sunshine. After the tour I grabbed lunch and headed up to Edinburgh Castle, where with my audio guide I got to explore for a while. It was really nice, after the very hectic past week, to just stroll around and take in the sights. One of my favorite buys of the day was a miniature bottle of whiskey; actually at 4cm tall it's the Guinness Book of World Record's smallest bottle of whiskey (it even has its own miniature cork!). Dad did say he a bottle of authentic Scottish whiskey! (I also got him another bottle later on, this one slightly larger). There we a ton of kids about on trips - I wonder what it would be like to have such historic sights and landmarks in literally the middle of your city? Coming from the States, I'm used to the 1800's being old, and the history of Edinburgh Castle and its many iterations can be traced back at least 1100 years... Back in London, I can see the Albert memorial from my apartment, and that was built in 1872. Its a completely different mindset concerning history and ancestry, and inspires me to want to know more about American history.

I slowly made my way back to the hostel, walking along the Royal Mile. I was up for way too many hours straight, so was pretty exhausted. I stopped at a pub for dinner -> I got an amazing veggie pastry dish and the waiter's whiskey recommendation (since I want to try new types while I'm here, I'm going by people's recommendations). I rested for a little back at the hostel, and invited two girls from my room to come along with me to the comedy show I found (only £5!) The show ended up being in a pretty well-known venue, famous for comics trying out their new work. The show was overall great, six comedians tried out their material for twenty minute sets... I passed out dead-tired at the hostel after.

Some audio from last night's comedy show (language warning!)

I wasn't entirely sure what I would do today, but it all came together great in the end. I figured I'd be too tired for a full-day tour in the countryside today (I was right, and saved a few pounds too) and also wanted some more time to explore the city.

I got breakfast a little later than I would have done without the free day (though much earlier than in London...), and really liked the extra time. First stop of the day was the Writer's Museum. It was cute, but not too much for the authors I typically study. I only spent half an hour there, so was a little worried what to do with the rest of my empty time in the day. I decided to walk to a little suburb called Dean Village just outside of the main part of the city, only a twenty minute walk. It's very cute and quaint, known for its 19th century buildings. On the way I stopped off at the Scott Memorial, a tall spire with a great overview of the city form the top. It was very high up, though, and so, so many steps. Again, though, a gorgeous view. Definitely worth it.

Dean Village is a small area, with a pretty river running along the edge and cobbled streets. No shops or restaurants, just cutesy cottages and homes. I explored, walked along the water, and had just enough time to sit down for fish & chips and tea at a pub in Grassmarket before going on the Harry Potter tour.

It was very fun and interactive, definitely kid-friendly but fun for everyone. One of my favorite pieces the guide did was have us wave "wands" to "change" the crosswalk light (he had it timed down perfectly with traffic, I got a little thrill out of it every time). It was very cool to learn about the origins and inspirations Rowling had for the stories (and gave me a few more places to visit on my own that we didn't have time for). Some places we saw were:

The cemetery where J.K. Rowling walked for inspiration, located next to a school that was once for underprivileged children, with a castle on a mountain in the distance (Edinburgh Castle), and a grave with "Tom Riddle" on it. Any of that sound familiar?
The inspiration for Diangon Alley, a very winding and steep street
The Elephant House and the Little Spoon, where Rowling wrote many of the books
The hotel where she checked into to write the final pages of the series

So after the tour I came back to the Elephant House, and am sitting here for a little before grabbing dinner! The woman's room is completely covered in Harry-Potter-themes graffiti, and this place is packed. I'm just enjoying sitting here, before I dash off to make the rest of my daylight!