One of the reasons why I love living in Ireland is the cheap plane tickets to the UK. The fact that the flight itself usually takes no more than an hour is also great. The bank holidays are the perfect opportunity to hop on a flight to explore UK and this time I had a city in mind – Edinburgh. I’d never visited Scotland before and as a big fan of Harry Potter books and movies, Edinburgh had been high up on my bucket list since I was a kid. So, a weekend away in Edinburgh sounded like a good plan!
We landed at Edinburgh airport on Saturday morning and our first stop was Calton Hill. There are plenty of monuments on top of the hill as well as the City Observatory, but the reason why we visited it was the gorgeous view of the city! I took a few pictures with my new camera right there, and then we headed to the old part of the town.
Strolling through Victoria street felt like walking into Diagon Alley. Historic buildings, cobblestone pavements and plenty of colourful shops, I could see where J. K. Rowling drew inspiration from. We window shopped for a while and then decided to stop for a breakfast. We found this little coffee shop called Pirlous, and I ordered myself porridge with Nutella and bananas (it was the first time I tried porridge and it was delicious).
After breakfast, we walked the city’s streets soaking up the atmosphere, and then stopped at the Department of Magic tavern for a couple of drinks. Department of Magic is a Harry Potter-themed pub and a place where you can mix your drinks. It makes you feel like a wizard who is making potions (read more about my experience here)! I’d definitely recommend it to every Harry Potter fan visiting the city. Somehow, Edinburgh became more magical because of it.
After our hotel check-in and a power nap, we headed back to the old part of the city for a ghost tour. Edinburgh is also known for its rich history, paranormal sightings and an abundance of scary stories. The Ghost Bus Tour is a comedy-horror tour that takes you around the city in a double-decker and shows you spooky parts of Edinburgh. It was definitely an experience, but that’s all I say. We finished our night with tasty dinner and few drinks, and then went to bed!
