We flew to Scotland for our final European farewell trip before moving back to the USA! Edinburgh is a crowded city with amazing architecture and lots to see. We had a friendly and chatty cab driver from the airport, and our hotel was well located on “Cowgate”, one of the ground level streets at the bottom of the hill of old town, just a few minutes walk from the Royal Mile.
Our walking tour brought us past the café where J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books, but we didn’t have time to go in, plus there was a long line of people. Behind the café is a cemetery where she strolled and looked for names on tomb stones as inspiration for characters, including Tom Riddle.
St. Giles Cathedral was beautiful, complete with a thundering organ for hymns, and the most amazing choir stalls I have ever seen- seriously, check out the photo above: each singer had their own music stand built in with a light! The evening concert there included orchestra music for kids, and I have never seen so many listeners under 12 years old at any concert (Peter and the Wolf, Harry Potter music, Frozen, etc.).
The architecture is amazing, and although we were chilly, it was interesting wandering the streets and shops. The National Museum was terrific, complete with a history of Scotland, along with a science/animal life/outer space section and a transportation section for kids and adults alike. The lower level café had a yummy smoked fish stew!
We highly recommend Edinburgh to all travelers with good mobility. There are cobblestones, hills, and stairs everywhere. There are elevators and taxis, too, and new town doesn’t have the same architectural charms/challenges as old town, so be aware and prepared in order to enjoy all the city has to offer.
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