It was the 2012 Easter break that I had the opportunity to visit Edinburgh, Scotland and escape from the hectic and monotonous London life.
After hopping on the East Coast train at the Kingcross Station on the 10th April 2012 at 7:30 am and several failed attempts to catch some sleep during the 6 hours journey, I arrived in Edinburgh-the city which I fell in love with.
Warm sunshine and cool breeze greeted me as I slowly emerged from the underground train station and gradually overwhelmed by the beauty and charm of the magnificent ancient buildings, churches, monuments and parks. Without further ado, I rummaged my bag and took out my new companion—Nikon Coolpix—and snapped several photos away as I made my way to the Sakura House where I called ‘home’ whilst my stay in Edinburgh.
After checking-in into the hostel, I made my way to the Calton hill to snap many beautiful pictures of the whole of Edinburgh city. I then went to Scottish monument (the black pointy building in the attached photo) which is located along the Princes Street and coincidently I ran into a Scottish bagpiper whom I took a photo with (of course, it cost me a pound). To end my first day in Edinburgh, I went to conquer the Arthur’s Seat which is one of the highest hill in the city of Edinburgh and it is a tourist attraction as the peak of the hill will offer a glimpse of the city of Edinburgh. This one is much much much higher than that of the Calton hill. (I am actually glad I am still alive after that climb)
The next two days, I went to the Scottish National Portrait gallery, the St. Giles Cathedral, the Queen’s House, the Scottish Parliament, the Edinburgh Castle (of course), the Whisky experience and several Scottish restaurants.
Overall, it was a really fun and memorable experience, however, what made me love the city is the architecture and the delicate designs of the buildings, churches and monuments which the city has been successfully preserved. I felt like every brick of those buildings and roads beholds a story of the past. The city is also less hectic and the life seems much more peaceful and serene compared to London’s and time seems to pass by slowly. It is really difficult to express such feelings in words or maybe I am just really bad at explaining (that’s what I was told), therefore, the solution is to visit Edinburgh yourself which I highly recommended!
The End.
