Of castles, Harry Potter, and haggis

My trip to the U.K. last week included a visit to a beautiful and historic city, called Edinburgh..

Arthur's Seat, totally conquerable!

At the top of Arthur's Seat, with incredible views of Edinburgh.

The day I arrived, it was (apparently shockingly for the Scots) not raining, so Judy suggested we go up Arthur's Seat, a fabulous hill in Holyrood Park, where, once you get to the top, can see the entire city.  Good thing we did it, because it rained for the rest of the time I was there!

Edinburgh Castle

Queen E's crib ;)

The next day, I did my touristy bit, checking out the Edinburgh Castle, Holyroodhouse Palace (where Queen Elizabeth II stays whenever she's in Scotland), and Calton Hill.

The Elephant House

"Birthplace of Harry Potter."

This Hogwarts lookalike is just beside the Elephant House!

I had no idea that J.K. Rowling resides in Edinburgh!  The Elephant House is one of several coffee shops in the city that claims to be the "birthplace of Harry Potter," where J.K. Rowling wrote the book, drawing inspiration from the nearby school that ressembles Hogwarts.  What do you think?

Famous statue of Greyfriar's Bobby.

When I was child, my mom bought me a book about cutesy dog stories, which included the tale of Greyfriar's Bobby, the little terrier that visited his dead master's grave for 14 years, until the dog finallly died.  I had the chance to visit Bobby's grave, his statue, and also Greyfriar's Kirk, the famous graveyard.  

Mmmmmmmm!!

And what's a visit to Scotland without some Haggis? Heck yes, I went to World's End for its Haggis with Neeps and Tatties (mashed turnips and potatoes) and a whisky cream sauce.  

The Heart of Midlothian, spit in it as you walk by!

On the last day, we went on a FREE tour of the city, which was really, really great.  You meet outside of Starbucks (and can get a 10% discount if you're part of the tour) and walk for 3 hours around the city.  Lots of history to learn about, and I would definitely recommend it!  

Pretty :)

haha...what..!

I really liked Edinburgh, it's a beautiful city (when it's not windy and raining..) and so much cool history to it.  I had a nice reunion with Judy (re-living U21 memories!), fun shopping, and of course, nice food adventures.  About the picture above, apparently it's quite common in flats to have the washing machine in the kitchen!  Am I the only one who thinks this is really weird?