Exploring Edinburgh

I woke up this morning to the sound of wild turkey calls. You’re probably thinking “turkeys? in the city?!”…

That was my exact thought, too.

It was only 5:30, so I was too lazy to actually get up and look out the window. For how loud they were though, I’m thinking that they must’ve been right outside the hostel. Unfortunately 5:30 was a bit too early for me to gobble gobble up some breakfast, so I fell back asleep for a few more hours.

I started off my morning by grabbing breakfast at a place called Hula Juice Bar and Café, which was just down the road from my hostel. I have to say, the food was a solid 10/10 and I would definitely go there again. 

After breakfast, I decided to explore the Royal Mile, which starts at the entrance of Edinburgh Castle and ends at Hollyroodhouse Palace. I enjoyed a leisurely walk and admired the impressive architecture. The street entertainers were also a wonderful touch to the experience. The sound of bagpipes could be heard throughout nearly the entire walk, and I got a few laughs in from a man who escaped from being tied up in rope and chains. 

When I finished with the Royal Mile, I ventured into other famous parts of the city. After all of the exploring I did with my friend yesterday, I felt confident in my ability to find my way around.

If you are missing the part of my story where I made a friend, check out my previous post!

One particular street that I was on the hunt for was Victoria Street, better known as Diagon Ally (Harry Potter fans will understand). I found The Elephant House: the café where J.K. Rowling spent most of her time writing the Harry Potter books. Unfortunately, it’s temporarily closed right now but still fun to see!

After Victoria Street, I just walked wherever my heart desired. I ended up finding some quiet little alleys and getting quite the workout in. Edinburgh is a very hilly city…with a lot of steep staircases…

At about 4pm, I met up with my friend and we went to Portobello beach. This was about a 30 min bus ride to the outer edge of Edinburgh. It was so much fun to be on a beach for only the third time in my life and, of course, have someone to chat with.

Later, we ordered about five different dishes at an Indian restaurant called Tuk Tuk. I would give that food a 10/10 as well — so delicious! However, I did get absolutely roasted by our waiter for trying to insert my credit card into the machine instead of using the tap method. Good thing he didn’t see us walk around the building THREE times looking for the entrance door when it was right in front of our eyes to begin with😆!

After dinner, we played 18 holes of mini golf (I’m better than I expected! Still lost though😪) and walked all the way back into the city. At the end of the day, my watch said that I had walked 31,958 steps!!! I’m gonna sleep gooood tonight…

Until next time,

Clara