We Love You Edinburgh

Over the years, I have wanted to visit Edinburgh with my mum and Nannie for a girly city break. We have never been before and I really wanted to tick it off my bucket list this year before going to university. The extinct volcano 'Arthur Seat' has always fascinated me as having a volcano in Britain is so interesting. Everyone has always told me that you will love Edinburgh and there is so much to do there. They could not have been more right. I saw that Zoella visited Edinburgh after we booked the hotel so it was perfect as she put several vlogs on and it gave me more of an insight to the city.

I have never been to such a welcoming, warming and friendly city. Everyone spoke to you in the streets as well as restaurants and shops. We met so many lovely people. The taxi drivers - from City Cabs - overall were extremely friendly and your traditional kind Scottish people. There was only one taxi driver that was not so friendly but other than that everyone was warming and sociable. The taxi drivers told us what places we were passing and saw a lot more of Edinburgh. I feel that Edinburgh is much nicer than London. The people and the places are lovelier and more welcoming. London is good but Edinburgh is better!

Edinburgh Waverly 

I love books and everything literature related so going to Edinburgh - which is a City of Literature - was great. You can really see that the city cares about their heritage, history and literature. At Edinburgh Waverly Train Station, they have quotations from the works of Sir Walter Scott all over the train station. In the Scott Monument, there is a statue of Sir Walter Scott inside. We saw the Sherlock Holmes statue and pubs named after writers such as Robert Burns. 

My nan and I booked the hotel August 2016, which was slightly in advance but it is a good job we did as the hotel was extremely busy and popular. Staying for four nights and five days was just the right amount of time. It was long enough so we saw plenty of places but not too long that it made us tired and exhausted. We were told to fly up to Edinburgh because it is quicker but my dad said that the train will be a much prettier ride. He was absolutely right. We went with Virgin Trains and they were kind and kept bringing a food cart every hour. They did the best cups of teas - not had a good cup of tea like that in ages! It was difficult to book the train tickets online as their website isn't the best but the places we passed on the train were amazing. On the way, we went pass the 'Angel of the North' at Gateshead (Newcastle/Sunderland area) and the rural countryside. From Northumberland to Edinburgh, the train went pass the sea and beaches. It was so stunning and enjoyable. I have never been on a train side that has such aesthetic scenery. 

We are quite picky with hotels so we thought that a Travelodge would suit us best. The hotel was clean and had the perfect location. The staff are friendly, welcoming and informative at the Travelodge on St Mary Street. The hotel had a restaurant and we went down twice for breakfast within the 5 days we stopped there. The breakfast selection suited for everyone's food cravings. They did an unlimited continental and full breakfast. We did not get the included breakfast deal as we wanted to go round the city and find other places for breakfasts and elevens. Luckily, the hotel had free 30 minute WiFi and then it cost £3 for 24 hours. The hotel is located within the Royal Mile, which was good for pubs and the Fringe Festival. I am pleased that we stopped in the Old Town as opposed to the New Town - it felt more historical and vintage. Not that the New Town isn't lovely but I loved the Old Town more. It was more up my street. 

When we got off the train and unpacked our belongings in the hotel room, we explored Edinburgh for a couple of hours. We had a look round The Royal Mile and they had the most beautiful and traditional Scottish shops and pubs. The vintage tartan shop 'The Real sells tartan scarfs, hats, jackets, bags and ponchos. I bought a tartan scarf that is taupe and beige with a hint of cream and black. After looking round the souvenir shops, we watched some acts in the streets - as part of the Fringe Festival. There was this one act where a gentleman had this ribbon on his and danced with it. We didn't realise until last minute that the Fringe Festival was on. We knew about the Tattoo and International Festival but we wanted to look at everything else instead of going to them shows. If I get the opportunity to visit Edinburgh again (and hopefully when my back feels easier), I want to go and see the Tattoo as well as climbing Arthur Seat. Then after exploring the streets, we needed a drink and a snack but all of the local coffee shops and pubs were packed inside and outside because the weather was sunny. We all chose Patisserie Valerie - we have been there before (in other cities) and like it. I had a cheese and onion toasty with a mango smoothie. I have had nicer cheese and onion toasties - mind you I like my onions chargrilled instead of them being roar - but it was still tasty. We visited the amazing Christmas Cracker shop and it really felt like Christmas in August. I bet this place is really popular around November and December. We then looked around the city and saw the Edinburgh Castle. One of the best castles I have seen along with Conwy Castle in North Wales. Thursday evening, we went to the Italian at Union Place - Giuliano's - (which I could never pronounce properly) with our relations. The food was divine and the staff were friendly and dressed in red Scottish tartan.

On the Friday, we went on a bus tour that went round all of Edinburgh. From the old cobbled streets, to the New Town. In July, my mum and I booked a surprise for my nannie, which was the Red Bus Bistro Tour. This involved beautiful sight seeing and a lovely afternoon tea. We had a divine gin cocktail with elderflower fizz and stunning flowers. We noticed that gin is really popular in Edinburgh as well as whisky. The staff on the bus tour were extremely helpful and kind - they informed us where we were and what places we visited. They did a laminated map of all the places they take you to, which was handy. It would have been even better if we could have stopped at some places to absorb the place more but it was still fabulous. I have never known a place that do afternoon teas or food on a bus tour. It is a great idea and allows you to see different places. After the bus tour, we went to the Scott Monument (which by the way is my favourite building in the city) and sat on a bench at Princes Street gardens. Everything felt peaceful and tranquil when we sat there - watching the world pass by. We also went pass the Duke of Wellington and Adam Black statue. I went to the Scottish National Art Gallery and it was laid out in an organised and generic manner from Italian Renaissance art work to Impressionism. The staff are friendly and were informative about the history of the paintings. For an evening meal, we wanted something filling but light at the same time. Yes, that sounds very contradictory. We really fancied a pub meal and some live entertainment and we were fortunate to get that! We went to the Royal Tavern Pub in the Royal Mile. They do the best drinks and foods. The pub does  halloumi fries (which were delicious), a beautiful vegetable risotto and a divine vegetable pastry bake. My Nannie ordered a meal with haggis and I tried some. It was actually really nice; I did not think I would like it but it had quite an interesting flavour. The pub had some amazing acoustic singers and sang modern and classic songs like 'Sweet Caroline' and 'Rocking all over the World'. We sang and sang and sang and had a fun night. I highly recommend going to this pub if you are in Edinburgh. 

So vintage!

Saturday was the day we took a visit to Edinburgh's elite Multrees Walk. This is the place that has all of the luxury and elegant shops such as Harvey Nichols, Mulberry, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors and so on. We felt like royalty when we were in these shops. The doormen, make up assistants and other staff could not have been more welcoming. My favourite shops down Multrees Walk has to be Harvey Nichols and Michael Kors - they are my favourite shops. We first went to Harvey Nichols' beauty floor and I was in amazement. I did not want to leave - so heavenly! I was looking for a foundation and really was spoilt for choice. I could not buy any due to my sensitive skin. A lot of the make up counter assistants tried foundation samples on my face to see if it was itchy and I had a reaction to it. I tried the Nars foundation which did irritate my skin slightly but not to the point that it was really bad. I also tried some from Clinique and Laura Mercier. It was the primer and foundation from the Laura Mercier counter that suited me the most - so I bought them. Just after this, my nan treated me to a 100ml bottle of the Chanel Mademoiselle and I am so grateful. I have been wanting this perfume for this past year, but every place I have been and tried it, the scent has not been the same which is bizarre. I tried it in Harvey Nichols and it was the scent I was looking for. Then we went to their luxurious Chocolate Lounge upstairs, which was a real delicious treat. I had the 'Individual Fondue' whereas my mum and nan had pancakes and ice cream. If you are in the area, visit their Chocolate Lounge! It is an absolute must! Just after, we went to Michael Kors and I had some clothes and a purse. 

After all this lovely shopping, we felt hungry and needed something to eat so we went to 'Valvona & Crolla Vincaffe' which looked lovely. We ordered pizza and had to wait over an hour for it. I was very disappointed, the staff kept making excuses that there is problems and it is coming. The pizza was alright and presented decently but it was hard underneath and I have had better. My mum had a coffee and she wasn't too impressed with it. You think that there should be a lovely restaurant and coffee shop down a street with luxurious and expensive shops. I do not recommend this place and rate it overall 2/5, which is a shame as the decor of the place is lovely. In the evening, we went to the Indian restaurant Shezan. They did not have a big table ready for us as it was so busy but they gave us complimentary poppadoms and chutneys. The staff are so friendly, informative and kind. A lot of their food is quite spicy but it was so yummy and cooked beautifully. 

I wanted to visit a place that involved heritage and culture so on Sunday we went to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Whilst going around the Queens gardens, I got the opportunity to visit Arthur Seat. Since I am suffering with my back at the moment, I could not climb Arthur Seat. However, we visited the Palace of Holyroodhouse with our relations that day. From the Palace's gardens, you got a spectacular and stunning view of Arthur Seat. Unfortunately I did not get to see that aesthetic birds eye view of Edinburgh from top of Arthur Seat but still was a great day. We went to the Café at the Palace and what a lovely place it is. I had a chocolate brownie - what a divine experience. I would like to go for afternoon tea or a nice lunch here if I came again. We went to the restaurant Howies at Waterloo Place and it was absolutely wonderful. The decor, staff and food was fantastic. We had a lovely waiter who was informative, recommended certain foods and drinks to us and made our visit delightful. Howies do the best chips - they are absolutely divine. On the Sunday evening, we was all shattered and exhausted so it was good that we were going home the next day.

We did not do too much on the Monday as our train was at 13:00 - so we was limited for time. That morning, we had breakfast in our hotel and packed everything. Then we went to the train station and had a look around there. I don't know about you but I love looking around train stations - especially ones that have coffee shops, restaurants and other shops. When those fast trains go by you and take your breath away is an amazing experience.

I wanted to take a photograph of every place and everything in Edinburgh. It was a good job I took my big Nikon camera with me - it allowed me to take better photographs than my phone. As you can see, I took a few photos on my iPhone and I don't think they look as good as my camera ones. I would like to go back again to Edinburgh when it is quieter as loads of festivals were on and there was so many people. I do not cope with crowed places very much as it makes me feel tense, hot and dizzy but I didn't feel like this in Edinburgh which was even better. It was great to see a place that is doing well and is a success. Except for 'Valvona & Crolla Vincaffe', I rate everywhere we have been 10/10! 

Sorry for this lengthy post but hope you enjoyed it! I certainly enjoyed writing it. I hope I have persuaded you to visit Edinburgh...

Love always,

Paige xo