Celts, Kilts, and Castles: Weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland
Since I am currently in France, flights were not overly pricey. I booked through Brussels Airlines for 340E. More than I wanted, but still, not too bad in price. I wasn't that thrilled about the airlines itself and if you fly into the Brussles Airport, I suggest you have at least 2 hours to get through immigration and transfer, Terminal A and B are not close to each other.
I booked two nights at the Light House Hostel, $8.60 down and 31L on arrival plus an additional 10L refundable key cost, in a 4-bed female dorm. Located at 20 Gilmore Place, the hostel is just a 15-20 minute walk to Edinburgh Castle. The facility is great, the people are super nice, and the breakfast is free. :)
Since I got in late Friday and left mid-day Sunday, I only had Saturday to look around and wanted to make the most out of my short-trip. I scheduled a tour through Highland Experience Scottish Tours for their Loch Ness and the Highlands by Small Group for 50L. It runs from 8:00-20:00 and takes you to all the places listed below. Most of the trip was riding on the bus, but it was cheaper than getting a car and driving around for me. The small group ended up being the normal tour and they refunded me the 5L, but it was still okay (there were 32 of us). Brian, our tour guide, was great. I'd recommend him any time.
I have about 200 photos of the tour, but here are my favorite 5 pictures:
Sunday was my 'day-off,' so to speak. I had breakfast at the hostel, talked to one of the staff for a while, and then walked around the castle and shopped at the Grassmarket (Diagon Alley) before heading to the airport. I will say, the Harry Potter stuff is expensive, but the Museum Experience shop was so much fun to walk around in.
Overall, this was a great weekend. I am hoping to go back soon and take the whole family as well. I would have liked to go into the Castle, but just ran out of time. Apparently the crown jewels and Stone of Destiny is there and I'd love to see those.
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