One of the activities that I saw on every list of things to do in Edinburgh was climbing to the top of Arthur's Seat, a peak right on the edge of the city. I'm not much of a hiker (I know you're shocked), but I told Brad I wanted to do it, and he's game for anything. We got up the morning of our planned hiked and found the most GORGEOUS skies. Our Air BnB was literally a 10-minute walk from the base of the peak, and praise be, I'd packed my Chacos for this specific activity.
I would also like to note that Arthur's Seat does not look like a difficult climb from just about any angle. But it is NO JOKE. And I'm not the only person who says that (I realize my opinion about outdoorsy activities can't exactly be trusted). It's definitely considered, generally, to be a no-joke kind of climb. Brad concurs. The tricky thing is that this is such a normal Edinburgh activity that people show up in normal shoes...this is a mistake, my friends. You need good grippy shoes with solid soles.
The first part of the hike is very casual, not at all steep, and just a really nice stroll. Then it starts to get steep.
The paths are pretty easy to navigate for about 2/3 of the hike.
I wore a long-sleeved shirt, athletic shorts over leggings, and had my raincoat/windbreaker with me. For much of the hike, I had no need of my jacket. Once we came out at the first summit, I needed that jacket! It was so windy that I needed my jacket for the chill, and it was so strong that it literally kept knocking me off-balance.
The view from the first summit. It was beautiful!
The last 1/3 (give or take) of the hike is super gusty, very steep and narrow, and covered with lots of small rocks and stones. This is where the solid soles of your shoes comes in clutch, guys.
Hanging on to Brad for dear life.
On the way back down, we took a little side trail to visit these ruins of a 14th century church.
After we finished our hike, we walked the ten minutes back to our Air BnB via the backside of Holyrood Palace.
Just a beautiful morning.
Part of our general plan while in Edinburgh was to choose a restaurant for each day (plus a coffee/dessert place) and then eat breakfast and our remaining meal at the apartment, so after hiking Arthur's Seat, we went back to clean up and eat a low-key lunch (and rest. Let's be honest: Erin needed a rest.). Mid-afternoon, we headed out to a coffee shop recommended on the Edinburgh page from one of my favorite travel blogs.
Lauren (of the aforementioned travel blog) mentioned that Baba Budan had good coffee and amazing donuts. We were sold. I have no memory of the coffee Brad ordered for me, but the Nutella-filled donut was THE STUFF OF DREAMS. If you're ever in Edinburgh, make those Nutella donuts part of your etched-in-stone plan.
Biggest regret: we split the donut. LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES, FRIENDS.
Also, I had a migraine brewing in this shot (look closely and you can see it in my eyes). I was adamant that I wasn't to cut the day short because of a migraine, so I was chugging water, coffee, and Ibuprofen like it was my job.
While we were wandering around the Royal Mile at the base of the castle, we noticed that a small chapel (St. Columba's, I think) had actual been converted into a kind of museum. The exhibits were all about the history of Christianity in Scotland. It was very interesting to explore; the exhibit was sponsored by an evangelical group and was very relational, with lots of volunteers milling about and talking to visitors. I really enjoyed browsing/reading/listening. Such an interesting project.
We also rounded out our gifts for the girls. We decided on some mini animals: Nessie, a unicorn, and a hairy coo/highland cow. All three are symbols of Scotland, and we figured the girls would really enjoy them.
Just picked up a few magical creatures...
Decided to give them a loving home.
We closed out our afternoon of sightseeing by visiting the Scottish National Gallery, by way of a stroll through Princes Street Garden.
The view from Princes Street Garden
Love this picture. And also...still fighting a migraine.
The castle from the garden.
My favorite picture in the gallery: the ice skating parson. Just whimsical and fun. I forget the artist's name, but it was in the section of Scottish artists.
After wandering around the gallery for a while, we had some tea and read for a while in the gallery tea shop (we are cliches of ourselves). Then we headed out to a steakhouse recommended by Travel Blogger Lauren: Chop House.
Um...
It was a WINNER.
I don't regret one second of that meal!
We had the very best time in Edinburgh. We enjoyed the things we did, the food we ate, the sights we saw, and general time spent talking with each other. I would love to return one day. And take the girls when they're a bit older! I think if we tell them about unicorns, they'll spend the whole trip waiting with baited breath to see one, and how fun would that be??
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