Today was our first day in Scotland. We arrived in Edinburgh early in the morning and were exhausted from the overnight bus ride. We didn’t sleep at all. We checked into our hostel and asked for directions to a good breakfast joint so we could get some energy to explore the Edinburgh Castle and The Royal Mile. It turned out to be a bar, but they served full Scottish breakfasts. I wasn’t in the most adventurous mood, and wasn’t sure I could stomach haggis so soon, so we decided on the vegetarian breakfast. Vegetarian haggis, vegetarian blood sausage, toast, beans, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and a cappuccino. It was definitely an interesting experience.

Edinburgh Castle:

The first thing on our agenda for the day was the Edinburgh Castle. I’d heard amazing thing about the castle from friends that had previously visited, so I was pretty pumped up. We got to the castle and got in line to buy a ticket. And then we got in line to take a brief tour. And then we got in line to see the jewels. The castle was fun, but there were so many people and so many lines that it took away from the experience for me. That and the fact that we saw an amazing castle the day before. One thing that I really did enjoy at the castle was that the Scottish Guard was there since the Queen arrived today. They are much friendlier than the English Guard and will even let you take your picture with them.

The Royal Mile:

After the castle, we walked around (mostly on the royal mile), took in the sites, and did a lot of people watching. There are so many little hidden alley ways that lead to neat sites, views, and gardens. There are also plenty of shops selling kilts, whiskey, and shortbread (which I stocked up on). We also bought Irnbru which is a Scottish soda that is excruciatingly sweet but uniquely interesting.

Since we were exhausted from not sleeping the night before, we bought a couple ciders, bread, and cheese from a local market and headed back to the hostel early. We stayed at the Castle Rock Hostel which is located directly below the castle and above Grassmarket. We couldn’t have asked for a better location! The atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming. There were several large room where people could relax and socialize which is exactly how we spent the evening.