Daring to Dream : Dún Éideann

Céad míle fáilte go Dún Éideann!

(A hundred thousand welcomes to Edinburgh)

I see what you did there J.R.R. Tolkien! Does Dún Éideann (the Gaelic pronunciation of Edinburgh) remind you of Aragorn who is a Dúnadain Ranger in Lord of the Rings or is that just me?

Edinburgh was an absolute fantasy! Myself and fellow Canadians, Adam (Toronto) and Sarah (Nova Scotia) started off Sunday morning bright and early by hoping on a bus to Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, to celebrate Robbie Burn's day. Robbie Burns's day is a celebration of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burn's life. It is a holiday I normally celebrate by dancing, drinking, and listening to pipes and drums back home!

Edinburgh was one place in Scotland I knew I would have to visit and I couldn't have been more excited!

We started off the morning right by Hiking King Arthur's Seat! I was glad we accomplished this in the morning as I would have been completely zonked later in the day - but was I ever glad we did it! The view was breathtaking as all of Edinburgh stretched out as far as the eye could see. I would recommend this to anyone who is visiting or staying in Edinburgh as it truly is worth all the blood, sweat, and tears of climbing up that hill. Plus you really do feel like a hobbit whilst scaling over the mud and grass up a hillside with the Misty Mountains looming in the distance. However if you are intending to fulfill the hike I would thoroughly recommend NOT bringing an overnight pack up to the very top (Arthur's Seat) as you will get very tired, very quickly. But the view from the top was worth every single moment of cursing and sweating. When I reached the very top my heart began to burst as I looked down on Edinburgh - what a view! Unfortunately, my stomach also grumbled, so after an amazing hike and a heart full of sightseeing we scrambled back down the hill to get a bite to eat.

Clarinda's Tea Room was everything I imagined having tea and triangle sandwiches in Scotland would be. It was so nice to sit in such a quaint little cafe and enjoy a hot beverage with friends. I chose a warm and marshmellowy hot chocolate (what a surprise I know!), butternut squash with carrot soup, and a cucumber and smoked salmon sandwich to appease my grumbling stomach. It was absolutely delicious! Anges Maclehose who is better known as Clarinda and the original owner of the Tea Room had been a friend and mentor to Robbie Burns. Burns had even wrote the song "Ae Fine Kiss" for Clarinda, so it seemed very fitting to be having lunch at her Tea Room that day.

We then made tracks up and down the Royal Mile - which is a street with all sorts of noble buildings and little shops. I bought some post cards and a gorgeous Douglas Tartan wool blanket along the mile. As we ventured around Edinburgh I could hear the distance bleating of bagpipes, I kept asking Sarah and Adam if they could hear them too (I often hear bagpipes while turning on the tap water or opening a car door so I am never too sure - and yes I am aware that this is a very bad sign) but this time they assured me they could hear bagpipes too!

Like a cougar hunting down it's prey, I began to track down where the music was originating. Sure enough I found the lone piper playing tunes beneath the Scot's Monument. I was taking pictures of him when he asked if I would like to be in one, of course I said yes! We began chatting about Nova Scotia and Scottish culture - next thing I know he asks "would you like to dance a step?" and again I was shaking my head vigorously! Next thing I know he is striking up his pipes and I am standing there in welly rain boots covered in mud doing a four step Highland Fling! As the little crowd of people it attracted clapped I bowed graciously and then thoroughly shook the pipers hand (and he even thanked me!) was when it hit me- I had just highland danced in Edinburgh! ON FREAKIN' ROBBIE BURNS DAY! I was truly the happiest girl alive for the rest of the day - you couldn't wipe the smile off of my face for the rest of the afternoon.

Making tracks further down the Royal Mile was when we finally found The Elephant House cafe where JK Rowling wrote the first novels of the Harry Potter series. This. Was. A. Must. See. (probably only for me haha) But as a complete and total die hard Harry Potter fan I could not go to Edinburgh and pass up seeing the place where my favourite author of my favourite series sat and began to write. I couldn't help but peer inside the window of this cafe and feel my heart skip a beat. As an aspiring writer this truly put things in perspective as I stood on the other side of the glass peering in. Writing can feel like such an uphill battle so it was nice to realize that such a successful author started at the bottom of the hill too.

My childhood friend Amanda and fellow Potterhead just booked us tickets for the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour for the beginning of March and I am literally shaking with excitement!

One of the last stops for the day was visiting the Castle of Edinburgh - this was the very first castle I had truly ever set eyes on. I hope that some day this little highland dancer can watch the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo; and smile as the fireworks explode over the castles whilst the massed bands begin to play. Who knows maybe I'll even be lucky enough to dance there someday!

Adam, Sarah, and I finished our night off at Deacon Brodies, a local pub- the classic Scottish thing to do! Sipping Innis & Gunn, a Scottish brew (not too be confused with Innocent Guy, which is what I thought it was called) and chowing on haggis, neeps, and tatties (haggis, turnip, and potatoes). I felt proud to have celebrated Robbie Burns Day in such a Scottish fashion! However, after having my third serving of haggis over a week period I think I will lay off the haggis for a little while.

Sarah and I also made the mistake of lugging around travel packs all day long and deciding we would rather go home to our own beds that night as neither one of us had to DD. Oops! Next time I hike King Arthur's seat maybe I'll do it in a kilt and not while carrying a travel pack haha.

Check out some of my pictures below!

Pictures from hiking King Arthur's Seat! This is one thing that I have always wanted to accomplish when visiting Scotland. The pictures don't even do it justice!

Clarinda's Tea Room situated right at the foot of the Royal Mile it was such a lovely spot for tea (hot chocolate in my case) and sandwiches after a long hike. With the doilies, fake flowers, and plates on the wall it felt as if you were visiting your Great Aunt Flo for an afternoon tea.

I think I will take Adam's advice and turn my blog into a hot chocolate blog.

The Royal Mile! I don't know if you can make it out here but that tiny poster in the pub window displays an image of Robbie Burn's himself and reads, "I'm sexy and a poet" - I may have laughed way too hard at that.