Today’s Rain is Tomorrow’s Whiskey: Edinburgh, Scotland

View from Edinburgh Castle and one of the times I’ve broken my strict “never climb an old volcano” vow.

Sigh, Scotland. Edinburgh has been at the absolute top of my travel list since I first saw Danny Boyle’s (equally both amazing and scarring) Trainspotting.

Edinburgh is a gorgeous city filled with a ton of history, culture, and of course, whiskey. Get ready for a loooooong post filled with Scottish adventures including murder legends (obviously), cocktail villages, and of course #alltheharrypotterthings. Somehow I even managed to find Russian pierogi (but are any of us actually surprised?)

Where are we?

The capital of Scotland, Edinburgh is the seventh largest city in the United Kingdom. Its name derives from the Brittonic Celtic word “Eidyn” and although the meaning is unknown, scholars believe the term references Castle Rock, the location of Edinburgh’s Castle. Castle Rock was formed over 350 million ago out of volcanic rock. Often compared to Rome, Edinburgh was built on seven hills.

Earliest human inhabitation of the area goes all the way back to 8500 BC. In 1706, the Treaty of the Union combined the Parliaments of Scotland and England to form the Parliament of Great Britain. This was largely opposed by many Scots, which led to numerous riots in Edinburgh. During the Jacobite rising of 1745, Edinburgh was occupied by the rebel Jacobite Highland Army until their defeat by the British at the Battle of Culloden. Scotland remains a part of the United Kingdom today.

Or as we all know, the premise to the first season of *Outlander*.

Known for its distilling, brewing, and printing industries, the city’s Old Town has its trademark smoke-stained buildings and the winding, cobblestone streets feel like you’re stepping out of a Harry Potter novel, which of course makes sense because much of J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for the series came from the time she spent in the city.

There is so much to see in Edinburgh! We only had a couple of days but you could easily spend a week just wandering and exploring this beautiful, historic city.

The Sites:

Overwhelmed by all the things Edinburgh has to see? SAME. Friendly reminder that you can find all of the sites (including my personalized Harry Potter walking tour) in the Middle World Adventures map.

Trainspotting Dreams Coming True:

First #myheartisexploding moment came immediately after exiting the bus from the airport into the city. Our stop on Princes Street is the location of the infamous “Choose Life” scene at the beginning of Trainspotting, when Renton and Spud are being chased by police officers.

While the storefronts have changed (there’s now a Next department store and a greeting card shop), it was still such a cool nerd moment for me to be standing at that stop.

Lovely Places:

The National Art Gallery of Scotland first opened in 1859.

St. Giles’ Cathedral contains buildings built in 1124.

True Crime Spots:

I wish we had time for a tour of the Surgeons’ Hall Museum! They have the Burke Death Mask on display. William Burke, half of the infamous Burke & Hare team, murdered 16 people in Edinburgh during the early 1800s. During the time there was a huge demand for bodies by anatomy schools in Edinburgh; Burke & Hare delivered the corpses of their lodgers for cash. After being discovered by police, Hare was granted immunity for confessing the murders. Burke was hanged and his skeleton (and face mask) was put on display where it remains today.

The view from Mary King’s Close. A “close” is an ancient alleyway and Mary’s is one of Edinburgh’s most famous as well as most haunted sites in the city. This passageway (to the left of the picture) is named after Mary King, an affluent merchant who lived here in 1635. After years of disease (including haunting descriptions of the bubonic plague and how it was **treated yikes)**, overcrowding, and poor living conditions, the Close became a site for underground trading. Parts have been demolished, but a portion under the city remains open for tours.

View from Grassmarket: Grassmarket was the site of public executions in Edinburgh. One of the most famous stories is that of Maggie Dickson. The wife of a fisherman who deserted her and left her destitute in 1723 (#boybye), Dickson left the city for Kelso. There, she found work for an Innkeeper and also fell in love with the Innkeeper’s son. After becoming pregnant, Dickson gave birth to a premature baby who passed away a few days later. The baby’s body was found, traced to Dickson, and she was charged under the contravention of the Concealment of Pregnancy Act and the murder of her son. After being found guilty, she was sentenced to death and hanged in the Grassmarket Gallows on September 2nd, 1724. After being pronounced deceased, her body was transported to Musselburgh, where, on the way, she awoke. Since the sentence had been carried out, Dickson could not be tried again, and she lived another forty years with her husband (boy, welcome back, I guess).

Harry Potter Tour:

Nicolson’s Cafe, now Spoon, is where J.K. Rowling wrote many of the chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. This plaque is located at the corner of Drummond Street.

The entrance to George Heriot’s School, J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for Hogwarts.

Me about to break into Hogwarts (via Kristin Ariel Photography)

Victoria Street is rumored to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley.

Greyfriar’s Kirkyard is a graveyard near Old Town that was established in 1861.

One of the graves, Tom Marvolo Riddle, is said to have been the inspiration for J.K. Rowling ( He-Must-Not-Be-Named’s dear old dad)

Searching For Tom Riddle’s Grave: Our Edinburgh Adventure

One of my absolute favorite places in Edinburgh. I could have easily have spent hours here just wandering around. Photo credit to Casci for capturing me #livingthatbackpacklife

Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2018:

It was a (very) happy coincidence to visit Edinburgh during their 2018 Storytelling Festival. While I was hopping-up-and-down-ecstatic at all the nerdy possibilities, my friends were the absolute best and came along on a couple of stops. Unfortunately, due to the limited time we had in the city, I could really only see a couple of exhibitions.