Enchanting Edinburgh and Gaily Glasgow

The rich culture and gorgeous landscapes make Scotland a destination that seems to have it all. You'll feel welcomed by friendly locals as you explore rugged mountains, lively cities, and quaint shops. You're sure to be greeted by a sheep or a herd because this country of 5 million people is the home of 7 million sheep.

Our first stay was in Edinburgh, also known for being one of the most beautiful cities in the world, its historic attractions, UNESCO World Heritage sites, and rich history. After walking over 30km exploring the city I would have to agree. It felt like I was in a Harry Potter world where everything was delightfully “dungeony”. St. Giles Cathedral was absolutely stunning and can be found as you walk up The Royal Mile, and another must see is Edinburgh Castle situated at the end of The Royal Mile, a street filled with museums, shops and buskers. The nightlife is probably the best we have experienced yet on this trip, we unexpectedly ended up in an open mic pub our first night by following a group of strangers down a small staircase and into Whistle Blinkies. What a night, we quickly befriended a lovely young couple from Alberta who we instantly connected with as we were struggling to understand drunken Scottish people. We did manage to understand the locals calling Rob “Tuch”, as they instantly noticed Rob’s resemblance to Stanley Tucci. Lol. As you can imagine it was quite an experience. The following night we venture to try another pub Stramash which had excellent live music and actual men dancing in kilts…I kid you not, it was a true full Scottish experience. The best part is we managed to escape the rain which was definitely a challenge according to the locals and the weather app.

Glasgow was a short hour and fifteen minute train ride from Edinburgh, where we enjoyed beautiful rolling hills and lots of sheep sightings! Glasgow has a big city feel with a large university community, designer stores, art museums and stunning architecture both old and new. Rob had to stay back at the hotel and meet online with his clients on our first day so I searched for a self guided tour and off I went to explore. I used www.gpsmycity.com, which I highly recommend and I managed to see all the highlights with descriptions within 3 hours. The following day we hopped on a tour bus that took us through the Scottish Highlands for the entire day. Although the traditional Scottish weather did catch up to us, we did manage to stay dry for half of the day. By the end of the day I looked like a wet dog but it was worth it, seeing the beautiful landscapes and stunning castles as well as listening to our guide share stories about Scottish folklore made us realize without rain, there is no life. But they do have Tim Horton's and it was a great way to warm up with a little comfort of home.

The Scottish are know for many things, most redheads, Alexander Graham Bell, golf, but I’ll bet you didn’t know that Scotland’s official national animal is the unicorn. Apparently it’s the only animal that can kill a lion (England’s National Animal), those cheeky monkeys! Well, from what we experienced in our short visit there is “no place is more enchanted than where a unicorn has been born.”