Cold. Mist. Darkness. Shite weather. Just another lovely morning in Glasgow. I woke up earlier than my boyfriend to prepare some breakfast and I was really taking my time. I lost the concept of time and didn’t realise until we were both rushing through the streets of Glasgow. Luckily, we made it to the bus station on time and even had to wait for about ten minutes.
When we arrived in Edinburgh, the weather was just as bad as in Glasgow, cold and rainy. I pity my boyfriend who wasn’t wearing waterproof shoes. How can you go to Scotland and not bring a pair though? Anyway, we decided to go for a coffee first and ended up having one in Marks & Spencer. I know, when you go to explore a city it’s always more enriching to visit one of those local cafés. But I was freezing so we just kinda went to the first one we saw (and knew they’d have a soya latte – which was delicious btw).
After being energised with some caffeine, we were on our way out from Marks & Spencer. However, we both felt like shopping, so we stayed a bit longer and unexpectedly bought some stuff. My boyfriend bought me a cute engagement-like ring. An adorable piece of jewellery I’ll surely wear on a daily basis (for those who are wondering – no, no proposal… not yet).
By the time we were done with shopping, the weather got better and… the sun was shining. What a nice surprise. As we were wandering through the Christmas Markets (yes, in January), observing all the detail, we were astonished by its size and complexity (I’ve actually been to Edinburgh before but I didn’t want to ruin my boyfriend’s excitement). It’s not like an ordinary one level Christmas Market as it is in most cities. It runs through the hills, so you find yourself standing there with a view over the many Xmas Market streets. It looks like various tiny markets. It still felt all so Christmasy (sadly no Christmas or New Year’s Eve to look forward to…). Just like in Glasgow, the vibe of the city was very friendly.
We wanted to visit the Scottish National Gallery, but the weather was so pleasant (for a change) that we just couldn’t make ourselves go in. We went for a walk through the city, immersing ourselves entirely. We took a random way up the hill, which led to a street full of typical Scottish shops and cafés.
My boyfriend made me go to a whisky shop, which was obviously stuffed with whisky-related products. I was surprised by the range of products they were offering (e.g. a whisky-flavoured lip balm and hand lotion) and by the prices of some whisky bottles. We found one that cost £27,500. Who on earth would buy that? Not us, apparently. We still bought a wee souvenir there though. A tiny stag (made of steel I guess?). Another must have keyring for my keys (as if my keys weren’t chockfull already).
Aye, that’s the £27,500 whisky.
A note: We also went to a souvenir shop where we couldn’t think of anything better than buying another matching Scotland themed keyring. OK, I confess, I nearly begged him to buy it.
Successfully leaving the whisky shop, we headed to Edinburgh Castle. It’s up on the hill so you can imagine the breath-taking city vista.
As we were taking pictures we realised it was getting late and had to go back to the bus station.
A lovely trip. The End.
As I’m reading this afterwards it sounds like we haven’t visited much. But I’m the kind of person who prefers to see less, but in a way more, if you know what I mean. What’s the point of seeing every famous monument, museum and restaurant if you can’t really enjoy it because of the time pressure caused by what you have to see next? Even if you managed to see everything, would you remember?
What about you, do you prefer the ‘standard sightseeing trips’ or are you rather a random tourist like me?
Let me know and keep your eyes peeled for my next post!
skotveru