Fairy-tales in Scotland

Time and time again when I've researched where I wanted to travel to within Europe, Scotland was always recommended as a must-have on any travel bucket list. And with city names like Skye, Stirling, and Aberdeen, how can you not picture a land straight from a fairy-tale? I had to go.

While I didn't get to visit the most northern, magical parts of the country as I had originally hoped, I still saw two beautiful cities, each with their own unique charm. Over four days and four nights, Edinburgh and Glasgow gave me a great welcome to Scotland.

Edinburgh: “If London was an alien city, Edinburgh was another planet.”
― Jess Walter, Beautiful Ruins

No wonder a world-famous series came from this city. Every square inch, from the moment I stepped off the train in the late evening, nearly inspired me to write my own Harry Potter tales. From the gothic architecture in the city's graveyards to the narrow, winding cobblestone streets, J.K. Rowling found inspiration everywhere. Even her characters' names were spin-offs of names she found on gravestones in the city's most central cemetery. With all my love for the series and its author, it was without a doubt that I needed to pop into The Elephant House - J.K. Rowling's favourite writing spot (a.k.a. the cafe that fuelled the making of one of the world's favourite fiction stories). The coffee shop was a little busy, considering it was November and everything else had low crowds. But, whether you're a life-long Harry Potter fan or not, it's still a cozy place to warm up from the chilly Scotland weather.

Speaking of chilly weather, there was one time I was actually glad that the temperatures sat so low. Arthur's Seat, told to me by many, is "just a little walk up a hill past the bottom of the Royal Mile." So, away I went to walk down the Royal Mile. Walking down the Mile? Great, definitely do-able for anyone. Getting to the bottom and seeing the "little walk"? Not as fine... Needless to say, I wish I would've brought water instead of Jaffa Cakes, and better clothes instead of a heavy dress coat and jeans. In all honesty, it's not that bad of a hike, and I'm just complaining because I was unprepared for it. It's about half an hour of only stairs made of uneven rocks, but stopping along the way to appreciate the view is surely enough to motivate you to keep going! I recommend this to anyone with a water bottle, good walking shoes and an appreciation for a view of the whole city (early morning is best!).

I have a tendency to drag on about one thing forever, so I'm going to give you my final Edinburgh highlights in the most Spark-notes way possible:

Haggis: Surprisingly amazing, as long as you're not the kind of person who likes to think about what they're eating. Perfect with a tall cider and mashed taters.

Celiedh Dancing: Scottish style of dancing that I truly still don't know how to do after two hours of practice. Kind of makes you feel like "what in the world am I doing" and "this is the most fun I've had in my life" at the same time. Also pairs well with a tall cider.

Castle Rock Hostel: An old, castle-like mansion. Spacious rooms. Cozy. Youthful. Cheap breakfast. Friendly fellow Canadians. 10/10 on all fronts.

Glasgow: "Glasgow's not a media centre. When you're there, you're hanging about, you feel quite detached from musical movements or fashions or anything like that. You do feel quite alone, in a good way." - Alex Kapranos

This quote nails it right on the head.

Glasgow didn't give me the fun, young, lively hostel community that Edinburgh did. However, it did give me with all the time and space that I needed to explore the city and be comfortable with my own thoughts. Despite having only rainy days, I still found this city to be alive with so much charm that I need to Spark-notes this all to fit each favourite thing in!

Loch Lomond: It's going to be tricky to Spark-notes this one because there's so much to say! I took my day-trip out here on my own for two reasons: 1. I wanted to see more than just bustling cities & 2. A paid tour-guide was going to ridiculously break my student-on-exchange budget. From Glasgow, I caught a train (6GBP round trip) to Balloch (p.s. I passed by a town called Alexandria and that was also a highlight, but too mini to really include on its own). Balloch alone is an adorable spot to tour and I would have loved to spend more time there. From Balloch, you need to take a bus to the even smaller town of Luss. Friendly reminder here, it's not fun when the bus only comes every hour and you forget that you don't have any change left until the bus arrives. But luckily, arriving in Luss means you have no more busses or trains to take - you've made it! When I arrived here, I spent about an hour and a half touring the incredibly tiny town and popping into each cafe along the way, just to appreciate them. Make sure to spend time sitting on the pier and admire this gorgeous work of nature.

Okay, well from here on, I'll Spark-notes.

Buchanan Street: The central street of Glasgow. Shops, cafes, restaurants galore. St. Enoch on one end and the Royal Theatre on the other makes for great views no matter whithere's Christmas lights!

ch direction you walk. And if you go in November/December,

Everyman Theatre: Tucked into an incredibly regal-styled mall on Buchanan Street. Cozy, worn-in couches. Delivery service of wine and guacamole/chips. (An Ottawa comparison: It's like a mix between Lansdown Cineplex VIP and The Mayfair.) If you need a chill night in Glasgow, this is the place. I can't rave about it enough - ask anyone I've talked to about this trip.

Merchant City: I kind of ended up here on accident, but I'm thankful that I found it! Strings of light as the ceiling. Shops, restaurants & the Gallery of Modern Art. If you need somewhere to explore in the evening, take a stroll over this way!

St. Enoch Christmas Market: My first European Christmas market! Cute & friendly for all! Hot chocolate stands to warm you up and every other kind of English treat you could imagine. Lots of shops for hand-crafted material goods as well! Perfect for an afternoon tour on the south end of Buchanan Street.


Yes, Scotland treated me so well. I wish I would have had more time to travel further away from the city centres to see more museums and cultural sites. I didn't have time for a hop-on-hop-off bus tour in either city, but I will always recommend them anyways. If anyone needs a travel buddy for Scotland, I'll always make myself free!

Until my next post,
Al