Where to go in April, when winter definitely is over, but summer isn't yet here? Scotland, or rather Edinburgh!
As we haven't been in Scotland before, we were pretty excited what awaits us. Should we take our winter clothes with us, or will it be like spring in the air? You're good with taking some warm clothes with you and you shouldn't be afraid of rain. However, we were lucky and had no rain during our stay. Locals even told us that the weather is like in summer, very rare! But a fresh and strong wind is normal anyway, especially on sunny days.
We booked the Motel One right at the Waverley Station which is pretty close to the landmark of Edinburgh, the Castle and the famous Royal Mile. There are some nice restaurants and bars in the neighbourhood and it's just a very short walk over the Waverley Bridge to the Princes Street Garden with it's Scott monument. Shopping mile is mainly in George Street and Princes Street.
Whisky! You won't get around it. While we didn't book a whisky tasting tour, we found our own way to spend the evenings in pubs with Irish/Celtic live music and a glass of the Scottish national drink. Our favorite little pub seems to be closed now, unfortunately. But many typical pubs are located in Rose Street.
While you're walking around for sightseeing you'll probably notice the smell of hops in the air of the breweries. Nice experience :) We had some further stops at Portobello Beach with it's nice seafront promenade, at the famous Circus Lane, Grassmarket, Calton Hill and we also hiked up to Arthur's Seat, the highest point of the city. The panoramic view over the city and the sea was fantastic and the strong wind was quite funny. From there we took another way back heading for Sheep Heid Inn in Duddingston for having lunch. Very small, charming and it's one of the oldest pub in Edinburgh. We had our most tastiest meal there, so very recommendable!
Another nice restaurant where we had a delicious dinner is called Michael's Steak & Seafood back in Edinburgh's old town.
We loved the character of this city so much and had a great stay in Edinburgh. It certainly wasn't our last time in Scotland and we hope to see the high lands very soon too!
