So, the nature of my ('proper', full-time, non-blogging) job means that I am required to be wherever my clients are. For the majority of my career, I've been lucky enough to be based in London, beavering away happily in the city and not in some god-forsaken wasteland in the middle of nowhere (or on an oil rig in the north sea, as one unfortunate colleague ended up at). However, recently I was asked to leave the cozy south and travel up to Edinburgh for part of my working week.
Now, initially I was pretty grumpy about this. In terms of traveling, Edinburgh was just about as far as you can be reasonably be expected to travel on a weekly basis. AND, it's COLD. To add insult to injury, in order to get there at a reasonable time to do any form of work on a Monday, I am rudely forced out of bed at 5am. I'm telling you now, 5am is a time of night I will never be happy to see.
However, as you may have notice from my Instagram, Edinburgh is undeniably a beautiful city. Full of wide, sweeping streets, beautiful old building and more spires than you can shake a stick at, it cuts quite the impression. The city is watched over by the imposing castle, located on a hill in the city center. Walking through the streets in the evening, I love looking at the lit up monuments (which seem to be everywhere) and listening to the haunting notes of a busker's bagpipes playing the Skye Boat Song* (a tune which has taken on a whole new life in my head ever since having become obsessed with Outlander...). Yes, I'm a cliché in a bucket, but I don't care.
The problem with working up in Edinburgh is that I don't have the luxury of daytime hours to explore the city, so now I'm going to turn to you dear readers. Please, let me know your recommendations of things to do in Edinburgh outside of 'usual' hours. Where should I visit and what should I see to get a real feel of the city? What things shouldn't be missed? And, perhaps most importantly, where should I eat?
So, help a travelling Londoner in need and send your recommendations this way!
*Controversially, I also love the tram....