As most of you know, Paul and I went to Scotland for Halloween. We decided to go there as Paul has always wanted to visit at Halloween and since I've always wanted to go to Scotland it seemed perfect. Plus it was to celebrate my twentieth birthday as well.
But getting out of Belfast proved more difficult than either of us thought. Firstly, I set the metal detector alarm off and had to be frisked. Then I completely forgot that I had perfume in my hand luggage and a scary security woman sent me back through the crowds to put it in a little plastic bag. I then had to walk through the metal detector again and be frisked again by the same woman who couldn't contain her smirk. I was eventually allowed through and as I waited for Paul, I was grabbed by another security person asking me if I'd be willing to submit to a random drugs screening! I could hardly say no could I?! Now seeing as I've watched A LOT of "Nothing to Declare" I knew what she was doing and even though I knew it'd be clear, I was still terrified. She tested my camera for traces of narcotics and when it was clear, she let me go.
The flight to Edinburgh was relatively short unfortunately. I say unfortunately because I love flying. I love that sensation you get in your stomach when the plane takes off or changes direction. I even love trying to fight the pressure pushing you back into your seat as you take off lol! Yes. I'm a weirdo.
Our first day in Edinburgh was glorious. The sun was out and it wasn't cold at all. Something Paul was a bit disappointed by as he wanted the place to be cold and covered in snow! We spent our first day exploring the Royal Mile and going on a little Scotch Whisky tour which was very entertaining as well as informative. We even got to try some whisky as well as being allowed to keep our whisky glasses as suvenirs!
The second day was dedicated to exploring Edinburgh Castle which was truly magnificent. The only problem was that because it's built on a hill, it was really blustery! And my hair paid the price...
We also visited the Edinburgh Dungeons and went on a underground tour of the tombs! Both were great tours, the Dungeons weren't that scary just creepy, but the actors were hilarious! The tour guide of the underground tour was also very funny and likeable which immediately put you at ease even though we were in a comfined space. And of course there was an eejit who deliberately nudged a girl making her scream loud enough to wake the dead...
The third day was dedicated to exploring Edinburgh Zoo. I adore zoos and this one was lovely. Unfortunately the weather was a bit dull and most of the animals were sleeping but I still enjoyed it. My illness which was still undiagnosed at this point was starting to take its toll on me though. So much so that I literally stopped dead halfway up a hill as I didn't have the strength to take one more step. Instead I had to sit at a cafe for over an hour just to get my breath back.
The fourth day was dedicated to simply relaxing and exploring the city a bit more. We went shopping and took loads of photographs of local monuments and statues. There were loads! We saw lots of cool sites such as Edinburgh University as well as Holyrood Palace. We also went to the cinema and saw The Lion King in 3D! I regret not having the time to visit the local museums though.
On the fifth day we came home but thankfully we didn't have any trouble getting into Belfast. I guess we'll take anyone! Despite feeling sick, I really enjoyed my trip to Edinburgh as we instantly fell in love with the place. It's such a beautiful city that Paul and I will definitely visit there again - especially now that the zoo has got pandas!
If you want to check out some photos from our trip, just click here...
