The Weekend Agenda: Edinburgh - Day 1

Hello there Miss / Mister Spontaneity! 

Have you had those tough days when you thought you've had enough of these and you made lightning-quick decisions? Those spontaneous ones which surprised your normally plan-well-in-advance nature?

One stressful Tuesday, my teammate Mani declared that we are now going to Edinburgh this weekend. No, not 'considered' but 'declared', mind you, since she sounded so certain about this. Before this, we were thinking (yes, only considering; we were not sure yet) about going to Bath. But Edinburgh!!!


I was game for a spontaneously thought-out escapade. I thought I needed it as much as she did. A well-deserved break after the really long work hours for the past three weeks or so. Also, since she is going back to India next week, I thought that she should really go since she had been spending her weekends working!! ***shakes head*** We booked the tickets and accommodation on Thursday and Mani came up with a rough Edinburgh itinerary albeit a really concise one given the brief time that we have.


Click to "Read more".

Saturday 18 February

• Early flight at 7:55am: The train cost was about the same as the plane fare so we went for the low-cost flight. It also saved us a few more hours: The train ride will take about 4-5 hours while the flight is under 2 hours from London.
• The convenience of flying without check-in baggage: I only brought my rolling trolley and the DLR has early trips (as early as 6am I believe) from my place straight to the City Airport.
• Little things matter: Self-service check-in was also a breeze. Did this immediately when I reached the City Airport and had more than enough time to leisurely eat my breakfast of coffee and sandwich at Costa.
• In-flight: Mani and I talked about a lot of things --- working for the Big 4 in general and almost not believing that we finally went ahead with this weekend trip. No regrets!
• Arrived on time at the Edinburgh Airport.

• More convenience: There is a transport bus from the airport (Airlink) which has strategic stops across Edinburgh, and mostly along hotels/accommodations and tourist areas.
• Helpful folks: The one in charge of the desk where we bought the Airlink tickets was also knowledgeable and provided helpful information on how to get around the city. We also opted to buy return Airlink tickets as these are cheaper than buying single passes and because we had a definite return date anyway.
• Accommodation: Since we only needed overnight accommodation, we picked Tune Hotels. Its location is pretty much near the Edinburgh Castle and the Princes Street shopping venue. It covered the minimum necessities and the staff at the reception were all courteous and very helpful. They pointed us to the must-visit areas and gave us instructions on how to get there. They tried their best to make sure we enjoyed our short stay in Edinburgh.

I had to have that ambassador 'thank you' shot before we leave the hotel.

• First on our list: Edinburgh Castle. We decided to walk from our hotel in Haymarket Street to get to the castle, while taking the time to appreciate the Old Town buildings and streets (can hardly find a new / modern structure there). We took the entrance from the back, slipping through the Princes Gardens. The way up can be a bit steep, so it's best if you come in walking shoes.



• From the Edinburgh Castle, we went around Royal Mile.



• Took this shot in front of the mirror beside Camera Obscura



• Then we looked for the Elephant House --- now famous as the birthplace of the Harry Potter series.

I'm not an avid Harry Potter fan but I can understand the hype about this café. To coffee shops: Be nice to those seemingly introverted regulars writing some random notes over coffee and cake for hours. You'll never know they might be the next JK Rowling which will soon make your café so famous.

• Lunch: At nearby Nando's. I was surprised that I was able to tolerate the 'hot' chicken butterfly sandwich (I usually order 'mild'). At this point, we were not up to trying something new so we stuck with the 'tried and tested' (Nando's is one of the team's top choices for late-night after-work dinners). 
• Now ready for more tourist stops: We walked/climbed up the steep trail to Arthur's Seat, and then down back to the Palace of Holyrood. Definitely bring your walking shoes, preferably with friction! It can get muddy after a drizzle.

From below (Arthur's Seat)



From the top (Arthur's Seat); you can also see the Holyrood Palace from here

• Final stop: University of Edinburgh --- one of Scotland's ancient universities, established in the 1580s. The campus we visited was smaller than perhaps the Ivy-League size that we expected but we were informed that there are other campuses, too. One side of the university campus was undergoing renovation.

Clothed in the shadows, this shot surprisingly captured the laidback vibe I felt when I was inside the campus, sitting on the steps and just waiting for the lazy afternoon to pass by.

• Dinner: At a Thai/Indian restaurant called Shamoli. We had biryani rice which were in large servings that I had difficulty finishing mine.

Wait, what? Are our dates in a separate table? LOL

• Lost! We got lost on our way back to our hotel; thanks to Google Maps which cannot recognise pathways that are supposedly closed at night. Finally, after lots of walking, we decided to board a bus and made our way to our hotel.
• End of day 1: Yay!!! Hello bed! We needed the warm bath and sleep after more than 12 hours of travel plus walking.  

Please read on and find out how we concluded this trip on The Weekend Agenda: Edinburgh - Day 2 :)

Note: All shots (without me in the pictures) were taken by me while Mani took the rest.