It didn’t take long for Angela and I to agree that Edinburgh is one of our two favorite cities in the world … San Francisco being the other. Even though it never got much above 40 degrees on the warmest days and it rained quite a bit when we were there, we couldn’t help but be taken by the Scottish Capital’s ancient cobblestone streets, beautiful architecture and friendly people.
Here’s a gallery of photos from our week in Edinburgh …
*** Fair warning for all the ‘Potter’ content in the photos. Edinburgh is a bit Potter crazy as JK Rowling lives here. She wrote parts of the first few books in local Edinburgh cafes, and the novels were greatly inspired by the landmarks and history of the city.
Our semi cringe-worthy Potter themed Edinburgh Airbnb ... complete with Dave the Dementor watching our every move.
Museum Context ... The coolest shop in Edinburgh.
Victoria Street, the inspiration for Diagon Alley.
John Grey, a nighwatchman for the Edinburgh City Police, passed away in 1858, leaving his faithful Skye Terrier, Bobby, behind. Faithful to the end, Bobby sat on his masters grave in Greyfriars Cemetery until his own death .... 12 years later.
The Hub, built in 1845, was originally designed as a meeting hall for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Today it is the home of the Edinburgh International Festival.
The Writers Museum houses the portraits, works and personal objects of three of Scotland’s foremost writers; Robert Louis Stevenson, Walter Scott and Robert Burns.
The Sir Walter Scott Monument. Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian whose works include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy and The Lady of the Lake.
The view from Edinburgh Castle looking northeast.
JK Rowling was a regular at the Elephant House Cafe when she was writing the first few books in the Hogwarts Saga. Fans have since covered every inch of the bathroom walls and ceiling in the cafe with graffiti in homage to the books and the author. This is one of the walls in the girls bathroom.
Saint Anthony’s church ruins overlooking northeast Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth.
The National Monument of Scotland on Carlton Hill.
The Dugald Stewart monument at sunset. Dugald was a famous Scottish philosopher and mathematician in the late 1700’s - early 1800’s.
Edinburgh skyline at sunset.
