3 days in Edinburgh

Edinburgh? Jep, hovedstaden i Skotland, som iøvrigt er stærkt undervurderet. Lige syd for Edinburgh ligger London (som er knap så undervurderet). London ER en nice by, men den er mainstream og priserne er tilsvarende. Derudover bliver man nemt narret af de billige flybilletter, som efterfølges af ca. 1 times transport fra de fleste lufthavne i London ind til byen, som typisk koster det samme som flybilletterne. Det er her, Edinburgh kommer ind.

Jeg sad og hygge-søgte på Momondo efter, hvor jeg kunne smutte billigt til i UK i et par dage. London, tjek. Irland, tjek. Scotland? JA TAK – ca. 300kr tur/retur og bonusinfo er, at lufthavnen kun ligger ca 10 km fra byens centrum og koster ca 4 pund. Når lufthavnen er så tæt på, giver det selvfølgelig mere fleksibilitet, så Skotland blev pludselig en rigtig god ide. Jeg kimede min veninde, Alberte, og hun var frisk. Afsted med os!

Alberte og jeg valgte af bo på et hostel i den gamle bydel af Skotland lige ved Grassmarket (hyggeligt område med masser af cafeer og barer). Et tomandsværelse fik vi til i alt 1100kr (dvs. transport og logi i centrum til under 1000kr for 3 dage(!)). Vi ankom kl 03 om natten, fordi Ryan Air (som sædvanlig) var næsten 2 timer forsinket fra København. Morgenen efter var vi friske og KLAR på 3 fantastiske dage i Edinburgh.

Godt at vide om Edinburgh:

• Edinburgh er delt op i Den Nye- samt Den Gamle bydel
• Alt er i gåafstand
• Det er billigere end London og København (til sammenligning)
• Lufthavnen er tæt på centrum og billig at komme til/fra
• Arkitekturen er ekstremt gotisk og autentisk (ikke præget af en masse, moderne nybyggeri), og man kan tydeligt se, at meget inspiration til Harry Potter stammer herfra
• Næsten alle museer og gallerier har gratis adgang, da uddannelse og viden i Skotland vægtes højt
• Nationaldyret er..ehm, hvad hedder det nu på dansk? Unicorn? Jeg troede nationaldyret var et får…
• Edinburgh udtales Edinbvrrrg

Dagene gik med sightseeing and kultur (eftersom der er en masse cool sights inden for samme radius) – og hver anden time skulle  batterierne oplades med lækker mad(!!). Vi fik mange kilometer i fødderne, men vejret var med os, og de 3 dage skulle udnyttes bedst muligt.

Cool sights i Edinburgh:

• Edinburgh Castle (god udsigt og en cool plads – det koster dog 17 pund at gå ind i selve slottet, hvilket vi sprang fint over)
• Calton Hill (tæt på den store shopping gade Princess Street – en høj med flere monumenter (fx. National Monument) med fantastisk udsigt over byen – man kan chille på græsset og få en kop kaffe fra den lille truck)
• Arthurs Seat (hvis det er godt vejr, SKAL du hertil – det er det højeste punkt i Edinburgh (mini-bjerg) fyldt med gule blomsterbuske, der spreder en sød duft over hele gåturen. Det tager ca. 40min fra start til top, og jeg anbefaler sneaks (jeg tog selv turen i sorte skindstøvler og 2 shoppingposer – måtte tage imod en masse rystende hoveder, der stirrede mig ned).
• Greyfriars Kirkyard tæt på Grassmarket (en af Skotlands mest famøse kirkegårde, hvor mange store skotske navne er begravet. Greyfriars Kirkyard oser af gotiske vibes og kæmpe og uhyggelige gravsten. Den ‘vigtigste’ gravplads her er faktisk hunden Bobby (tag dertil og find ud af hvorfor).
• Nationalmuseet (gratis indgang og alt om Skotland lige fra mode, til transport til kommunikation)
• Royal Botanic Garden (gratis indgang og så fin en stor have, hvor man kan gå en laaang tur og få en stor scone)

Grassmarket Edinburgh Castle National Museum Greyfriars Kirkyard Shopping in Armstrong “Ohh my gaawd – the smell!”View – Arthurs Seat

Fortsættelsen følger med anbefalinger til spisesteder i Edinburgh! (DET BEDSTE TIL SIDST) …

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English

Edinburgh? The capital of Scotland, which is highly underrated. However, very close to Edinburgh you’ll find London, which is pretty hyped. So why not go a bit more north where you’ll have a cheaper and more authentic alternative?

A month of time ago I was surfing online to see whether there were any cheap flight to/from UK. England, check. Ireland, check. Scotland though? the ticket from Copenhagen was only around 300 kr (40 euro), AND the airport is approximately 10 km away from the city center and costs only 4 GBP. It just makes things more flexible and more attractive, period (in contrast to London, where you’ll pay the same to get into the city center from the airport as getting to the country itself – at least from Denmark). I called my friend, Alberte – she was already packing her bags. Off we went!

Alberte and I choose to stay at a hostel in the old part of Edinburgh right next to Grassmarket (cosy area with loads of small cafes, bars and a market). We paid around 1100kr (116 GBP) for a private room for 3 nights – so the flight and the hostel was less than 1000kr (140 euro) for 3 days(!). We arrived at 3 am due to our best friend, who is always late (Mr. Ryan Air). However, we were on fire and ready for 3 days in beautiful Edinburgh!

Nice to know about Edinburgh:

• Edinburgh is divided into the old- and new part of the city
• Most things can be reached by foot
• Edinburgh is cheaper than London (and Copenhagen)
• The airport is close to the city center and very cheap & easy to get to/from
• The architecture is extremely gothic and authentic, where a lot of old buildings are still preserved. It’s obvious how much inspiration Harry Potter got from Scotland (Edinburgh).
• Almost every museum and gallery offer free entrance, as education and knowledge is highly prioritised in Scotland
• The national animal is a unicorn!? I thought it was a sheep…
• Edinburgh is pronounced Edinbvrrrg

The 3 days were spent on A BUNCH of sightseeing and being cultural – of course while recharging every 2 hours with crazy delicious food(!). (however, less impressed by their national dish, but i’ll come back to that)

Cool sights in Edinburgh:

• Edinburgh Castle (great view – however, it costs 17 GBP to get inside and there are many tourists. We skipped going inside)
• Calton Hill (close to the big shopping street Princess Street – a hill with monuments such as the National Monument. The view from here is beautiful, and it’s possible just to chill on the grass with a cup of coffee from the hill-truck)
• Arthurs Seat (especially if the weather is nice you HAVE to visit this big hill – it’s the highest spot in Edinburgh and it takes approximately 40 min to get all the way to the top. The hill is full of yellow bushes, which spread a sweet smell on the walk – the view here is stunning. PS. don’t wear leather boots)
• Greyfriars Kirkyard close to Grassmarket (amongst the most famous cemeteries in Scotland, where many interesting people are buried. The cemetery stile is so gothic, scary and cool, and you’ll experience a big Harry Potter vibe, as J.K. Rowling got a lot of inspiration from walking here)
• The National Museum (free entry and everything about Scotland from fashion to transportation to communication etc.)
• Royal Botanic Garden (free entry and a big, beautiful garden for taking a long walk and a scone!)

To be continued with recommendations for where and what to eat in Edinburgh (best for last, of course) …