The Adventures of Josip & Melanie

The highlands, whiskey, kilts and awesome accents can only mean one thing, a trip to beautiful Scotland. It is a place we have always wanted to visit and managed to find a weekend in June to go and see what it really has to offer. Scotland does have a lot to explore so we decided to go for a three day haggis bus tour to get out first taste.

The first day started off in Edinburgh as the tour was not due to start the following day. This was a day to see the nation’s capital and Scotland’s second largest city behind Glasgow at our own pace and leisure. Words cannot describe how gorgeous this place is. Imagine a bustling metropolis with all today’s modern amenities and then right in the middle of town there is a huge old castle, surrounded by green rolling hills and cliffs.

Edinburgh Castle is the most visited and popular tourist attraction in the country and dominates the city skyline. It is the venue for many events and festivals and does not disappoint. Unfortunately due to time constraints we were only able to admire the castle from a distance but I highly recommend a visit. For the first time ever Josip and I decided to do an open double Decker bus tours. We always prefer to walk and take in everything at our own pace. After the tour our opinion did not change. I still recommend you grab a map and do it yourself instead of a tour as for 15 pound it’s just not worth it.

We stayed at a hostel in the centre of town which had great access to all the main sites of the city. The royal mile is the name given to a specific succession of streets located in the Edinburgh ‘old town’. This particular part of town is full of tourists but it is just lovely to see all the old buildings and the cobblestone streets. Don’t let that deter you as Edinburgh has such a different feel to other Major cities such as London. The area is very lively and full of entertainers and buskers but it still has a relaxed and laid back atmosphere.

One day is really not enough to see this city properly. But we managed to fit in a few extra sites such as the Scott monument and the Cow exhibition. Believe it or not you can actually go up the Scott monument. It is a bit like the statue in Barcelona where we were not quite sure because it looked so narrow. But this time we did not make the claustrophobics’ nightmare journey up the tower. The monument is in honor of Scottish Author Sir Walter Scott and is 61.1 meters tall and requires you to walk up a very narrow spiral staircase.

The Cow Parade is probably not what you are thinking. It is part of the world’s largest public art exhibition and comprises of 100 life size decorated fiberglass cows, situated in the streets and parks of Edinburgh. The cows are then decorated by local artists and celebrities where they are later sold off for charity. There have been cow parades all over the world including Sydney.

If you decide to visit Scotland make sure you make your way to Edinburgh and remember that one day is not enough as there is so much more to see. Such as visiting the warren of hidden streets below the city where most people lived and died between the 17th and 19th Centaury. And you must not forget Arthur’s seat which is also formed from an extinct volcano and is a good one hour hike too some amazing views.

Next we are off to the Scottish highlands where there are many hairy coos (cows) and endless green scenery to take in. The weather is looking a bit gloomy but hopefully the sun will make a guest appearance as I heard the weather can be worse than London.