Here in Edinburgh...

“This is a city of shifting light, of changing skies, of sudden vistas. A city so beautiful it breaks the heart again and again.”

Alexander McCall Smith

They're from Glasgow, but still. This is a good song to listen to by a Scottish band while reading. 

Edinburgh is a place on this planet that seems to exist outside the normal flow of time. Though it has it's share of Kentucky Fried Chickens, Starbucks and even once held a Microsoft Corporate Office, it blends these reminders of the modern era seamlessly into it's beautiful foundation of weathered and moss-covered structures. Some of which have stood for nearly one thousand years. At the top of the Royal Mile sits Edinburgh Castle with it's many turrets and out-of-use moats. This structure seemingly has no place in a metropolitan area of today, and yet, there it stands both set apart in historical magnificence and blending in with the overall timbre of the city.

Parthenon? No. Unfinished awesomeness.

You may have noticed that I am a bit of a fan of architecture. It's shouldn't be surprising to you then, that every place we stop on this adventure, I am in awe of. Growing up in Chicago (home of some of the best cityscape architecture, covering a plethora of styles and eras), I was raised on the importance of being proud of the structures that raised well above my head as if in defiance of the skies. To see some of the monuments and testaments to human ingenuity in person solidifies my opinion of the best humanity has to offer. We can get shit done.

The Royal Mile from atop Nelson's Monument.

Edinburgh's Royal Mile at night.

We arrived in Edinburgh early on Monday after getting up at 3:30 a.m. and taking an hour long taxi ride to the smaller London-area airport (Gatwick). Though the plane ride was only an hour and a half, it was an exhausting trip and by the time we got to our hostel around 9:30, all we wanted to do was sleep. Again.

Thankfully, the check in time wasn't until 2 p.m., so we were forced to find something to do until that time. With so much beauty and not much energy to enjoy it, we found a nearby park and settled into a park bench. Princes Street Gardens is a former pond, drained and turned into parkland. Edinburgh is one of the most serene and peaceful major cities you will ever encounter. Perhaps it's the constant rain or the unending reminders of ancestry, but there seems to be an overall respect for the serenity of nature and the joys that come with it. As all my worries and pains began to be swept away with the gentle Forth breeze, my consciousness also began to be wicked away, rolling down the gentle, evergreen grass hill in front of me. Sun is rare in Edinburgh (so I'm told), so for us to fall asleep on a sun-drenched park bench as the most corpulent, white clouds you've ever seen raced across, low in the sky, felt like a tiny slice of heaven.

Vicky sketches one of her mind's many hilarious images in Princes Street Gardens.

Being the most walkable urban area I've ever witnessed is another striking feature of Edinburgh. In the four days we've been here so far, we have walked countless miles and have been astonished that we continue to run into something incredible. Whether it be a new pub, narrow, winding staircase/alleyway (they call them 'closes' here) between buildings, delectable eatery or simply a free walking tour of the city to join, Edinburgh never ceases to entertain, educate or amaze. This is, simply put, the most inspiring city I've ever had the pleasure of setting foot in.

Looking down the original inspiration for Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter series.

Edinburgh is not just a grand, inviting cityscape, either. Oh sure, it's got a great vibe during the day and a wonderful nightlife, but if you can get yourself to one of the many high roads here, you'll see that it is surrounded (closely, might I add) by natural beauty. Arthur's Seat. The Firth of Forth. Calton's Hill. Between the otherworldly cloud cover, the jovial stories of the locals and the rhythmic breathing of the city, being here is being witness to a constant glorious dance between tangible history and future inspiration.

Vicky basks in the magnificence that is Greyfriat's Kirkyard (cemetary).