Designers, poets and bagpipes – out and about in Edinburgh

One of the most famous tourist destinations across the world is Scotland, known for its love for tradition such as the Highland games, bagpipes, Haggis (cuisine), kilts and whisky but also its warm hospitality of the citizens. It is also the home of many famous attractions including Edinburgh Castle, Loch Ness, and the Scottish Highlands.
For one week, our (PK course) had the opportunity to immerse ourselves into the vibrant culture, rich history, and stunning beauty of this country and went on an exciting adventure to Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh. During our trip, we had the chance to visit some of the most iconic landmarks and attractions in the city, as well as to venture out to explore the beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
After our flight from Dusseldorf to Edinburgh we settled at the a&o hostel in the heart of the city for the following days as we went out to start our thrilling adventure.
Our first stop on Monday was the famous Edinburgh Castle, which sits atop of a hill overlooking the city and is a must see attraction for anyone visiting the city as it offers everyone a breathtaking view from the top and its fascinating exhibits that showcase the castle’s loaded history including the Honours of Scotland, National War Memorial, Prison of War and the Stone of Scone. After that we visited the Scottish Parliament, where we explored the building by ourselves, through a quiz we could obtain stickers for finishing it.
The next day our group visited the National Museum of Scotland which left us in awe with its striking and vast collection of artifacts, from prehistoric fossils to modern art (e.g. a Mackintosh chair!), the museum had something for everyone and had a great way with its displays to mesmerize and make the learning experience about the country’s cultural and natural history for visitors engaging and fun. Later we went out for a little stroll to Calton Hill near the city that offered us a fantastic view and the contrast of the architectures between the old and new towns of Edinburgh. But we did not only get to experience the beautiful astonishing history first hand but also got to give ourselves a little break by walking down the Royal Mile. There we got to see multiple shops including the Harry Potter stores. Many fans were amazed by that sight and got to buy souvenirs.
On Wednesday our tour guide showed up and drove us across the Scottish Highlands while enthusiastically giving a little speech about the dark but also brave side of Scotland’s history. While passing through the landmarks we enjoyed the beauty of Loch Fyne and the small town of Inveraray first hand during our stops, which are surrounded by the breathtaking mountain range. Afterwards our tour the guide led us to Doune Castle, which was used as a filming location for the TV show „Outlander“. At our last stop we got to visit the Kelpies, two incredibly impressive and massive horse head statues of mythical horses representing Scottish folklore.
On our last day we visited the People’s Story and the Writers Museum, where we could read about the stories and daily struggles of the working class people of Edinburgh as well as some of the country’s most famous writers including Robert Burns, Robert Luis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott.
Finally we want to express our gratitude to all the wonderful people we met in Scotland and helped us on our journey. We also want to thank you for reading this and hope that you will visit Scotland yourself soon. It is an experience that simply cannot be expressed in words.