Edinburgh is a very pretty city to walk through, especially when one is used to skyscrapers and modern glass buildings. The best part is that the city was made for walking, very easy to navigate and with wide pavements. There is a free tour offered in this city as well, and as this is my third free tour, I had to run up to the guide and ask with a cheesy smile if I could take a picture with the sign... so everyone knows what it looks like now :)

In previous centuries, this area was the city centre. Any criminal who was caught for petty crimes (E.g stealing) would have their ear nailed to the structure in the middle for 3 hours and have to shamefully stand there as everyone would walk past and rant at the person for doing such a sin.


This carpark that we were standing on used to be a graveyard. In fact, we were told that many areas of Edinburgh used to be graveyards and at least three layers of graves on top of one another, so it's literally hard to not walk over the dead... so we were given the advice to try take too much offense at it. The square represents the one body which still remains buried underground. This belonged to the deacon of the church next door who stated at his death that he wished to be buried right beside it, so they have honoured his wishes till now.


Ladies and Gentleman, this is not a heart nor a romantic spot. This has been dubbed as the dirtiest place in Edinburgh as this is like a spitting ground for the locals. If I remember correctly, that very spot was where taxes were collected before... and it was such a sore spot for the locals, that they will take any opportunity to spit on it. So DO NOT WALK on it at all... there were like 2 close times I nearly stepped on it and swerved just in time.... it's very misleading I assure you... and it's one of the ways you identify a local and a tourist... a tourist would unknowningly walk on it... a local wouldn't..

St Giles Cathedral... one of the few cathedrals in Edinburgh that actually still exist as a cathedral

That looks like a cathedral, but is actually the arts ticketing centre...

Writer's museum like Robert Burns and Walter Scott. Up till then, I have no idea that the new year eve's song that everyone sings (but no one knows the lyrics ) was actually written by Robert Burns... so yay to the Scottish for that classic contribution... video below:





This shop actually sells like swords, armour for people to take home... and has reportedly very good prices...


Pub area of the city. I like how the pubs all very interesting names and there is a story behind each pub. The red building is called the Last Drop, and is the pub that all criminals would go to have their last drink before they got beheaded... eew.. and cool at the same time. Maggie Dicksons Pub used to belong to a woman Maggie Dicksons who had been sentenced for a crime, killed, but miraculously survived... and could not be killed again because of the double jeopardy rule, so she opened up a bar right by the Last Drop... and would come out to encourage future criminals every execution on how they might survive like she did...

So these cages are here to protect the dead bodies from being dug up and sold for money, as it was a very lucrative business back then, digging up freshly buried bodies and selling them to the hospital (scientific research) for a profitable sum. If one was too poor to afford a cage, then they would keep like a two week vigilance as after 2 weeks, the body would have been too decomposed to have any value at all..

Grave of Greyfriar's Bobby, a dog which was the watchman's only company for many years. People actually bring like trinklets to his grave in remembrance of him... I spotted a goofy among others.. :P

Apparently, this graveyard is where JK Rowling got the inspiration for many of the names of her Harry Potter characters... Wililam McGonagall. Apparently... there is a TOM RIDDLE tombstone somewhere in the graveyard as well...

Coolest shop name ever..

Statue of Bobby!

Ta da! Harry Potter Fans, this is the cafe where JW Rowling wrote the first harry potter book. The back of the cafe overlooks Edinburgh castle, so many speculate that she was inspired by the castle in how she describes Hogwarts in the book. So there you go...


The oldest flower clock in the world.... This is what inspired Disneyland and others to have their own flower clock...

Best picture spot in the city. Fountain and the castle behind on the cliff... thanks to the guides for recommending that!

Walter Scott Monument... I think that there are like 122 steps all the way to the top (you have to pay) and supposedly provides one of the best views of the city, but looking down from the castle was good enough for me :)

Next post: Roslyn Chapel (Da Vinci Code) and Stirling Castle (Braveheart)