Castle On The Hill…

Hi guys!

For a while I’ve been wanting to write a post about my beautiful (new) home, the city of Edinburgh, but if I am being honest I didn’t even know where to start. There is so much to do, see and visit that it seems almost impossible to put it into one post. But today I thought I’d give an insight into what you could do if you ever planned to visit the city- mainly the tourist-y things since I’m pretty new here myself!

For my birthday last year, my boyfriend bought us tickets to do the tour of Edinburgh Castle, which in my opinion is honestly the most breathtaking view in the whole of Edinburgh. If you book the tickets in advance online they cost around £16, and if you are coming in the summer I would definitely advise booking ahead as the castle is obviously very popular- I will leave the link below! As it’s a self guided tour you can take as long as you want walking around, and there is a little cafe inside if you choose to have lunch there too, or if you just fancy a sit down in the warm (it is Scotland, after all) with a cuppa. There is so much to learn about inside so if you’re a massive history geek (Scott) or just appreciate beautiful buildings (me) then it’s definitely something you’ll enjoy.

https://tickets.historic-scotland.gov.uk/webstore/shop/ViewItems.aspx?CG=TKTS&C=GA&_ga=1.18036601.1955771722.1488926101

Even if you’re not interested in exploring inside, I would still recommend walking up to the castle to see the views of Edinburgh from up there, as they are honestly extraordinary.

Another thing I would definitely suggest to anybody visiting Edinburgh is the dungeons! Now, I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to anything scary, but I had been so keen to do these ever since my first trip up in 2015. However, I actually never got the chance to do them until a few weeks ago! They ask you to turn your phones off so unfortunately I don’t have any photos from inside the dungeons except the ones we purchased afterwards, which I’ll insert below as they are guaranteed to make you giggle!! It’s not for the lighthearted, as it is verrrry dark down there and includes two rides, one of which is a very small drop ride (not gonna lie, I cried before the drop). Again, if you are a bit of a history geek it’s extremely interesting to learn about some of the gruesome past of Scotland, but even if you aren’t there to get educated it is a very enjoyable day out!

My most recent discovery was the National Museum of Scotland. I had to visit for a uni assignment, so my friends and I turned up thinking we could do it in an hour or so, as we only had to do the Scottish collection. Boy, were we wrong! The Scottish Collections alone are 6 floors, and the museum is so interactive that it’s impossible not to have a play around and read with everything you walk past. So, we decided to visit again a week later to spend the whole day exploring the museum at our own pace. I can honestly say it is so much fun, especially if you want to embrace your inner child (aka me and my friends) as there is so many activities and games to play! The best part of this is that the museum is FREE!!! As you can tell though, it is gigantic so this is the type of thing you need to set a whole day aside for.

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There is a lot more to the museum than the animal section I promise, it was just my favourite bit!

There’s plenty of other amazing things to do in Edinburgh, for example the zoo, climbing Arthurs seat etc, but these (for the moment) are my top 3 must do’s!

I hope this helps any of you who are contemplating a visit to Edinburgh, or convinces some of you who have maybe never considered it before!

Do any of you guys have anywhere in Edinburgh to recommend for my next day trip? Or is there anything you would like to know more about? Let me know in the comments!

Chlo X

Hello, it’s me..

Hiya fellow bloggers!

It’s been a while since I’ve sat down and wrote a blog post, but in my defence, I have been reaaaaaally busy these past few weeks! The last time I posted was just before I did the 5 hour drive (which, thanks to traffic turned into about 7) back to Edinburgh after spending Christmas in Wolverhampton with my family. Since then, I’ve been spending most of my time doing the reading that I was supposed to do over the holidays but didn’t (it was the holidays!!!) and catching up with friends.

I also haven’t had a clue what to post about. I would enjoy writing a post about Edinburgh as it’s a place I am beginning to call my ‘home’, and a place where I know a lot of people love to visit! But I would also loooove to tell you about my trip to Barcelona last summer, because having being twice previously, I saw the city in a completely different light to when I was younger and fell in love with it, and writing about it allows me to remember just how beautiful it is!

So, what would you prefer? Let me know!

My New Home ♥

It would be wrong for me to write my first blog post and not make it something that helps you get to know me better. In case you haven’t read my about me page yet- I’m Chlo, I’m 18, and I am a student at Edinburgh Napier University.

I’m not originally from Edinburgh, infact, I’m not from Scotland either. I was born and brought up in the West Midlands, living in the same house all my life until I was 16, before moving to the house next door. Yes, you read that right, my family and I went through the whole process of moving house to live next door to our old house! Bizarre, I know. Then, in September 2016, I packed my bags (I’m a typical girl and have a ridiculous amount of shoes, bags and coats so this actually required both mine and my parents cars to shift my stuff) and made the move to Edinburgh. I live in student accommodation in a flat with 7 other girls, and although there have been some obstacles along the way, including 2 flatmates moving out, various breakdowns and a very messy kitchen 24/7, I don’t regret a single minute, even if I do miss my family tonnes.

I mean, how could I possibly miss little old Wolverhampton when I get to live in the city that provides this beautiful view?!

Isn’t it just breathtaking?

I had always considered Edinburgh as a potential university, but perhaps the deciding factor was when I met my boyfriend. We have been together 2 years in just over 3 weeks (!!), and we did a year and a half of that long distance. When I say long distance, you have to account for the fact that until I turned 18 my parents were quite strict, so my poor boyfriend did all of the travelling for the first year of our relationship. However, I think I have made up for that by moving countries to be near him, don’t you?

Although my parents were strict a lot of the time, they are the best I could ask for and I had a very privileged upbringing. They liked to go on holiday at least once every year, and I think this is what has helped to develop my appreciation and love for travelling. I was lucky enough to visit some amazing places when I was younger, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

This leads me on to where I hope this blog is going to flourish- this years travels! I am so excited for what I have booked so far, which is Budapest in March, Orlando Florida in April, Portugal in May and Newcastle for a weekend in August! I hope to add to this list soon with perhaps weekends in Amsterdam, Torun and Chester, but I will keep you informed. Until then, I plan to share some of the wonderful places I had the chance to visit last year.

Hopefully I haven’t bored you too much, and you’ll want to read more about my adventures of 2016.

Thank you for reading,

Chlo ♥