Ah, it felt good to be back in Edinburgh! We decided to take advantage of the rare sunny Scottish weather and hike up Arther’s Seat, an ancient volcano. The tour book said the hike was moderate and would only take 30 minute. Note to self, never trust the tour book! The hike was more vigorous that we expected, but that may have been due to the fact that we went up the wrong side of the hill…regardless, the views were breathtaking!

Rumor had it that J.K. Rowling walked through a Scottish graveyard for character names so Ian and I walked around until we stumbled across Tom Riddle’s grave. We also found a plot with the family name Potter. Sadly, we didn’t see anyone named Harry buried there. Never the less, Edinburgh proved to been a great city for Harry Potter fans to wander about.

Between attending events during the Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival, Ian and I toured Holyrood Palace and the Edinburgh Castle. While the castle was visually stunning, I preferred our time at the palace. That may be due to the fact that apart from one other family, we were the only people on the tour! It was a unique experience to be alone in the palace learning about it’s rich history.

My favorite part about Holyrood Palace was the abbey. It is now in ruins, but you can still see its beauty. We toured the abbey at sunset, which flooded the space with a golden light. Ian and I sat under the archway taking it all in. Sadly, the palace was getting ready to close so we only had a few minutes to soak in it all in before we had to leave.

Check back tomorrow for photos from our trip to the Highlands!