So the school holidays have arrived which means only one thing, it’s time to get the travels underway once again. I was very excited to head off to Edinburgh for the weekend not only because it was a place I had never been and wanted to explore but also as I was going to be doing it with some of my favourite people who I hadn’t seen in a very long time. Who are they you may ask? I’ll tell you my friends from Erasmus Charley and Courtney who I don’t get to see very often as we live in separate countries. We planned this little trip away before Christmas so that we could meet up and actually see each other in person and not via a computer screen. So Friday afternoon after finishing school at 12pm I headed for the station to catch my flight at 6pm, I wasn’t wasting any time. After catching my connecting flight in London I eventually arrived in Edinburgh to Courtney running towards me, scaring me but in the best way. It was then that I found out that unfortunately Charley’s flight had been cancelled and she wasn’t going to make it which was a bit of a bummer as we all hadn’t been together in so long but that just means we will have to plan another trip soon. I picked up a pasta salad in M&S in the airport before we made our way to the Airbnb which was about a 15mins walk from the centre and was perfect. We spent the evening chatting and catching up before we headed to bed to get a good night sleep.

After an amazing night sleep we got up ready to explore Edinburgh. We decided to head out for brunch to set us up for the day and after some research on Instagram and blogs on where to go we set off. In the end were we had decided on going was full and there was a 45 minute wait which wouldn’t do for our stomachs so we headed back to restaurant we had seen on the way called The Refinery. The interior was amazing with tiled and wooden tables and little copper extras, it was definitely an Instagram dream.  We ordered a Hot Chocolate to heat us up after the brisk winds outside which was perfect. I ordered a sausage sandwich and Courtney had the eggs Benedict.  I have to say that the food was okay , we were starving and it was nice but it was not something that would have me running back for more but it was nice. After being fuelled up we headed towards the castle to have a look. It was beautiful seeing a view over the whole city of Edinburgh even if it was so windy we nearly blew away. We just walked around the outside of the castle as it was £16 to enter which was a bit steep. We headed down the cobbled Prince’s Street to have a look at the shops and head into a cathedral. At this point the wind had really picked up and it had also decided to start raining which was not the best. As the 6 Nations has begun and Ireland were playing we decided to find a nice warm place to watch the match and eat some food. We decided on a restaurant called Le Monde which was lovely.I had the mac & cheese with pesto and Courtney had a fish finger sandwich and then we also treated ourselves to a nice mocktail. The food and atmosphere was amazing and Ireland also won their match which was a bonus.

The weather had not gotten any better while we were eating and it was still freezing and wet which is not the best weather for exploring. We decided to get something for dinner to bring back to the apartment and then have a video call with Charley to catch up with her. Sunday was Courtney’s last day as she had to head back for work and I wasn’t heading home until Monday. We had the morning to explore so decided to hit up the gallery and museum. The national gallery didn’t really have too much to see so we made our way to the National Museum of Scotland which was amazing. It is so big that we din’t get to see it all so it means I will definitely have to make another trip to Edinburgh which I am not complaining about. I found that it was a little like the history and science museum in London, with exhibitions on animals, space and even fashion. Something for everyone and lots of interactive things to keep kids both small and large entertained. Then unfortunately it was time for Courtney to catch her train back home and it was time for us to say our goodbyes. We may not get to see each other as often as we would like but when we do it is always amazing. Once Courtney was safely I headed to have some lunch , I know eating again but when it’s cold and windy outside it has to be done. I headed to a bar called George IV Pub which was really cosy and did great food. I had the bangers and mash which was just gorgeous and also a hot chocolate. I spent about 2 hours just sitting eating and reading my book. Afterwards I was going to head out and do some more exploring but it had gotten darker, wetter and colder so I thought I would call it a night and head back to the apartment to relax in the warmth.

The weekend was amazing but all to short as I packed my bags to head back to France. The weather was not our friend for exploring a city but that only means that I will have to come back and see what else Edinburgh has to offer , hopefully when it is a little warmer. Despite the weather I had a great time and it was so lovely to see Courtney and catch up, it was a shame the Charley couldn’t make ( stupid cancelled flights) but we will all have another adventure together soon.

If you would like to see what I got up to while I was away, I also vlogged the trip which you can see here.

Emma

xx