Atop Calton Hill | Edinburgh.

East of Edinburgh's New Town, Calton Hill was my favourite spot to take in view of the city. Walking around the perimeter, you have a perfect panorama of Arthur's Seat, Holyroodhouse Palace, the sea, Edinburgh Castle, and all of the winding streets below. The hill hosts an art gallery and cafe, multiple monuments, plenty of green space to sit and relax and trails to explore.

Looking north towards the Firth of Forth (say that five times fast).

Working my way clockwise around the hill, I stumbled upon a perfect view of Holyroodhouse Palace from above with Holyrood Park and Arthur's Seat looming in the distance.

On the left is the Nelson Monument, commemorating Admiral Nelson's death and victory over the French and Spanish in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. To the right, the National Monument of Scotland, intended to celebrate the soldiers and sailors from the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s, but ran out of funding and became an incomplete parthenon. It's very odd looking juxtaposed against the rest of the city, ancient Greek-looking architecture planted high in the capital of Scotland.

Swedish Treats + Flying Golf Balls | Edinburgh.

Near the University of Edinburgh is the Meadows, a massive green space filled with happy dogs, cyclists, casual games of football/soccer, and picnicking students popping champagne to celebrate the end of their exams. 

I kicked my day off at Peter's Yard, a Swedish bakeshop with the minimalist interior to match. With the menu in Swedish, I pointed to a cinnamon-y, sugar-y looking pastry and was not disappointed. It was basically a thick cinnamon bun that was donned with hail-stone sized sugar crystals in lieu of icing. 

In an effort to walk off the undisclosed amount of calories I had for breakfast, I strolled through the Meadows and onward through George Square on campus and circling back west to Bruntsfield Links. 

The earliest recorded game of modern golf dates back to the 15th century in Scotland, making it the home of the sport. The country has over 578 courses including the famous Old Course in St. Andrews, one of the oldest courses in the world and host for the 2015 Open coming up in July.

Walking from the Meadows, I hadn't even realised that I had walked straight onto a park-golf-course hybrid until a ball rolled past the tree that I had parked my back on and I realised people were swinging clubs left and right. The recreation area is owned by the Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, founded in 1761. This specific park has 36 holes and seems like a perfect way to spend the afternoon or even a date, if golfs your thing. 

Only in Scotland, amirite?

Potter Pilgrimage to The Elephant House.

One of the most famous spots for Potterheads to see while in Edinburgh and a natural "must do" during my visit is grabbing a bite to eat or a cup of coffee at the Elephant House. Elephants are my favourite animal, Harry Potter is my favourite...everything, and coffee is also a favourite - it drew me in like a magnet. 

J.K. Rowling wrote much of the early books sitting at this cafe near Greyfriar's Kirk, and has been since coined "the Birthplace of Harry Potter". Check out this early interview with Jo at the cafe here, where she is gobsmacked at the fact that she's sold 30,000 copies in the U.K. and discusses how she's in the process of writing "number three" (Prisoner of Azkaban)

Interviewer: "Do you think there will be more Harry Potters?"

Rowling: "I know there will be." *sneaky Jo smile*

While my breakfast wasn't necessarily anything to write home about, I do love Scottish shortbread biscuits a whole lot, and the elephant shape was adorable.

The best bit about the whole cafe is definitely the bathrooms. Fans have taken sharpies to the walls, mirrors, doors, and just about any free space they can find to leave messages for Jo. I spent a little too long in here, reading as much as I could and snapping photos of my favourite ones.

Holyroodhouse Palace + Arthur's Seat | Edinburgh.

Holyrood Park and Arthur's Seat is impossible to miss from wherever you look in Edinburgh. Similar to the rock that hosts Edinburgh Castle, the peak is made up of an extinct volcano, about 350 million years old. A round trip hike up the mountain will be about 4 hours, depending which route you take and how long you spend at the top taking in the insane views. 

Still laughing at Scottish weather. If you aren't enjoying it, just wait a few minutes and it'll change ^ v

Although you can get access to Holyrood Park from just about any side - from Edinburgh Castle, stroll eastbound down the Royal Mile. Before heading up the mountain, stop by Holyroodhouse Palace, sitting at the opposite side of the castle. Home to the Queen during the first week of summer, the palace you see dates back to the 1600s although it used to be the spot of Holyrood Abbey established in 1128. Some of the ruins of the abbey remain alongside the palace. Although it's usually open for visitors, it was closed when I was there because the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland was staying there. I'm not sure if he could have a longer title.

Caddy corner to the palace and alongside a road leading you towards Holyrood Park is the Scottish Parliament Building...which did not look like I expected it to. So funky and modern, like a spaceship.

Arthur's Seat is named so because it's one of the possible locations of Camelot, King Arthur's legendary and mysterious castle. The park is 650 acres, and hosts lochs, ruins, glens, crags, trails, and plenty of wildlife.

I didn't make the trek up Arthur's Seat for the sake of time, and my legs were still wobbling from exploring the Highlands for 12 hours the day before. I walked around part of the perimeter of the park and climbed up a few less intimidating hills that gave me some nice views and played "spot the tiny human".

Gardens, Trains, and the Deathly Hallows | Edinburgh.

Despite a few downpours accompanied by freezing wind, I was pretty fortunate to have some rare Scottish sunshine while in Edinburgh. Squeezed between the towering Edinburgh Castle and Calton Hill lies Princes Street Gardens and Waverley train station, where Edinburgh's "new town" begins. On the north side of the park boasts high street shops including familiar faces like Topshop and Barbour. I really wish I could justify owning a Barbour jacket, paired with a shotgun, wellies, and some floppy eared springer spaniels running amok in the green hills. I can dream, okay?

Waverley is the main train station in the city, with routes going all the way to Inverness, Plymouth, London, Bristol, and many more across the U.K.

Walking along Princes Street towards Calton Hill, you pass the Balmoral Hotel, one of the most luxurious places to stay in Edinburgh, rooms running at about £500 per night. Most importantly (to me, anyway), this is where J.K. Rowling finished 17 years of writing Harry Potter with the Deathly Hallows - see the clip of that here, starting at 15:48. You can even stay in this "J.K. Rowling Suite" for £1,000 a night - the room contains her writing desk, a bust of Hermes that she signed, and the door knocker was switched to an owl in her honour. It's probably my biggest dream in life to stay a night here and have a straight up sleepover with my best friends and sister, having a Harry Potter marathon - duh.