KC Travels Part Two: Edinburgh, Scotland

I hope yall are having as much fun reading my travel posts as I am walking down memory lane to make them! I initially planned to make one big post for my trip to Scotland, but after I starting going through my photos, I realized there was no way I was squeezing such an amazing trip into just one post. So instead I’ll be breaking it up into several, including some portraits I did while I was there as well as lots of photos from our adventures. If you don’t know me personally, I should probably go ahead and tell you I am fully obsessed with Scotland. Like…of all the places in the world, it is my most favorite place. And I’ll never forget the day my friend Ashley texted me that there was a photography workshop in Scotland she wanted to go to. I ran into the gym bathroom where I could have some quiet, and I signed up RIGHT THEN. No joke– I didn’t even have a second thought! It wound up being a big group of us photographers and their families who all went together. I went solo, but was basically an adopted member of my friend Mandy Owens’s family the whole time I was there. She and her husband Steve, along with their two kids, let me tag along everywhere we went. We stayed in a beautiful manor house in Arbroath but we put some serious miles on our rental car, including driving literally all day up to the Scottish highlands. Next week I’ll be sharing some portraits I did for my friends Kristi and Ray there on the Isle of Skye, but this week we’ll tackle Edinburgh.My first views of Scotland came through the windows of a train that departed from King’s Cross Station in London. We saw rolling countryside with the cutest cottages dotting the landscape, the North Sea and its little lighthouses, and quaint towns with terrace houses packed shoulder to shoulder. Then, we saw Edinburgh. That’s EDIN-burrough, not Edin-BURG by the way– and don’t let the locals catch you saying otherwise! After our train arrived in the station, we made our way over to get our rental car. In the UK, the steering wheel is on the right side of the car and you drive on the left hand side of the road. There are also very few stop signs, as they mainly use roundabouts (which I personally like) at intersections. You would think that coming from another country where everything is backwards to this, they might have a little test track for you to get a feel for it But NOPE. Instead you sign the forms, they hand you the keys and you’re on your own in the second largest city in the country! Luckily, Steve took care of the driving and had no problems, but I can’t imagine I would’ve done quite as well. The house we stayed in was about two hours from Edinburgh, but we did lots of sightseeing there. We planned to check out Glasgow but unfortunately couldn’t fit it into our schedule, so it’s on the bucket list for next time! My first tip for visiting Edinburgh is to walk the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile runs through Old Town up to Edinburgh Castle and is filled with amazing shops, beautiful architecture and of course– bagpipers and guys dressed up like Braveheart. One of my favorite features in all the cities we visited in the UK were the amazing window boxes and hanging planters full of flowers. I am obsessed with gardening and only wish I could grow plants as beautiful as the ones I saw on this trip. I think I was in such a daze that I completely forgot to take photos, but we ate lunch at The Elephant House, a cute cafe with the most spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle from the back windows. Its said that JK Rowling would come to the cafe while working on Harry Potter, and Edinburgh Castle served as the inspiration for Hogwarts. If you look closely at the image below, you’ll see the toe of the statue is shiny where the patina has rubbed off. That’s because it’s tradition that rubbing the toe will bring you good luck! The statue is of Scottish philosopher David Hume, who ironically hated superstition. In the background and the next photos, you’ll see St Giles’ Cathedral which was built between the 14th and 16th centuries. I’ll never get over the fact that you can walk just about anywhere in Scotland and casually stroll by a structure that’s well over 500 years old. One of the best decisions we made when planning our trip was to purchase a castle pass which gave us access to beautiful castles and other historic sites throughout the country for a flat fee. We saw castles throughout Scotland, but Edinburgh Castle is one of the most striking. It overlooks the city from atop Castle Rock, 260 feet above the city below. And yes, it totally gives me Game of Thrones vibes– can’t you just pictures dragons alighting from the towers of the castle?! The first royal residence was built on this spot in 1103 AD, and some structures from that time still stand. It’s absolutely crazy to touch a stone that’s 900 years old and think of all the history its seen over that time! The view from the castle is breathtaking, and I felt like I was living in a dream as I watched St Andrew’s Cross fly in the clouds above Edinburgh.

My friend Mandy and I are both history buffs, and she is firmly in team Mary Queen of Scots, while I love Elizabeth I, her arch enemy. Mary gave birth to her son James VI at Edinburgh Castle– the man who would become king following Elizabeth’s death in 1603. I highly recommend diving into the history of wherever you’re visiting, especially in countries like Scotland with such a long and rich history. Then when you read the plaques you’ll inevitably find peppered throughout the places you visit, you’ll be able to recognize names and events and piece things together. Obviously, some people just like to go on vacation and relax, but I prefer to really immerse myself and see and learn as much as possible while I’m there! I hope you’re enjoying my KC Travels series, but if you’re missing my portrait work you’ll enjoy next week, when I share some couple’s portraits from the stunning Isle of Skye.