Last Lunch in Edinburgh at Eteaket

After a long hike to and from Arthur’s Seat, we gathered our things and checked out from the hostel to make our way back to London. In our last hours in the city, we decided to relax at Eteaket: a well-reviewed tea shop in New Town, Edinburgh.

Check out their Afternoon Tea Menu here

What We Ordered

Although this is a tea shop, Eteaket has an extensive lunch menu with plenty of soups, sandwiches, and salads. I always love an afternoon tea platter, but all of us were so hungry, we went for the more substantial foods on their menu.

Iced Chai Tea Latte

Rose Lemonade

Honey Roasted Ham and Scottish Cheddar Sandwich with a side of Salad

Soup of the Day with Bread and Butter

We could not resist some amazing cake!

Hazelnut Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Frosting

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Everything was absolutely delish and hit the perfect spot. I could not think of a better way to end our time in Edinburgh! Now time to return to London!

Hiking to the Peak of Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh

When in Edinburgh, you cannot miss Arthur’s Seat looming over the city. On our last day, we knew we had to make the climb. Do prepare some good walking shoes and comfortable clothes! It’s worth the trip!

Yours truly at the base of Arthur’s Seat

I feel that one of the things everyone must do when visiting a new city is seek out the best views! As the highest peak in Edinburgh, as well as perfectly sunny weather, I think we hit the jackpot (though my photos do not do it justice). We will be walking on trails that makes up part of Holyrood Park. Here is the Guardian’s article on the best way to explore the park.

Treacle Pudding (again!) at Mum’s Great Comfort Food

Not too long ago, I made a post about grabbing a meal at Mum’s Great Comfort Food. Afterwards, we tried their treacle and date pudding and it was the best dessert we ever had in this wonderful city! We loved it so much, we HAD TO go back and get some more on one of our last nights in Edinburgh!

Back again!

Yours truly who is extremely happy

This is all you need to find happiness in Edinburgh…

Just to show how great this was, we got TWO treacle and date puddings for the three of us. I never had treacle puddings before coming to Edinburgh and all I can think about was how this was not in my life until now. I still am not sure what is in treacle pudding, but I would not be surprised if there was some fairy dust or just a ton of sugar and butter (or a combination of the two).

YUM….

Hot melty sweet goodness…

Yum X2

Anjali and Asya

The plates are licked cleaned! Too good to leave anything to waste!

I could not think of a perfect way to end another perfect day in Edinburgh!

Dinner at Howies Restaurant by Calton Hill

After a long day exploring Edinburgh, we decided to duck into Howies Restaurant for a nice sit-down dinner of Scottish cuisine. It was one of the most reviewed TripAdvisor restaurants in Edinburgh so to us, it was worth a try. We wanted to sample as many dishes as possible, so we mainly ordered a variety of appetizers.

Menu

What We Ordered

Traditional Cullen Skink: smoked fish, leeks, potatoes & cream chowder served with Howies freshly made focaccia bread

The Traditional Cullen Skink was surprisingly good! From the description, we were not really sure what to expect but the waitress assured us that it was indeed delicious. We are glad we took her advice and think this is comparable, if not a better version of what we consider a New England Clam Chowder (Blasphemy! I know.).

Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties with Thyme Jus: haggis, turnips/carrots, and mashed potatoes

We couldn’t leave Scotland without trying haggis. Haggis has the reputation for being sketch since it is made with the internal organs of various livestock, but I assure you, it is delicious! There are so many spices that it really makes it great with toast. The Neeps and Tatties just make it all the better!

Calamari. Regardless where you are, you can’t go wrong with ordering delicious calamari. Don’t judge.

Pasta of the Day: macaroni in a salmon cream sauce topped with greens

While this does not seem very traditional, locally fished salmon is always an amazing catch!

Hot Toddy: traditional hot scotch with spices, lemon, and honey

To cap off our dinner, we asked the waitress to bring us a traditional Scottish drink that was not straight scotch. She brought me a Hot Toddy, which I did not realize was a common drink served during cold days. I was not a huge fan of the Hot Toddy since I am a weak sauce against scotch, but it they added more lemon and honey, I might have been able to take it.

Asya and Anjali

Overall, I think we all enjoyed the opportunity to sample a lot of traditional and local foods at Howies! It was definitely out of the comfort zone for some of us, but they were all delicious!

Lunch at Oink in Grassmarket

After sight-seeing around Edinburgh Castle, we headed over to Grassmarket to try a roasted pulled pork sandwich at Oink. This is one of the top-rated affordable eats in the city so this is definitely a must-try for student tourists!

Every morning, Oink roasts an entire pig and once the meat is gone, they close up shop for the rest of the day!

What We Ordered

The way to order at Oink is very simple:

• Choose one of three sizes (The Piglet, The Oink, and The Grunter) on a white or brown roll
• Pick a sauce: sage & onion, applesauce, cheese, chili relish
• And ask for toppings: haggis, crackling pork skin

This is a “piglet” pulled pork sandwich on a white roll with sage & onion sauce. It was delicious!

I think this pulled pork sandwich is exactly what we were looking for in Edinburgh. After eating at a lot of sit-in restaurants, sometimes it is very refreshing to finally find a cheap and good dive to just casually enjoy a meal.

Asya and Anjali at lunch

Paying with Scottish Currency (Scottish Pound)

An Epic Afternoon at Edinburgh Castle

When in Edinburgh, one MUST visit Edinburgh Castle. Perched at the highest peak of this small town, it looks like a postcard picture from a quintessential medieval village. On the way to the top, I passed by a man dressed as William Wallace portrayed by Mel Gibson in Braveheart (1995). To me, it was incredibly eerie since Scotland recently voted against Independence.

Yours Truly

Note: If you hover just long enough, you can catch a 15-minute free tour from the base of the castle.

To the right: Apparently this is the oldest existing church in Scotland

War Memorial dedicated to all Scots who fought wars at home and overseas.

The Exhibits in the Castle

Here lies Scottish treasures

Mary Queen of Scots speaker

Unicorns: The official animals of Scotland

The Stone of Destiny

Check out the Story of The Stone of Destiny! It was by far the most fascinating and entertaining story I heard in my entire time in Europe!

Views of Edinburgh from the Castle

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While the exhibits may seem very cheesy and poorly curated, I absolutely enjoyed my time visiting Edinburgh Castle. The views were incredible and now that I have seen the city, I can recognize most landmarks from the top! As a tourist, I would highly recommend visiting!

Brunch at TOAST in Marchmont

To start what is most likely going to be another long day packed with adventures, we chose to walk right around the corner from our hostel to TOAST in Marchmont, Edinburgh. TOAST serves excellent brunches and it is always good to make a reservation in advance to beat the long waiting times.

Just a cute local spot.

No breakfast is complete without a hot cup of coffee

What We Ordered

French Toast with Berry Compote and Creme Fraiche

Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon and Chive Oil

At the time we went, they had some of the best reviews on Tripadvisor so I was very surprised to see their reviews go down in recent months. I still think it was one of my favorite meals in Edinburgh.

Walking on a Ghost Tour of Edinburgh with Sandeman

After our fantastic tour with Sandeman this morning, we went back and signed up for their night tour exploring the city’s true stories of murder and mischief through the ages. This time, we had to pay somewhere around £8 (student rate) for a 2-hour tour. Once again, we find ourselves searching for the red umbrella!

Found them!

A start to another rainy night with Asya and Anjali!

Things are simply not what they seem in this Jekyll and Hyde city, famous for witch burning, grave robbing, body snatching, and mysterious murders. Behind, beneath and beyond the Royal Mile lie plundered tombs, funeral pyres, and mass graves from thousands of years of history. Expose Edinburgh’s dark side and relive the most evil tales from its past.

Feel the hair on the back of your neck stand on end as you explore gruesome graveyards and narrow alleyways hiding secrets from deep in Edinburgh’s dark history. Even the bravest soul will be shaken by spine-chilling, true stories of real life cannibals and vampires.

No fake stories, no men in wolf masks: Edinburgh’s true history is terrifying enough.”

– Sandeman’s Edinburgh website

Old Calton Cemetery

No ghost tour would be complete without walking through one of the oldest cemeteries in Edinburgh: Old Calton Cemetery.

This cemetery overcrowded long before there were asphalt roads in Edinburgh so when the city started work on building infrastructure, workers paved over many existing graves to make room for public projects. Today, there is a road separating two halves of the cemetery, which makes for interesting ghost stories.

Many Scottish men fought in the US Civil War. This statue is one of the world’s first Civil War memorials.

Edinburgh’s Ghost Stories

Throughout our walk, our lovely guide would jump right into some of the most gruesome and disturbing tales I ever heard. He talked of cannibalism, serial murderers, ghostly revenge, infanticide, and other cases of horrifying woe. I am one of those people who get very squeamish with horror films and gore. Standing in a cemetery while listening to these stories makes for great spine-tingling shivers.

I am slightly superstitious about death and ghost stories and find they still have power over me when I recount them to people. Below, you can find the list of ghost stories they cover on the tour and you may look them up to your heart’s content.

• Burke and Hare – the West Port Murderers
• Witch trials and the site of Witch Burnings
• Folklore and Faeries
• The bodysnatchers and living burials
• Edinburgh’s Cannibals and Vampires
• The Murder of Mary Queen of Scots’ lover
• Canongate Kirkyard and mausoleums
• The best view of the Old Town
• Arthur’s Seat and the mystery of the 17 doll coffins

 Views of Edinburgh from Holyrood Park

Although we are standing on top of a massive grave site, the views are still quite beautiful.

Edinburgh in the Dark

Our tour ended in the darkest of night, making our journey back to the hostel more eerie and spooky. The closes along the Royal Mile that once looked so whimsical to me now has a hint of danger after listening to 2 hours of ghost stories. I think we all really enjoyed this tour, but it will take me a little while to recover from that trauma.

A Walk Through the World of Harry Potter at Greyfriars Cemetery

Edinburgh is full of Harry Potter references and Greyfriars Cemetery is allegedly the place where J.K. Rowling got the inspiration to name a few of her characters. It is also believed that Greyfriars Cemetery inspired Godric’s Hollow graveyard where much of the major plot momentum takes place.

Godric’s Hollow Graveyard

Tom Riddle’s Grave

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!

Professor McGonagall and Mad Eye Moody

McGonagall

Moody

There’s allegedly a “Severus” and “Crookshanks” buried at the cemetery but I did not have the time to look through every single gravestone to find them.

Real Life School that Inspired Hogwarts

George Heriot’s School is located adjacent to Greyfriars Cemetery that was as a charitable school founded to educate gifted orphaned children (sounds vaguely familiar?). The class is separated into four houses whose colors are red, green, blue, and white which is very close to the four houses of Hogwarts. While all of this is conjecture, a lot of locals and book-lovers keep finding coincidental information like this around the city. Today, George Heriot’s School is a very prestigious and expensive private school in Edinburgh. It is believed that J.K Rowling enrolled her children there for a time after the success of her books.

Overall, this is a very cool place to visit, Harry Potter-fan or not. The cemetery is extremely quiet and old which makes for great reflective walks around the park! Apparate!

Views from the Rooftop of the National Museum of Scotland

In almost every single city I have visited over the last 6 months, I think it becomes a never-ending quest to find the best views. Today, Anjali took us to the rooftop of the National Museum of Scotland for what she felt are some of the best views of Edinburgh!

It reminds me of the the MET’s rooftop in NYC!

Not many people know about the museum’s rooftop terrace since you have to wind through multiple exhibits to find the only elevator that can take you to the right floor. But once you get there, the views are indeed quite amazing!

Yours truly

Edinburgh Castle

Arthur’s Seat

I am very short so it took some precarious climbing to get the best views of Arthur’s Seat and Edinburgh Castle. I do not recommend climbing over the benches since there’s a guard on patrol who would politely tell you to get down from your perch (oops!). If you are on the tall side, this is probably one of the best places to view the most famous landmarks of Edinburgh!