Week 2 in Edinburgh!

Posted by Christina Rodriguez July 15, 2025

Week 2 in Edinburgh!

Hello again from Scotland! Week 2 in Edinburgh has been amazing with more exploration of this great city!

On Monday after class, I was able to live out my Harry Potter fangirl dreams when a group of us took an amazing Harry Potter Tour in Edinburgh! It was a lot of fun with the various trivia questions, little fun facts, and seeing the different places around the city where J.K. Rowling drew inspiration for the world of Hogwarts. A highlight of the tour for me was visiting Tom Riddle's grave!

Tuesday was a great day filled with laughter and dancing! Our entire class attended a traditional Scottish Ceilidh, which is a social gathering filled with traditional Scottish music and dancing! It was an amazing experience that allowed us to fully appreciate Scottish culture and traditions. Afterwards, we grabbed some ice cream and caught the lovely Edinburgh shining at night.

Thursday was a day full of activities! To begin our morning, we hiked up the beautiful Arthur's Seat. It is known to be a relatively moderate hike, with stunning views. Most people recommend it as a must-do if traveling in Edinburgh. Our tour guide was wonderful, taking us up an easier route whilst providing facts along the way. The view was absolutely gorgeous. You get amazing views of the whole city from up there. After that, we were able to take a palace tour of the beautiful Holyrood Palace. We got to learn all about Queen Mary of Scots and her lineage. We were also able to see the spot where supposedly, David Rizzio's body was left after he was stabbed multiple times. Truly fascinating to learn about Scotland's history.

Our weekend was spent wandering around Edinburgh, enjoying the city, souvenir shopping, and grabbing yet another wonderful matcha and/or coffee from Blank Street Coffee. Some highlights include exploring Dean's Village, Victoria Street for the Harry Potter-themed stores, and Clarinda's Tea Room on the Royal Mile!