Scotland

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Night at the Museum: The National Museum of Scotland

Scotland is best known for many things, such as beautiful landscapes, castles, and producing the finest scotch whisky. But if you had to guess what was Scotland’s most visited attraction, what would you guess? Maybe the country’s stunning landscapes? Perhaps one of the country’s spectacular castles? Or possibly Loch Ness where “Nessie,” the infamous Loch Ness Monster, was allegedly sighted? Actually, it’s none of those answers; many would be surprised that the most visited attraction in Scotland is really the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

There are several reasons why the museum is the most visited attraction. For one thing (and maybe the biggest thing) is the museum is completely free! Yes, you read that right, FREE!! It’s funded through the lottery and donations, thus no charge is required. Any free activity is a good activity in my book!

Be sure to check out the second most visited attraction in Scotland: The Edinburgh Castle

Aside from being free of charge for admission, the National Museum of Scotland also houses an impressive collection of exhibits of numerous major subject matters, including biology, geology, astrology, fashion, technology, architecture, aviation, world history, arts, Scottish history, and much more! Even the museum itself has architectural and historical significance being over 230 years old! For all the museums I’ve visited, I don’t remember any of them covering such a broad range of topics so I am amazed at content the museum provides.

We visited the museum during the late afternoon, which was already getting dark by then, and the first exhibit we went into was the animal world exhibit, which was easily my favorite since I love animals. If anyone has seen the movie series, “Night at the Museum,” you may remember that there’s a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, named “Rexy,” that comes to life and acts like a dog. Well, when we walked into the exhibit, the first thing we came upon was a huge T-Rex skeleton. And for a moment I was hoping it’d come to life so I could play fetch with it (though there was that possibility of a not-so-fuzzy outcome either with a giant dinosaur skeleton with sharp teeth and claws).

Beyond the T-Rex were other dinosaur skeletons before it moves onto animals in more modern times. The exhibit covers many animals groups, from mammals to reptiles, herbivores to carnivores, land animals to marine animals, and just about everything in between. You can also find the famous sheep, “Dolly,” which was the first ever cloned mammal (though in another exhibit). If you like animals, this is the place to check out!

Like many large museums, you would need several visits to adequately go through all of the different exhibits. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that kind of time so we only spent a little over two hours until closing time. We mostly just walked through the museum to see what other exhibits had but didn’t stay too long in each one.

The only other exhibits we spent a bit more time were the technology and the Scotland history exhibits. The technology exhibit is really fun with many interactive pieces and displays ranging from planes, automobiles, locomotives, computers/phones, and other technological advances. I also liked the Scotland exhibits which go through the country’s history and has many historical artifacts on display, such as giant ceremonial swords and the “Maiden,” which is a guillotine used during executions.

So, if you’re looking for a fun and free activity to do in Scotland, be sure to make a visit to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Just don’t expect things to come to life like in the movies! Let us know what exhibit you would be excited to check out in the museum and be sure to visit their website for more information: http://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland/

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National Museum of Scotland

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Oh, For the Love of Whisky! Taste the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh

Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland

One of the first things I learned upon arriving in Scotland is the people love their whisky. Well, even that might be an understatement. I mean, they really, really looooove their whisky! Think I’m overstating it? Then head over to the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh for a comprehensive introduction of Scottish Whisky. You’ll find that crafting the finest whisky is an art form, a proud tradition, and a big part of the country’s identity. (Also, in Scotland, they spell it “whisky” and it’s a big deal to distinguish this from the “whiskey” spelling used elsewhere.)

Whisky not your thing? Be sure to check out where you can catch the best views of Edinburgh instead!

Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Scotch Whisky Experience is located towards the end of the “Royal Mile” in Old Town, Edinburgh, just before reaching the Edinburgh Castle. There are several tour packages available, starting from the basic Silver Tour and upwards to Gold, Platinum tours and the Taste of Scotland experience for Scottish Cuisine. My brother and I opted for the Silver Tour at £15.00 per adult, which included an interactive ride about how whisky is made, a presentation of different whisky, a taste test for a single whisky, and a visit to the world’s largest Scottish whisky collection.

The tour starts with starts with the 10-15 minute barrel ride (yes, you are riding in a barrel casket) that shows and explains the basic process of whisky production. At the end of it, you are whisked (not really that quickly, but just wanted to use the word) into a room with other tourists for a presentation of the different elements and types of whisky in the country. At the end of the presentation, you get to taste a whisky of your choosing, while the other tour packages will offer at least 4 single malt Scotch whiskies.


Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland

Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland

When the taste test concludes, you are then taken to view the most impressive part of the tour, The World’s Largest Collection of Scotch Whisky, and it is glorious! I’m not a whisky enthusiast but even I could appreciate the splendor of this beautiful display.

This collection was actually started by Claive Vidiz, a whisky connoisseur from Brazil, in the 1970s and took him 35 years to amass his collection before landing in its new home in Edinburgh in 2009. The bottles are now housed and perfectly lined up in a display room with another part of the collection in the bar area. In all, there are 3,384 bottles of whisky. Though I haven’t seen many whisky collections, I will venture to guess that it is the greatest display of whisky in the world. Some bottles are even over 100 years old! I’m sure many grown men and women have shed a tear and basked in its glory.

Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, ScotlandScotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland

The tour ends once you finish going through the collection but you can hang around the bar area to sample more whisky, which is exactly what we decided to do. Behind the bar is a pretty impressive selection of whiskies to try from and we asked the bartender to create us a sampler of his choosing. He was really knowledgeable in explaining each of the brands he poured us what I’d expect to taste and aromas I should detect, which is far more than I learned than any other time drinking whisky.

After enjoying our sampler, we finished up our visit by checking out the store. You’ll find a large selection of just about any whisky to purchase and just ask any of the sales associates for help on the brand recommendations to curb towards your tastes. If anything, you can at least see what incredibly expensive whisky looks like! On display (and for purchase) are several bottles of whisky with VERY high price tags, including a 1966 Dalmore for £18,500 and a 50-year Balvenie being sold for an astounding £27,500!!

WHAAAAT??? 27,500 POUNDS???

Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland So if you want to taste a bit of the heart of Scotland, try out a whisky tour at the Scotch Whisky Experience. You can find more information on their website: https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/

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Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland

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Edinburgh, Scotland from above – Arthur’s Seat & Edinburgh Castle

When my brother and I first arrived at the airport in Edinburgh, Scotland, we honestly didn’t have much of an idea of what we were going to do there. All I really knew about Scotland were beautiful landscapes (maybe Loch Ness?) and castles while my brother was on the search for Scottish whiskey. Either way, we were pretty much exploring on the fly with our Google searches of what to do in Edinburgh for the two days we were there.

We actually did explore quite a bit for our first day in the city and the highlights for me was climbing up to Arthur’s Seat and visiting Edinburgh Castle. Why? Because not only are they two historic places but they are two of the highest points in Edinburgh where you can get breathtaking views of the landscape, castle, and the surrounding city.

Arthur’s Seat, Holyrood Park

From the airport, the very first thing we decided to do was head to Holyrood Park since it was described to be famous within the city with lovely landscapes. What we didn’t really read over was there were these huge hills and cliffs that overlook the city that you had to hike to the top. Well, since we were already there on limited time, we decided that we might as well climb to the top to Arthur’s Seat. It was maybe a slightly poor decision to do this first given that I was sleepy from a red-eye flight and haven’t had any food in the early morning yet but in the end, it proved to be totally worth it.

Still, I didn’t really have any idea what kind of hike this would be and I wasn’t really prepared for a hike. It wasn’t an overly grueling hike but it did make me sweat and my legs were burning. The first part was mostly steps and there were a lot of them. We were going at a pretty good pace without much stopping, though we’d pause to admire the sweeping views of the city.

When you’re getting close to the top towards the end of the hike, the steps disappear and turn into a dirt trail and is a little more even level. It was a bit easier on the legs but the gusts of wind were furiously blowing at us, threatening to take any sweater or jacket if we didn’t secure them properly.

After about 45 minutes, we finally reached the top of Arthur’s Seat. You definitely feel like a bit of a king being on top of Edinburgh, especially when Arthur’s Seat is actually the tallest point in the entire city at 251 meters (823 feet) since there are no tall buildings. From here, you have 360° panoramic vision of the whole city and out to the ocean. The views are simply spectacular and breathtaking.

Arthur’s Seat
Top of Arthur’s Seat

We spent about 15 minutes on Arthur’s Seat before making our descent. While walking back down, we were getting a great view of a cliff-like landscape named Salisbury Crags. It really showed how massive this rock was and you can also climb towards the edge of this rock as well.

Salisbury Crags

Hiking to Arthur’s Seat is definitely a must-do activity during an Edinburgh visit, even if you’re sleepy and hungry to start the day. Once we eventually got our fill of food in us, we checked out the other high point in the city at Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle

Being only a mile away from Holyrood Park, you can see Edinburgh Castle pretty clearly from Arthur’s Seat. After all, the castle stands above just about everything else atop the Castle Rock. However, it’s nothing compared to seeing the castle up close instead of viewing it from afar.

There’s a reason why the Edinburgh Castle is the most recognized landmark in Scotland. The historic castle is truly massive, very much looking like a gigantic fortress and imposing its authority over the city. This makes the castle practically its national symbol and one of Scotland’s top tourist attractions with over 1.5 million visitors annually.

Normally, to enter the castle, it costs £16.50 for and adult and it’s a little less for concession (60+ years or unemployed) and kids. Luckily for us, we arrived in Scotland during the St. Andrew’s Day holiday (November 30th) and entry was free for us! For being hundreds of years old, the castle is incredibly well-maintained, although, throughout the years, various structures were built at different times. And if you plan your visit right, you may be able to see the castle fire off its cannon, which they do at 1:00 PM every day except Sundays.

Beyond the incredible interior is also getting to see the views of Edinburgh from the castle. Standing atop the Castle Rock at 130 meters (430 ft), you get a great vantage point of seeing the city and the cool architecture around the city. Even from the entrance is a beautiful view towards Old Town, Edinburgh, which is the oldest part of Edinburgh along with the castle.

So, if you want to check out two of the highest points (literally and figuratively), take a hike up to Arthur’s Seat and visit the Edinburgh Castle. Not only are they two of the biggest attractions in Edinburgh but they’re also two of the best places where you can enjoy some amazing views of the entire city. If you’ve been to Edinburgh, let us know what are some of your favorite viewing points!

Edinburgh, Scotland from above - Arthur's Seat & Edinburgh Castle

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Celebrating Winter Holiday, Christmas in Edinburgh & Paris

The winter holiday season may be over for 2016, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start planning for your 2017 winter holiday! Here is how Edinburgh and Paris celebrated their holiday season in 2016:

Scotland – “Edinburgh’s Christmas 2016”

Edinburgh started its Christmas celebration on November 18th and is still slated to run through January 7th, 2017. There are various locations where celebrations and activities are held.

At the Scott Monument on East Princes Street, you can find the European Christmas Market for a very festive shopping experience! As the name suggests, the market contains a large number of food, drink, arts, crafts, and cultural stands being represented by numerous countries. You’ll have no trouble chowing down on various delicacies, satisfying your sweet tooth with candies and chocolates, or keeping warm with some hearty hot wine!

The market also has a variety of rides, including the Big Wheel and the fairly intimidating Star Flyer that swings near Scott Monument (this is actually more terrifying than I had expected it to be)! There are also smaller rides, an ice skating rink, and other activities for kids and families.

Throughout other parts of the city, you’ll see brilliantly decorated lights and smaller markets. George Street features “The Street of Light,” a spectacular castle-shaped light display which has a dazzling light show with music.

Edinburgh makes sure that there is plenty to enjoy your holiday season there. How does Paris stack up against the competition?

France – Winter in Paris

Just when I thought I had my fill of Christmas Markets in Scotland and Belgium, Paris made sure I would never be satisfied! Many of the Christmas Markets this year started as early as November 11th and will continue through January 9th, 2017.

In the vast city of Paris are numerous Christmas Markets, with the largest or most prominent ones located on Champs-Élysées, La Défense, and the Eiffel Tower. Between the Christmas Markets at these three locations, there are approximately 600 stalls in total! In comparison, the main markets in Edinburgh and Brussels had 100 and 200 stalls, respectively.

We spent most of our time on the markets lined up on Champs-Élysées. The entire street is covered with Christmas lights and decorations while the sidewalks on each side of the street are set up with a total 200 stalls. Like the other markets, there is plenty to satisfy any craving or shopping need, and the shops remain open until as late as midnight, unlike other markets that usually closed around 9:00 PM. There are also many exhibits and play areas for kids, which includes an ice-skating rink, slides, animated displays.

Spending the holidays in Belgium, Scotland and France was a wonderfully festive experience and I am really looking forward to spending more winter holidays in other parts of Europe. Let us know where are your favorite places to celebrate the winter holidays!

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