Category: Scotland

Visit Glasgow’s dynamic city in less than 24 hours

Europe Glasgow Scotland United Kingdom

Visit Glasgow’s dynamic city in less than 24 hours

By

During my Erasmus in Edinburgh, I headed to Glasgow for a day to visit the rival city of my study area. It is true that one day is not much to visit a city, but it was enough to discover the charms of the industrial city.

So what to do in less than 24 hours for a short stopover in Glasgow?

The city is famous for its street art, its nightlife (although it has half as many pubs as Edinburgh) and its gastronomy – if you can call it Scottish gastronomy, but let’s be honest it was in Glasgow that I tasted the famous fried Mars – that chocolate bar from Mars that is fried in doughnut dough. Let’s just say I haven’t touched any Mars since, but it was a must-try!

… Continue reading
From Fife to Aberdeen: Escapades in the northeast of Scotland

Aberdeenshire Europe Fife Scotland United Kingdom

From Fife to Aberdeen: Escapades in the northeast of Scotland

By

The Scottish Highlands is the region not to be missed when visiting Scotland, yet another area whose landscapes and assets are to be valued is sometimes overlooked. During several trips from Edinburgh, I had the chance to discover picturesque and authentic places in the northeast of Scotland, such as Fife and Aberdeen districts. Places that deserve more exploration but which, without a car, are sometimes difficult to access.

So, instead, I set out to discover a few towns by means of a guided tour from Edinburgh and another day by train. A change of scenery from the beautiful capital.

… Continue reading
The complete guide to Edinburgh

Edinburgh Europe Scotland United Kingdom

The complete guide to Edinburgh

By

“There’s no leaving Edinburgh, No shifting it around: it stays with you, always.”

Alan Bold

With my eyes fixed on the gloomy sky that covers Lake Léman with an opaque mist, I see no ray of sunshine emerging from my balcony. I am simply reading but my thoughts are elsewhere. My heart too. I am nostalgic, happy to be back in my beloved Switzerland, but I can’t repress the tiny depression that hugged me when I returned at the beginning of the year 2020. It seems that students often feel this feeling when they return from a university exchange. I miss it, I miss my adventure, I miss my Scottish life, and above all I miss Edinburgh!

This state of mind doesn’t go away but, life goes on, you get used to it again, you start classes again. Then, Covid-19 takes over… It’s almost a year since I left for Edinburgh. But I look back and ask myself: How did this city manage to fascinate me so much, to give me an incredible feeling of freedom? Everyone is different and will experience the same thing in a totally distinct way, yet Edinburgh is worth visiting, worth living, and I will reveal its secrets in this article. This is the complete guide to discovering the Scottish capital.

… Continue reading
Visit through Edinburgh’s bookshops

Edinburgh Europe Scotland United Kingdom

Visit through Edinburgh’s bookshops

By

Edinburgh has seen the birth, growth and death of many writers and especially their greatest masterpieces. It is therefore not insignificant that the city was declared the first by UNESCO: City of Literature. A well-deserved title, since the city, arouses curiosity, that impalpable atmosphere that gives inspiration to the greatest writers. And host nowadays a dozen of Edinburgh’s bookshops.

It is true that culture, in all its forms, is present in Edinburgh, but literature is the one that stands out the most, or I would say that has touched me the most. My only desire is to return in August for the International Book Festival, which is one of the most famous in the world. And then, I discovered the history of these writers linked to the city but also to Scotland.

… Continue reading
The complete Harry Potter tour in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Europe Scotland United Kingdom

The complete Harry Potter tour in Edinburgh

By

Who doesn’t know Harry Potter? I may not be a fanatic, but it is a universe that is fundamentally rooted in my generation (I was born in the year the first book came out). And then, when I arrived in Edinburgh during my university exchange, I learned that the Scottish capital was the birthplace of the young wizard.

… Continue reading
Highland Games: an expression of the Scottish culture

Europe Perthshire Scotland United Kingdom

Highland Games: an expression of the Scottish culture

By

I have always wanted to attend the Olympics, indeed, as a huge sport lover (yes watching sport on television is a sport to me) being able to attend such a competition would be phenomenal. Then, two weeks before I left for Edinburgh, I discovered a documentary about the Highland Games. For twenty minutes or so, I was stunned on my sofa by what I was seeing on television – no, but who has the idea of taking a tree trunk and turning it into an event? I absolutely had to go and see it for real, but it quickly went off into a corner of my head with the last final touches before I left for my university exchange.

However, what was my surprise, when I saw the list of events for the university’s fresher’s week, to see a one-day expedition to the Pitlochry Highland Games. I could not resist the temptation.

… Continue reading