In the continuing theme of "wow, the UK is a lot bigger than we expected," we booked a "short" train ride from London to Edinburgh, with the intention of spending the full day there before heading to our last stop, Glasgow.
In hindsight, the three hour train ride was rather short, but at the time it felt like the absolute longest any human could expect to be on a train. It likely didn't help that our assigned seats surrounded a shared table with other travelers, and I did not feel like being social. This was likely due to the lack of coffee, which itself was a side effect of being unwilling to get up from my seat to find the cafe car. I suppose, at the time, I did not fully realize that trains did not operate under the same "please remain seated" principles that governed air travel.
A note for those unfamiliar: most train stations have a way to deposit your luggage for safe keeping upon arrival. In Edinburgh, there is a small station where, for a small fee, luggage is kept safe for you so you can wander the city, unencumbered.
Edinburgh is an absolutely magical city, and if there's only one place you visit in the entirety of the United Kingdom, Edinburgh should be it.
We knew this would have to be a quick stop, as our accommodations for the night were at the "neighboring" city of Glasgow (an hour away by rail).
The Castle
There isn't much to say about the castle, except that it is massive and wandering around it might be the single more exhausting thing I had done at this point in my life.
The interior of the castle is a museum, with lots of rooms to explore.
The City
Sadly, there was very little time to explore this bustling city beyond the Royal Mile.
The streets were very crowded. There was either a festival happening or about to happen, which might have been part of our reason for not staying in Edinburgh that night.
With exhaustion setting in, we looked to secure ourselves a meal for the afternoon. Having been turned away at several places, we finally found a lovely little tavern where we could finally steal a taste of the very thing we came here for.
Haggis
There isn't much to say about it except that it is remarkably good. It has an almost buttery flavor to it, with a pleasant, hearty (literally) texture. In the US you can find it, as cans, in many import stores, but I will tell you now that it isn't the same product. This isn't hyperbole, either – the authentic Scottish haggis recipe has ingredients that can't be sold in the US, so the canned version is a different product altogether. That is all to say, if you are in Scotland then you simply must try the haggis!
