Postcard Journeys: Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Recently I visited the Scottish capital with my sister, and it's fair to say that Edinburgh has officially made it to the top of my favourite cities to visit in the UK. It really is breathtaking. I was in Edinburgh for 2 days, but that was plenty to be able to make the most out of the city. The people, the jovial spirit, the landscape, the free museums - Scotland never disappoints! When we arrived in Edinburgh, it had gone past 3:30pm and the sky was slowly changing into a burnt shade of orange. That didn't stop us from exploring Edinburgh though! We left our bags in the nearby Travelodge and made our way to see the city.

We first stopped by the Scott Monument - one of the most iconic Edinburgh landmarks. Dedicated to Sir Walter Scott, it is one of the largest monuments to a writer anywhere in the world. If you climb a narrow spiral staircase with 287 steps, you will reach the top of the monument where you will be rewarded with beautiful panoramic views of the city. After spending some time at the Scott Monument, it was beginning to get dark and we still had a few more spots to visit, so we headed over to the next spot on our itinerary - Armchair Books.

Edinburgh is home to hundreds of antique bookshops and Armchair Books was one that really stood out for us. As a passionate reader, I was hoping to find my next read in this bookshop. However, as soon as I stepped in, I found it nearly impossible to simply choose one book. There were so many books, SO SO MANY. After wandering around in the bookstore for what seemed like a very long time, I decided to take out 'The Book of Ichigo Ichie - The Art of Making the Most of Every Moment, the Japanese Way'. There was something about this book which caught my eye, possibly the simplicity of it, or even the abstract illustrations. Whatever it was, I was glad that I found this book.

Shortly after leaving the bookstore, we made our way to the National Museum of Scotland - a museum of Scottish history and culture. It was definitely worth our time, and it was quite therapeutic in the sense that we could simply admire paintings and sculptures - hundreds of years old - without having to think about work or uni or my endless to-do-lists! The atmosphere was tranquil and slow-paced, which contradicted the hustle and bustle of the city. Now, I'm not someone who's very fond of museums, but this one was special. The painting that you see below - 'Geisha Girl' is my favourite.

The rest of our evening in Edinburgh involved a lot more sightseeing, coffees, and trying a traditional millefeuille - an old-school French pasty. Our first day (well, half a day) in Edinburgh was spent well and we were looking forward to the second day of our journey.

Day 2 started off with the MOST DELICIOUS SCOTTISH BREAKFAST from The Edinburgh Larder. Honestly, it was the best. The Edinburgh Larder is a hidden gem and was only a 4 minute walk from our hotel. Soon after breakfast, we strolled down Victoria Street - the inspiration for Diagon Alley. My sister and myself are hardcore Harry Potter fans and it only made sense that we visit Victoria Street and pop into a shop solely dedicated for Harry Potter fans!

Although our time in Scotland was short, it was worth it. Edinburgh is so colourful and full of life. It really is the place to be if you want to make memories, have good food, and sight-see the most marvelous building and monuments. On our way back from Edinburgh, I began to read through the book that I had found the other day and I came across a thought - "Every moment in our life only happens once, and if we let it slip away, we lose it forever". This is an idea captured by the Japanese phrase 'Ichigo Ichie'. How true this was I thought! There were so many hurdles when initially planning our trip to Edinburgh - the journey was long and it was cold. Infact, freezing. There were so many reasons to cancel the plan and reschedule it for another day. But, I'm glad that I went and savoured every moment of our journey in Scotland.