Day 6: Edinburgh – I couldn’t find a slogan, but the city is incredible

What happens when you expect something from a city and it shows itself in completely different colours? Initially, we were considering where to spend more time – Glasgow or Edinburgh. Nitin was pressing for Edinburgh and I was bent towards Glasgow. At the end, I won by paraphrasing an unofficial quote that goes “you’ll have more fun at a Glasgow funeral than an Edinburgh wedding.”

Reaching Edinburgh, the city throws you a pleasant surprise – the medieval old town contrasts beautifully with the modern part of Edinburgh. The town centre is compact and everything reachable by foot but it seems more touristic compared to Glasgow. The hilly city is filled with monuments, castles, gardens and palaces. The Royal Mile or the High Street has everything a true-blood tourist is looking for.

Scotland hasn’t let us down on the food front and Edinburgh has its own share of “well tidy scran” (here’s our quiz of the day) and you can literally take your pick. The Rose street is lined with pubs, bars, delis and restaurants. Craft beers, Indian Pale Ales, single malts and gins abound. Dishoom (the Indian-Irani café) has a branch at St. Andrews square and maintains the same quality as in London.

The Duke of Wellington (yes, the same one in Waterloo and India) is commemorated in both here and Glasgow but with a difference. Edinburgh has a respectful statue of the Iron Duke sitting atop his favourite horse, Copenhagen, stoically awaiting the enemy to descend from the North Bridge. A seagull seems to be perched on his head permanently thus requiring a regular clean and shine. The Glaswegians seem to be lighter hearted in the fact that the statue of the Duke always has a traffic cone on his head. Sometimes, the horse on which Wellington is sitting has a cone on his head too. It is also claimed to represent the humour of the Glaswegians. Or maybe it is to protect the head and shoulders from the seagulls. Whatever the explanation (there are several), it has become an iconic image in Glasgow.

There are too many statues and monuments around Edinburgh to be listed here but another interesting one is that of a dog. The story goes that Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier who became famous in 19th-century Edinburgh for spending fourteen years guarding the grave of his owner until he himself died on 14 January 1872. One more interesting fact: The Edinburgh castle is built upon an extinct volcano.

Half a day and one night doesn’t do justice to Edinburgh and we learned that it is difficult to choose between Glasgow and Edinburgh. But just follow your heart and save the rest for another time and another adventure.

And then it is time to take the train back to London. This time the route follows the north east coastal route with the London and North-Eastern Railway (LNER). And this time, we are expecting a repeat of the excellent service we got on the way to Scotland!