Charles in Edinburgh
Last weekend, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to head to Edinburgh for a couple of days for work and also a little play! After a long but comfortable journey on the train we arrived at our hostel, Castle Rock, and crashed out for the night. Saturday morning we spent networking at an event and then we were free to explore.
The weather was on our side so we spent the afternoon meandering around the Royal Mile and taking in the sites at the castle. Of course we needed some refreshments so stopped off for a quick pint of Rosie's Pig cloudy cider (looks like wee, tastes great!) at the Jolly Judge. This place was recommended to us and doesn't get much more traditional. You'd never find it unless you were looking for it, tucked away in a court yard off the royal mile.
After putting our feet up for an hour or so back at the hostel, we headed back out for cocktails and dinner. Our first stop was at The Dome, this place is worth a visit just to see the decor. Its grand foyer hosts an impressive chandelier and the main room opens up to a glorious ceiling, hence where the place gets its name. We enjoyed a Gin Garden Martini whilst taking in the surroundings before heading to dinner.
We'd found a restaurant called Cafe Andaluz for some tapas and was not disappointed in our choice. The decor was very authentic and the food that followed was the same. We went for a sharing platter and stuffed ourselves over several dishes! My favourites were the chorizo, aubergine stuffed with cous cous and patatas bravos!
We followed the meal up with a few more G&T's at a bar called Copper Blossom. This has to be the cutest bar I've been too in a long time! Everything was very shabby chic and the DJ was blasting out the tunes for us to dance our tapas off!
On Sunday morning we headed out on the search for brunch. A few people had recommended Urban Angel to us so we thought we'd check it out. It was clearly a popular place to be as we had to wait around thirty minutes for a table but as the weather was so nice again we parked ourselves outside with a coffee and perused the menu.
We both opted for the harissa spiced haricot beans on toast with a poached egg, I added a side of avocado and bacon and Jess added extra tomatoes too. Can't you tell we were hungry! The smoothie menu was too good to pass by as well so I chose a 'recovery', which consisted of coconut water, berries, peanut butter and I switched the banana for chia seeds as I'm allergic (odd I know). It was so delicious and much needed after a few too many cocktails the night before.
We had a few hours to spare before catching our train back to London so took a stroll down to see the parliament building. Unfortunately, it was closed so we didn't get to see inside but the weather was too good anyway. After far too little sleep and seeing every corner of the city on foot, we parked outside on the green and took a little snooze and caught some of those much needed rays!
Edinburgh has to be one of the most beautiful cities I've visited, every cobbled street is lined with incredible architecture and some real hidden gems. I'll definitely be back to explore some more!