Edinburgh

Marched my feet in Edinburgh in November 2024, I got super excited visiting Edinburgh this time (the first one didn't really pass the vibe due to the weather), and I got a good feeling about the second trip. 

Got the earliest bus from Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station and witnessed Edinburgh wake up as stores and cafes' luminous lights dimmed under the dusk. It's mesmerizing to see time shift by just looking at the sky. We visited the same cafe we first visited and ordered the same mocha and hash browns, salted and peppered with mayo on the side. It didn't drizzle that morning until we walked to the Scott Monument. 

The Scott Monument

She's standing peacefully side-by-side with the busy road and a calm Princess St. Garden, she dresses in a gothic style lavished by ruffles of velvety mossy green on her shady figures. Shielding Sir Walter Scott, who is sitting attentively, a pair of eyes observing everything that's happening in the street with its marbling skin. My friends and I just stared in awe and immensely captured every second of it (literally).

Sir Walter Scott Statue

We took a pathway down to the Princess St. Garden under the fringe of wilted leaves up above our heads and tall bushes piling each other. Just when I went further, I saw a chipmunk bouncing over a branch next to the Greenskeeper's Cottage. It was like a dreamland, the color grading, the air, the atmosphere, everything was like what I once saw in the book or in the movie back when I was younger. 

The Greenskeeper's Cottage

Oh, hello there castle~

I wonder how long since it first stood on that tall tall enormous rock?

Oh, he was built on Castle Rock in 1103—a formation created by a volcanic eruption several hundred million years ago—and has served as both a royal residence and a military base for centuries. This history makes the castle over 900 years old. (just googled)

Ross Fountain

We took a quick tour around the garden and spotted an eccentrically fashioned fountain. I asked her and Mrs. Ross said that her opulent turquoise gown was 155 years old and she'd been wearing it since. I could see that she fancies jewelry not only as a tiara but also embroidered on her gown. She giggled as I asked her how depressing it had been being stunning all those years and she told me how hard it was back in 2010 when she couldn't make it anymore and took a rest from it. She brightly told me how fascinating it is to be back 7 years later with a more appealing figure and perform such phenomenal artistry. 

I stood with astonishment at how long she took the deepest breath of her life to revive in her bestest version.

I continued my journey toward Queensferry Street and Lynedoch Place. Before getting there, passed somewhere near 2 Hope Street—just before a bus stop, close to The West End Brasserie. That’s when I noticed a young man with earphones plugged in, hopping off a bus in a rush. His long legs carried him effortlessly through the crowd, parting it as if the wind itself guided him—as if he was late for something. With his eyes locked on his phone, he tucked his YoungScot card into the small front pocket of his hoodie, seemingly unaware of his surroundings.

Then, I heard it—a muted tapping sound, like a flat object softly hitting the concrete steps. It was almost drowned out by the rhythm of Edinburgh’s fast-paced heartbeat, but I instinctively searched for the source. Amid the sea of moving feet, I spotted a small card getting stepped on. His card.

Without thinking, I picked it up and spun around to find him, but he was already gone. Scanning the crowd, I hoped to catch sight of him turning in another direction. And then, I saw him—still walking, still oblivious. I ran, trying to close the distance, calling out, though he couldn’t hear me with both senses blocked. One step for him was two for me.

Finally, I reached out and gave a light tug on the back of his hoodie. He stopped. Turning around, his expression lagged behind as if his brain was still catching up. I held out the card.

"Hey, sorry—this fell out of your pocket."

There was a brief pause before he noted my words. Then, a simple "thank you."

Too timid to linger, I gave a slight nod and walked away.

Got back with my friends and continued the journey to Dean Village, stopping for a minute to look at the straight street with a gothic building standing and looking out to us far away on the other side of the street. It was a cathedral, St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral. 

Greeted this big man with a yellow jumpsuit, and maroon colored buttoned with white pearl dahlia and yellow dahlia in his shoes just right before the viewpoint near the bridge. 

There were so many people in the Dean Village, especially on the bridge. We took photos there and continued to say hello to other explorations deeper. We had lunch there and explored the entire village. Because it's not big, it only cost us 90 minutes top. We parted crowds on the bridge and took as many pics in such scrunched time as possible. There is one man-made small waterfall, I believe, because the water flow seems too neat to be true. We took the steps under the greenery beside the river and just walked and walked, hit the steps up, and got to the very silent spot of the village. 

The Water of Leith  

We did eat our lunch in a small corner schoolyard. Just sit on the bench and eat the cold, cold food from our lunchbox. I swear to God I won't bring anything like rice or something like we do in Indonesia because it tastes so weird with the cold temperature, as if I'm eating straight from the fridge. I would probably buy fresh food next time or just bring something like bread, pastry, or sweet sandwich rather than savory meals. I finished it anyway because I had nothing for the day and hadn't eaten breakfast too (also I cooked it myself so I won't let that be wasted).

After that, we took the same road again to the mosque during Zuhur and Ashar prayers. Today, we went to Dar Al-Arqam Mosque because it's closer. Seeing so many random things on the way. Took pics together, talked a lot and there are stairs and stairs and another one. We took a breath in the mosque, waiting for the Ashr prayer, prayed, and hit the road again. 

We took an Uber to Portobello Beach for about 20 minutes. On the way there, many things greeted our journey like suburban housing and Arthur's Seat the popular guy in the city. Didn't get the chance to converse much with him, though. 

Portobello Beach

The coastal breeze reached us as soon as we stepped out of the Uber. I ran to the khaki granules of sand, and my shoes were wiggling over it. The horizon blended with the sea, painted with serenity color far away before my eyes. It's so much different than what I used to play with in Batam, there are no full-contrast saturated hues, it's all pitched in high brightness and low-saturated with specks of white brush strokes of clouds. We took photos, watching dogs running with their leashes whipped on the sands. and people sitting on benches around the small restaurants facing the beach. 

We walked again and stopped at the closed minimarket with a small pizzeria behind it. We bought each a slice of pizza and sat on the bench by the beach. The sky was painted with indigo colors and strokes of oranges in full contrast as the sun started to set deeper. It was so distinct...

After the pizza, we were stuffed and we went back to the city and took a quick stroll to Victoria Street. Here are some pic. We stopped at Alandas Gelato to catch some sweets. Then we sat near the entrance to Edinburgh University across the Princess St while waiting for our bus. 

This is now 2026, as I'm typing this. I don't know why it took me this long to continue this. I feel like I have to craft this perfectly to the point where I'm not even working on it anymore. And I found it such a hassle to look for pics and just scroll through soooo many old photos, edit them a little, and insert them here. 

Strangely, now that it's posted, I decided not to write more and just wrap it up here.