Our first full day in Edinburgh started off with breakfast at Deacons House Cafe. We later learned that Deacon Brodie who used to live in this house was a cabinet and key maker and he would also make copies of the keys he made to rob people. It was a cozy spot to have breakfast. I got a bagel with cream cheese and bacon while Scott and mom finally got their Full Scottish breakfasts.

Next we headed to the National Museum of Scotland. This is a beautiful museum with loads to see including Scottish history, art, and animal exhibits. We saw Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal. We went through several centuries of Scottish history and found what we had come for. My distant ancestor Alexander Peden has some artifacts in this museum. He was a rebel preacher in the 1600s after the English tried to make all Scots, who were at the time Presbyterian, turn to whatever the English king at the time decided their religion should be. He traveled around in this mask to avoid capture because he was a wanted man. Mom and I really enjoyed researching about family history for this trip so we could experience things like this.

We also looked at other exhibits before heading out. We walked to Victoria Street, famed as the inspiration for J.K. Rowling when she created Diagon Alley. Then we came to Grassmarket which was at one time a market for livestock and also a public execution spot. Thankfully no public executions take place today and there are just cute shops to see. We split up here with Scott going book shopping and Mom and I heading to Mary’s Milk Bar. We first had this gelato in 2016 and have been dreaming about it ever since. Homeade gelato in unique flavors is worth eating even in this freezing weather. I got a scoop of dark chocolate and a scoop of cinammon and coffee. So amazing!

Mom and I then made our way to Greyfriar’s Kirkyard making a few stops along the way to do some shopping. Greyfriar’s is famed for Greyfriar’s Bobby, a loyal little dog who stayed by his master even in death. There is even a Disney movie about him. This is also where J.K. Rowling walked to get inspiration for some of the names for her very famous book series. When we came in 2016 we found none of the famous names but now thanks to Google maps we were at least able to find Thomas Ridell’s grave, the inspiration for Tom Riddle. Some of these graves are older than the United States so it’s fascinating to walk around and absorb the history. The leaves are changing colors so we were also surrounded by beautiful yellow leaves.

Next Scott and I met up to go to the Museum of Magic and Witchcraft. It was a cute little museum showing the history of witchcraft in Scotland. They were third in the world of most witches tried and murdered. Unfortunately, most of those were probably complete misunderstandings as many women were accused of witchcraft when they had never done anything of the sort. Also there was a section of ways to keep witches out of your house which I noted almost seemed like witchcraft so what was the point? Very interesting to learn about anyway.

On to our next item on the agenda, the Department of Magic. This is a Harry Potter themed escape room where Scott, Mom, and I tried to keep the Dark Lord from returning. We were able to work through many of the puzzles and riddles but unfortunately were not successful. We still had so much fun though! After our defeat, we went to a pub called The Advocate for dinner. Mom and I had fish and chips and Scott got a steak pie. Fish and chips is a great love of mine and I will always get as much I can when in the UK.

After dinner Mom headed home while Scott and I did our own little pub crawl. We first went to The Frankenstein pub. It’s a 19th century church converted into a horror themed pub. Steam punk themed decor was everywhere and while we were having a pint the lights went dark. Next thing we know a door in the ceiling opened and a literal Frankenstein monster came out on a stretcher to everyone’s delight. It was very unexpected and exciting. Next we headed to the Banshee Labryrinth which is supposedly one of the most haunted pubs in the UK. We did not see any ghosts but saw some very interesting people. It was a cave-like atmosphere and very effective at giving a haunted appearance.

After the pubs we walked down to the Christmas market that is now open. We walked through stalls full of delicious foods and craft vendors and festive music. After walking through we decided it was time to head home.