Edinburgh, Scotland's Capital

Edinburgh, Midlothian__Edinburghshire, Scotland Central & Stirling

Recommendation added: 14/04/2006 00:34
By: phoenix06 (YSUK rating +31)

phoenix06 has been thanked 2 times for this contribution

"It was my 18th birthday and my girlfriend wanted to do something extra special to celebrate so she booked up train tickets to take me to Edinburgh for the day. We set off at 8:00am and got the 8:45 train from Glasgow to Edinburgh. I hadn't taken a 'long distance' train journey for a while so wasn't sure whether to buy a magazine or not, surprisingly though we were there within 45 minutes so there had been no need!

When we arrived everything quickly felt very familiar to me as I'd spent a few days in the summer wandering along Princess Street, nothing special though, just doing a bit of shopping.

Kirsty had booked a nice restaurant for later on in the evening so we had brought a change of clothes with us (which I 'volunteered' to carry in a bag). Thankfully there was a left luggage facility at the Edinburgh Waverley station which we were keen to make use of.

We spent a couple of hours walking along Princess Street, going in and out the shops, going at a very leisurely pace. One shop in particular that I enjoyed visiting was Jenners Department Store. In the basement you'll find the toy dept where there are many toys, games, board games and even a giant Lego-man to browse through. There's also a food shop on the top floor where we loaded ourselves down with Edinburgh shortbread and other such like goods. Throughout the store there's also clothing, kitchenware, jewllery and perfumes (as you'd expect from any department store). It just feels so much classier looking at these things in Jenners' though.

We decided next to try out Edinburgh's version of TGI Fridays for some lunch. The Glasgow relative was a much visited dwelling for the two of us and I felt as though it would be somewhere we could trust. We weren't disappointed. With much the same incredibly fast service and great atmosphere, we were relieved to have picked this place to eat lunch. I think that TGI Fridays has the exact same menu up and down the UK, with the exact same recipes and pricing, maybe this is what makes it so appealing - that people know exactly what their options are going to be and what they can expect to be paying.

It was now about 3:30pm, with the night reservation having been made for 7:00pm and both our feet starting to ache with all the walking, we wanted to try something different that could only be done in Edinburgh. We went to the local tourist office and found a whole host of ideas in here. There were guided 'ghost' tours through the city, bus tours, Edinburgh Zoo…an endless list of possibilities. The problem was finding something that would take up the time till we'd need to go for our meal. Eventually the decision to go round the corner to Edinburgh Dungeon was made. We had leaflets which entitled us to £2 off the student price (picked up in the tourist office) so ended up paying approximately £7 each.

The tour lasted about 1 and ½ hours and was very exciting and worthwhile. All the actors were excellent, really engrossing you in the story they were trying to tell you. Some moments were very scary too and the setting assisted a lot in creating the feeling of suspense. When we were there a new 'ride' had just opened where you must get into a boat whilst you're told a history tale, I won't tell you what happens as it'll spoil the surprise, but let me assure you, this is really exciting and great fun. Nothing which happened at the Edinburgh Dungeon was unsuitable for children; it's all very light-hearted and really is dependent upon you as to how much you want to participate in the fun.

It was now time for my birthday meal. Kirsty had booked a place called 'The Witchery' where many famous celebrities such as Matt Groening, Pierce Brosnan and Jack Nicholson had dined. The restaurant was fantastic; everything about the place was incredible. From the paintings on the walls to the high-backed seats, the food to the service, I couldn't make a single complaint about it. For such a great place, right next to Edinburgh Castle, you'd expect it to be very costly. This was not the case however as we paid no more than we did in TGI Fridays that day for lunch. Both very different places. Both excellent in their own way.

What a day it was in Edinburgh, we went back to Glasgow feeling great about our time, having experienced so much and doing so many special things together. Everything about the day was terrific and comes fully recommended for a great day (and night) in Scotland's Capital City.

Information

TGI Fridays

Tel : 0131 226 6543
Post Code: EH2 3HT

Edinburgh Dungeon

Tel : 0131 241 1000
Prices : Adult £9.95, Student/Oap £8.95, Child £6.95 (online reductions)

The Witchery

Website: www.thewitchery.com"