The Best Hog Roast In The Town - Oink, Edinburgh

This little shop is on the Royal Mile. The sweet smell of the roast literally filled the nearby atmosphere. When spotted the shop, the very first sight that welcomed me was a full hog roasted and displayed near to the glass window. Just couldn't resist. 

Wanted to taste the roast anyway. Only question was the size. Finally picked up their Classic Hog Roast. He picked up a bun, tore it open and filled the pulled hog roast into it.

So what was in there? Yummly hog roast, served in a white roll with apple sauce and haggis.

Wanted to eat it slowly, enjoying each and every bite. But that wasn't the way it happened. Am a fast eater. When the food get tastier, it accelerates by 50%. The roll got over in no-time. 

Pretty sure that this shop is ultra famous around the place.

Walking And Exploring Like Never Before

From my experience, the places which the automobiles can’t take you, will have the most hidden surprises for a traveler. It will me more close to nature, serene and intact from the modern world. 

That’s one reason why we decided to explore Edinburgh on foot from the afternoon. The main areas where the vehicles could take us were covered in the morning on the sightseeing bus. No brainer, no surprises – we had a map the day before about the places and we knew what was expected out of the trip.

However the walk in the afternoon was a completely different treat. We took the ways as it went without much thinking involved. That was the beauty in itself. There was a person in the group who had an ultimate direction sense, which helped us to reach back to the station without getting lost. 

New city became old, concrete roads became cobblestoned pathways, tall structures turned into lush green tall trees and walkways became the waterfall sidewalks – a moment when mind announced a ‘Wow’ factor. 

I didn't get tired from the long walk. The heart took the control enjoy the beauty of the place and suppressed the body tiredness. 

That was a huge arch shaped bridge. I looked so tiny standing next to it.

This was a view from the bridge in the old town. Looked like the remains of an old fort gate or a watch tower, covered with lush green trees all around. I expected a river flowing down the bridge, but instead saw this beautiful structure and road.

Kind of an intersection. We took sometime to decide the directions to take further ahead of the road.

Fairs and events are very common in Edinburgh. Noticed this art fair going on in the old town.

Took a jogging path next, which took us alongside a waterfall. This I would say, was the interesting part of the walk.

It was a calm and ambient surrounding. Except the waterfall sound coming from a far distance, there was no other voice from the outer world penetrating this place.

Took a stop and enjoyed this waterfall for sometime. Beautiful!!!

This overhead bridge gave a wonderful view of the channel and the waterfall.

The Great Scottish Run Event

Just being a part of the crowd to cheer up the runners and to see their hard work paying off was a nice experience. Spent almost 4 hours around the event and walking alongside the track, which were the streets vacated exclusively for the marathon. Fun moments and meeting new people in the town.

Enjoying The Season Like A Kid

Autumn is coloring the whole nature. I wanted to grab each and every beautiful leaves and fill my suitcase. How wonderful the nature is and we are definitely blessed to live the day.

Arts, Comics and Weekend Markets

Arts season all over the place. Comic Con conference in Glasgow just got over. Still there are pieces of the events in Glasgow.

The plan was to visit the comic fair happening close by. Visited and learned about the comic world and pretty serious people in the related world. Crazy!

And strolled and tasted the local delicacies from the weekend market and couple of museums and some brain whip art moments.

The above pics shows the everlasting craziness of those who love the comic world. Pretty serious they were about the event.

Climbing Up The Arthur's Seat

Last time when I visited Edinburgh, couldn’t go to the Arthur’s Seat. While walking through the Royal Mile, noticed this dormant volcanic hill running along the right side of the castle. 

When Ani called in the morning I said, "I am hiking a hill today". "You do whatever you want, but please be careful" was her response.

That's where I want to go :)

This time I went to Edinburgh specifically to climb up this place. Had my bag packed with enough water and snacks. Hiking is something that I am not used to. And being a person with very less stamina capacity, I knew that the task isn’t an easy one. However, the view of Edinburgh from the highest point kept on calling for the hike.

Past the Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace, Holyrood Park, Queens Museum and the Parliament, the way took me towards the hill base. There was a huge crowd climbing up from all ages. Family, youngsters, middle aged and even old people with walking sticks climbing up, which gave me an enormous amount of confidence.

It looks easy from here. But climbing up is a different story.

There was a family with two little daughters in front of me. I could really understand looking at them was that the father was highly interested for the hike while mom wasn’t that much but she was with them being a good partner. The kids were enjoying the moments with their parents all the way up.

I went past them and had a moment of realization of the path ahead, after couple of miles. Stood there and glanced at the remaining portion of the climb which then an old lady on a solo mission, who was also going through the very same dilemma asked me “Long climb huh?”. “I guess” replied with a smile and we continued our journey.

Someone with the pet. The pet was enjoying the climb and was running around in circles all the time

The signs which were all over the place – ‘Beware of falling rocks’ – wasn’t much encouraging. I can’t look up and walk. If it falls, it falls, but I didn’t want that to be on my head. 

I made sure to keep a distance from the edge of the trail. It was frightening as I climbed up. However the view of the town was getting beautiful. My eye was turning into a wide angle lens. It was so beautiful by the time I reached the top. 

View of the Edinburgh Castle from the hill.

The town, the palaces, tiny moving people, vehicles, green meadows and the sea, the ships – that was an amazing view that I enjoyed from the top.

View of the town was amazing from the height. 

Half way down, I took a small deviation and climbed up a rock to capture a time-lapse video. These videos will make us to sit at one place for hours. So I spent few hours gazing at the wonderful landscape that was right in front.

North Sea became visible from here.

The cold wind was quite refreshing. As it was unusual to see people sitting and staring at the views alongside the climb (that too in the sunlight), I was getting pretty much the same curious stares from the hikers.

The old picturesque town and treat for the eyes

The colour combinations of the buildings makes the city look beautiful from distance. It was like watching a painting. This is where the narrow line between me and an art lover co-exist.

Holyrood Palace and the premises

I photographed the Holyrood palace from the front gate. Going into the palace premises needed an admission ticket and that not being my priority, the plan was kept aside. But little I knew that there was a breathtaking view of the palace waiting for me. And the palace looked beautiful.

If you are ever in Edinburgh, please do not miss this hike. You might be missing a piece of solitude from your entire visit to this place.

Below is a tiny video that I shot during the hike and the train journey back home.

Does Travel Change Something?

I like my own moments of serenity. And I like it a lot. With an exception that Ani and the dear ones being provided with the ultimate override access, they can come in and take me to their world anytime. 

But during the solo business trips, this would be the best moments I enjoy during the day or on the weekends. Back in the hotel or the apartment, I like to gaze at the streets, just watching the movements out there for some time.

And I strongly agree to the fact that the mind of a men can go blank. A cache clear moment is truly recommended if you can do so. And I like those moments. I have found myself lost in the parks, railway stations, official meetings (:D) – no regrets.

Travel actually doesn’t change anything. It is just that you still think about the very same things at a different location with some changes to the routine. But thoughts, likes, worries, hope - life is the exact same thing wherever you go in the world. At the end of the day, the life is where our heart is.

When we have something in abundance, we tend to lose its value. That is why travel seems to be more exciting than the daily routine life. But when you travel enough, you will want to have the life back.  

Autumnal Equinox - The What?

I started my day staring at this +Google logo and trying to understand what the term meant.

After reading about it for quite long time, got bored with the geographical descriptions and explanations. The fact is simple: Winter is coming. 

Then I realized that my camera picked up the signs during the last weekend walk. The trees are changing the colors. And the entire park looked beautiful.

I picked up these two leaves and arranged them to click this picture. I might be looking silly, but I believe photography is all about thinking simple.

The transformation of the nature is in progress. Half way through...

Nature is a wonderful work of God. The whole mix and match of colors, they are so captivating.

Why To Visit George Square Every Weekend?

Another weekend is getting over. I took a 3 hour walk through the places that I never explored before.

Every weekend morning is a new day of exploration and learning. But I always take a walk towards the George Square without fail, before heading anywhere else. This place is kind of heart to Glasgow and something or the other event will be happening at this place for sure.

Last week it was a huge gathering of people to show solidarity towards the refugees from Syria. Almost everyone had a flag or a pluck card with them which had touching messages and images. 

One of the pictures, the 3 year Syrian toddler lying dead on the beach made me to cry inside. It gave me an excruciating dream on the same night. Sometimes, those images shows us how blessed we are than we believe. Frankly speaking, I don't want to discuss about that picture anymore.

This week, I believe it was something related to the Scotland Independence. Even though I didn't understand the entire idea about this campaign, the beautiful flags and the enthusiasm of the people around kick started my photographic interest which made me to create this short video. 

Every exploration is a revelation about this beautiful world that I live in. People might look different outside in various aspects, but when it comes to the inner being, everyone is the same. We are one world.

The Fringe Festival - The Art Lover's Heaven

August - time for the famous Fringe Festival. First time when I heard this, I didn't have any clue about it as usual. Then went on searching to find about the same.

What is this all about?

• Largest art festival in the world
• Talented artists from the big names to the unknowns
• Which includes theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, children's shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and events.
• 300+ venues, 50,000+ performances from 3000+ shows - that's huge.

I thing the art lover will stay around this place for the entire month for sure. It is a heaven for them.

Frankly speaking, I don't know anything about art, but I certainly enjoyed the whole place filled with people and performances. For me everything was entertainment. So my formula, art = entertainment! That make sense now. 

Every nook and corner of Edinburgh had something related to the festival. Free entry to various venues, flee markets, art collections, discounted dining at the restaurants and drinks - lot of options to explore and to enjoy during the festival.

I am not sure whether you have experienced the pain in the eyes in a hurry to grasp every view around you on a travel. It happened to me. I didn't want to miss out anything around me during the whole walk and it gave really tough time for my eyes.

Time For An Evening Snack

The museum visit took sometime that the evening demanded a snack and made me stroll to the in-house coffee shop for a quick grab. A biscuit, yummy jam and latte made my moment.

As I mentioned before, you have more restaurants here than people all around. It is the time when you spend the joyful moments with your dear ones being yourself with freedom and acceptance.

For me, meeting friends over a coffee or food is something that I never want to miss. That would be one thing that I always enjoy while being with the close ones. There is immense fun to sip a coffee or tea and to discuss about everything under the sky. 

Those moments made the tea and coffee an inevitable part of my daily life. I really crave for a coffee in the evening :)

It Smells Like Christmas!

If you ask me for one season in my life that I enjoy my heart out, it is the Christmas. 

For the past two weekends I stumbled up on the Christmas decorations in 4-5 shops. Initially I thought there are some people like me who think about Christmas bit early. But the truth is that I might be the last one in the major chunk who enjoys this season. 

Majority of hotels doesn't have a vacancy for 2015 Christmas. Everything SOLD OUT. That's crazy.

But looking forward to welcome the season. Lot to share with Ikey.

Why You Should Visit The National Museum of Scotland?

I am not a museum goer. However, since my visit to the National Museum, I kind of started to love these places. And this museum bestowed me with wonderful piece of knowledge about the history of Scotland.

Almost all the historical significant structures has undergone multi million pound (~ 47 million in pounds) renovations in Scotland recently. So does the national museum. Due to the surge of visitors year by year, that was a wise decision to take anyway. 

Merges happens for museums too. The official national museum of Scotland was formed as a merge between the new museum of Scotland + Royal museum in 2006. The place is so rich in its collectibles itself. Ranging from historical, cultural, antiques, science, technology - this is a place where you can spend learning something. And kids will love this place for the interactive items that are around. I was enjoying each and every corner of this museum. 

I entered the museum through the basement and climbed up to the wonderful white color painted, glass paved hall. It was so beautiful with with the sunlight that was filtering through. The structure is very old to when it was constructed. There are several exhibits that you can enjoy at this location.

There are close 9000 exhibits in this museum and majority are authentic ones, not the replica's. Several exhibits which are opened to public after the renovation are not seen by several generations. And this makes the museum a special place to go.

Here is what the main areas that you can visit once you are in the museum

• Grand Gallery
• Art Gallery
• Natural Habitat Gallery
• Scottish History and Archaeology
• Science and Technology
• World Cultures
• New Galleries 

If I have enjoyed this, then think about the kids. I could see more kids than adults in the gallery. With parents and grand parents, the kids were trying to learn new things from all around. With great happiness and excitement, they were racing through the museum alleys and enjoying their heart out. Sweet childhood days!

Things To Know About The Central Library

Library isn't the place that I like to visit at all. However, I thought of paying a visit as there was a Photography Exhibition going on and it was *free* :) 

This is one marvelous heaven of book and literature. Attain a membership and enjoy the wide collection of world famous books everyday.

Spent sometime around the photography exhibition and returned to the path of discovery.

Quick facts about the library:

• Opened in 1890 and the first library building in the city
• 500,000 book loans annually issued by the library
• Library has the card indices to track and find the books 
• Utilized the day light to the most through its architectural design

More Pictures Along The Royal Mile

This post is a continuation of the Royal Mile walk post, which you can read by clicking this link. I have around 234 pictures taken on the one day trip to Edinburgh. So thought of sharing some more.

Music again. This gives life to the streets and the surroundings. A bagpiper sharing is talent with the rest of the world. This musician has the skill. I enjoyed it for sometime. In-fact Scottish music is something I enjoyed from television. So enjoying it live was a precious moment for me for sure.

People likes the food, drinks, the varieties - there are more restaurants in the city than the people. And all are different and adds their own flavor to what they offer.

The City Sightseeing red bus that you can see in almost all the cities in UK. I took the ride one day. My main aim was to take some videos from the open roof of the bus. And it was wonderful. Pay 13 pounds and hop on and off the bus at the designated stops. A very good way to enjoy the town in an organized manner.

The Scottish attire. The traditional Scottish uniform or formal. You can see this as a primary outfit for any events in Scotland.

More street performers. I always try to stop and watch (pay some money at times) to encourage this people. They are doing it to earn some bucks or at least a recognition. We can give both right? Just give it then.

The Famous Royal Military Tattoo Event

When my colleague first asked me whether I am interested to go for the Military Tattoo, I told him that I am not interesting in getting a Tattoo. After realizing that it was one of the several funny ignorant moments in life, I took it in a stride and studied about it. When the Edinburgh trip came along, I read little bit more about it to get more understanding.

The Military Tattoo is a yearly event that is performed by the royal military. And I wondered how come they call this moment with a word Tattoo and it was interesting to know how it was derived. For me, it was kind of a  royal level of piping championship. Band of the powerful ones.

Close to 3 laksh spectators in and around UK, fire works, the castle premises - the experience is certainly at a different level. 

And the best part is that the event location is the Castle entrance. Temporary stands on the either sides enables the visitors to enjoy the dazzling beauty of the parade with a view.

And the event really got a military strictness in its execution. Heard that not even once the schedule had a shift due to any reasons. The week before my visit, during the parade it rained and still the show went on and everyone sit and watched. That's the craziness the people have towards this event. Amazing.