Hogwarts or Edinburgh ?

Arlinda Ismaili
Mar 31, 2016
3 min read

The past few weeks I had been feeling very restless from the university workload, and booking a get-away felt like a perfect idea. I choose Scotland for no particular reason, other than its proximity to Coventry University. The thought of booking a holiday abroad would have taken too much time and way too much effort.

The view from outside my window began to change when train reached Preston station, as the landscapes were no longer flat. This immediately grabbed my attention, as I began to notice the difference between the North from the South of England. The view looked a lot similar to the journey to Hogwarts, however at the time little did I know there was a connection between the two.

It was love at the first sight...

When stepping outside the station, I felt like I was took a step back in time. The architecture of the city was a true masterpiece, in which had remained the same since the 18th century. Most of the attractions in Edinburgh are located in the Old Town, a medieval town at the heart of a modern Scottish city. The people are very welcoming and their lifestyle is at a much slower paced than London, which made the city feel extremely safe.

Throughout my journey, I managed to explore some the city's turbulent past, its legends and mystery. The city has been build on the top of 7 hills that provide a 3D view of the entire city. One hill tends to stand out particularly more than the others; it holds a majestic castle on the top, whose view follows you around the entire City. The castle was once a royal palace and one of the most iconic attractions in Edinburgh. When entering the castle you can see the entire Edinburgh, its almost like you're holding the entire city in the palm of your hands.

Scotland has been handing down its traditions for thousand years now and this is seen through their monument figures, medieval architecture, and fashion trends passed on from generation to generation. I highly embraced their expose of the culture and their having the opportunity to be apart of it.

Shortbread and whisky are some of their most famous edible goods, and they are sold almost everywhere. Their fashion also continues to embrace traditional clothing such as kilts and pure cashmere. Fashion trends tend to quite different from the ones in England, whilst London and Birmingham are covered with high-street brands, Edinburgh sells their main products in local stores that provide the most luxurious cashmere jumpers, scarfs and tweed jackets. They would all be covered with their traditional tartan patterns, which I found extremely classy.

During my journey I got to learn about their history, which was filled with stories about witches and magic. The Witchery takes its name from the hundreds of women burned at the stake of being perceived as a witch. Scotland is a country steeped in myth and storytelling. However in the modern days, these stories are translates as a part of the history and this was represented in interesting range of souvenirs; such as witch charms, spell books, and accessories.

Not many people might know this but this is the city for the rebirth of MAGIC. Edinburgh was the city J. K Rollowing was inspired to write her Harry Potter book. In Camera Obscura a Scottish woman share with me the following information:

Rowling wrote her first book in the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, which now one of the most expensive hotel that is highly visited by celebrities.
She moved to Edinburgh and lived in relative poverty. Her other Harry Potter books where written across Edinburgh’s cafes. One of her most visited restaurants was - The Elephant House.
You can see the real graves of Tom Riddle, James and Lilly Potter, Moodie, Professor McGonagall, all found in the Greyfriars Kirkyard. On my way to the hotel, I decided to take a shortcut and I'm so privileged to have had the opportunity to stumble across such graves. I didn’t take any pictures of their head stones as I wanted to respected the dead, but you can find pictures of these famous fictional characters online: https://goo.gl/zNZ4Y6