Tag Page EdinburghReality

Edinburgh Broke My City Expectations

I thought I knew what European cities looked like. Postcards. Cobblestones. The usual. Then I walked up the Royal Mile at 6 AM, mist rolling off the castle like something out of a dream I'd forgotten. No crowds. Just me and a city that felt alive in a way London never did. The closes—those narrow medieval alleys—weren't charming. They were claustrophobic and perfect. Each one hiding pubs that have been serving whisky since before my country existed. I sat in Princes Street Gardens watching commuters rush past, castle overhead, and realized I'd been visiting cities wrong. Edinburgh doesn't perform for you. It just exists, confidently ancient, while you figure out if you belong. Some places change you without trying. Edinburgh is shameless about it. #Travel #EdinburghReality #CityThatChangedMe