Welcome to Edinburgh, Athens of the North, Auld Reekie or whatever you want to call this beautiful and exciting city! You have chosen a wonderful city to stay in, to explore and to learn to love.

1. Edinburgh
THROUGH NINE VOICES
CULINARY TREATS HISTORYEXPERIENCES

2. September 2018
Gibb's Entry - by Kate George,
Southside Association
"Thisisacityofshiftinglight,ofchangingskies,ofsuddenvistas.Acityso
beautifulitbreakstheheartagainandagain."-AlexanderMcCallSmith
Layout:
Paula Bleschke & Lea Schmitt
Copy-Editors:
Florian Klee & Dr. Nils Zumbansen
Photos & Text:
Florian Klee
Greta Ratsch
Harriet Schulz
Johanna Höfferer
Lea Schmitt
Marion Leprich
Dr. Nils Zumbansen
Paula Bleschke
Paula Lubig
IMPRINT
CITY TRAVEL REVIEW

3. CONTENTS
Intro
Nine voices
History of Edinburgh
Survival Guide
To see
To do
To eat&drink
Scottisch 1O1

4. INTRODUCTION
Harriet Schulz
Welcome to Edinburgh, Athens of the North, Auld Reekie
or whatever you want to call this beautiful and exciting
city! You have chosen a wonderful city to stay in, to
explore and to learn to love.
Why visit Edinburgh?
Perhaps you’re second guessing your decision to visit
Scotland’s capital now that you have had the pleasure of
experiencing it’s wonderful weather (cough). Or maybe
you’re just looking for something inspiring to write in
your postcard to Grandma. In any case, there are plenty
of reasons to visit Edinburgh, the most of important of
which being that it is a city of extreme opposites.
Edinburgh, a city that represents Scotland's tradition with
confidence, but also embraces diversity and fusion. The
castle, the Old Town and many more sights in the city
centre nearly ooze with history, yet you needn’t look far
to discover that Edinburgh has always remained young
and fresh at it’s core. And the picturesque architecture
and surrounding landscape would never suggest that
the city has some dark and grizzly stories to tell...
Why read our guide?
As you now know, Edinburgh has so many experiences
to offer, so many sights to see and so many things to do
that at first you may feel overwhelmed. Our aim is to help
you get an overview of all the great activities that await
you on your trip to Edinburgh. And to do that, we ought
to introduce ourselves! We are a group of nine young
adults with different interests and at different stages in
our lives. For this guide – and in turn for you – we have
climbed hundreds of flights of Edinburgh’s Old town
stairs, endured a heavy Noachian flood and eaten our
way through dozens of portions of haggis (poor us, am I
right?). And in all honesty, it was totally worth it.
We hope you have as much fun in Edinburgh as we have
had and that our guide helps you discover this awesome
and unique city in a way that only you yourself can!
P.S: Check out our writer’s profiles! For your ease of use,
we’ve colour coordinated our names with the titles of our
reviews (and also because it looks funkier).
Gibb's Entry - by Kate George,
Southside Association

5. NINE VOICES
Florian/25/Regensburg
Johanna/20/Graz
Harriet/21/Berlin
Lea/24/Heidelberg
Paula/26/Saarbrücken
When visiting a foreign city I always try to get an impression of
the country's culture and to see it from different perspectives.
With regard to Edinburgh this means for me getting to know
the city's sights and famous buildings but also to try its
characteristic food and dip into its atmosphere by browsing
through stores or going to pubs.
While visiting a foreign city, I like to enjoy my time there
without rushing from one activity to the next. Instead, I prefer
strolling through the city’s streets to feel its vibe. At the end of
the day, I enjoy local food and - moreover - local drinks.
Visiting a new city or country and learning about different
cultures helps me broaden my horizon and makes me see the
world from a different perspective. I enjoy going to museums,
taking long city walks and then stuffing my face with the local
vegetarian dishes.
During a city trip I would like to get to know the culture of
each country, which includes architecture, landscapes, as
well as history. That's why I like to go to museums, stroll
through old streets and buildings and go into nature. I am
also a fan of traditional and hearty dishes and like to bring
back something home that is typical of the region.
During a journey I try to get to know as much of the local culture as
possible. Fortunately, this is perfectly compatible with my interest in
nature, modern art and vegan treats.

6. NINE VOICES
Marion/20/Salzburg
Greta/21/Tübingen
Nils/37/Bielefeld
Paula/19/Leipzig
Due to my interest in history, literature and foreign countries, I
really enjoy traveling with a focus on writers, tales, different
cultures and everything older than me. I prefer food which is
made with discernment and as natural as possible.
I did my PhD on the British Civil Wars in the 17 th century. In
general, my interests include British history, the history and
philosophy of science, fine arts and politics. I also enjoy travelling
and reading. I prefer spicy food. My focus is on famous visitor
attractions and historical buildings.
Travelling means doing things I enjoy – but in a different place.
More precisely (and regarding Edinburgh): exploring and
spending time in the city’s graveyards, walking in the tracks of
J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter, finding out about unique stories
the city can tell and trying all the vegan food!
When I’m on vacation I like a combination of relaxing and getting
many new impressions. I want to visit museums and galleries full
of modern art and joining tours that are entertaining and fun. Also
I love finding spots in new cities where I can drink a tea and read
a book in a cozy atmosphere.

7. History of Edinburgh
Dr. Nils Zubansen
The story of Edinburgh begins with where the castle now stands. This outcrop of a long
extinct volcano has been occupied for thousands of years because it provided a high level of
security and protection from outside attacks.
In the Middle Ages Edinburgh rose in significance. The 12th- century Scottish King David I
established the town as a royal burgh. From the 14th century on it also became a centre of
trade. Later King James III in the 15th century regarded Edinburgh as “the principal burgh”
in Scotland. Thus, Edinburgh increasingly set the rules for the other Scottish burghs.
When the ill-fated Queen Mary Stuart arrived in Scotland in 1561, the town already constitut-
ed the centre of affairs. Here the influential 16th-century reformer John Knox highly contrib-
uted to the Scottish Reformation. Finally, the construction of Parliament House during the
17th century confirmed Edinburgh’s status as Scotland’s capital.
As far as Edinburgh itself was concerned, the Old Town, both shaped and restricted by its
landscape, developed along the Royal Mile that runs downhill from Edinburgh Castle to
Holyrood Abbey and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Along this main thoroughfare, industries
sprang up. Moreover, lawyers, doctors and cloth merchants lived there to serve the royal
court.
A rapidly increasing population eventually resulted in housing shortage. Instead of
extending outwards, Edinburgh grew upwards, as its inhabitants built multi-storey
tenements. Therefore, the overcrowded city looked like an early version of Manhattan.
In the meantime, James VI inherited the English throne (becoming James I) in 1603 and left
Edinburgh for London; subsequently, in 1707, the Act of Union between England and Scot-
land created the British Parliament. Although Scotland’s capital then lost political influence,
the city culturally flourished in the 18th-century Scottish Enlightenment. Among Edinburgh’s
outstanding citizens were the economist Adam Smith and the philosopher David Hume.
By the late 18th century, a new part of the overcrowded city was established in the north. De-
vised by the architect James Craig and imposed on the landscape, the Georgian New Town
– in contrast to the Old Town – presents itself as a paragon of perfect town planning. Its
charac-teristics include a classical style, individual houses, straight-lined streets, large open
spaces, crescents and parks. While wealthy citizens moved to the New Town, parts of the
Old Town declined into poverty-ridden areas, although improvements were made during the
19th centu-ry. Today, Edinburgh enjoys an international reputation as the seat of the “new”
Scottish Par-liament, a financial centre, a festival city and a tourist magnet.

8. WHEATHER
FOOD
MONEY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Edinburgh is in general ideal to visit
by foot, because the city center is
relatively small. But for those
attractions too far away to reach with
walking, there is also a frequent bus
and tram system. Major bus service
operator throughout Edinburgh is
Lothian Buses. There are various
airport transfers most important bus is
line 100 which brings you from the
airport directly into Edinburghs’ city
center. If you need more detailed
information:
http://transportforedinburgh.com/
GOOD TO KNOW
SCOTLAND USES THE BRITISH THREE-
PRONGED PLUG.
THE BRITISH DRIVE ON THE LEFT.
YOU ARE MOST LIKELY TO COME
ACROSS SCOTTISH ENGLISH. BUT
SCOTLAND HAS ITS OWN
LANGUAGES: SCOTS AND SCOTTISH
GAELIC WHICH ARE SPOKEN ONLY
BY A MINORITY.
MEDICINE (PAINKILLERS ETC.) IS
SOLD IN SUPERMARKETS.
MANY SUPERMARKETS ARE OPEN UNTIL
10PM – EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.
First thing to know about Scotland:
the national currency is Pounds.
With most of the giro- or credit cards
it’s possible to withdraw money on
every ATM, but pay attention that
most banking institutions will charge
fees for that. It’s also normally
possible to pay by card in every
restaurant or shop. You should keep
in mind that everything is a little bit
more expensive, but good news:
students get a discount for up to 20%
nearly everywhere, so don’t forget
you student ID!
The weather in Edinburgh is quite
unpredictable. Pleasant sunshine
one minute, nasty wind and rain the
next. Also, the temperature is pretty
low (with peaks of 19 °C in July) –
bring warm clothes and rain-
protection! However, because of the
wind an umbrella won’t be of much
use.
When in Edinburgh, try some
traditional treats like Shortbread or
Haggis. Other specialities are deep-
fried Mars Bars and “Scotland’s other
national drink” (after Whisky) Irn-Bru.
Survival Guide
Marion Leprich & Paula Lubig

9. C O W G A T E H O S T E L K I C K A S S H O S T E L
This hostel is located at the Grassmarket in the
shadow of Edinburgh Castle and the entire city
centre is within walking distance. The centre of the
hostel is a huge, very modern and artistic living
room with billiard, table tennis and air hockey tables,
a television, board games and a huge seating area
including four snug seating boxes for a little more
privacy. If you're not too keen on cooking yourself,
the hostel even has its own cafe and bar where you
can get fast food and drinks. As for the bedrooms,
you can choose between 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 or
22 bed mixed dorms. Besides, there's a 8 and a 12
bed female dorm. Every bed has a locker, private
night lights, USB charging points and a power point.
Furthermore, there's free and good WiFi in the entire
hostel.
If you want to stay cheap in Edinburgh and yet
want to be central, the Cowgate Hostel is
recommended. The total of 36 guest rooms
are spread over several apartments, each with
shared kitchen and shared bathroom facilities.
You have the choice between double rooms,
4-bed Dorm or 6-bed Dorm.
In addition to Wifi and fresh bed linen and
towels, there is also a bar area and various
pubs and clubs just around the corner. From
the centrally located hostel it is only 2-minute-
walk to the grass market and 10 minutes to
Waverly train station.
Accommodations
24h entry
From £9 to £25
96 Cowgate, EH1 1JN
www.cowgate-hostel.edinburgh-hotel.org/
24h reception
Starting at £12
2 West Port, EH1 2JA
www.kickasshostels.co.uk
Paula Bleschke Florian Klee

10. To see
Fantastic landscape, volcanic rocks,
impressive monuments and the sea:
Edinburgh has a lot of different
faces. Spending some time in the
“Athens of the North” won´t
become boring because there is so
much to see. The amazing diversity
of options offers something
interesting for every taste.