Blogmas #3: A wintery trip to Edinburgh!

I've always heard such great things about Edinburgh Christmas Markets so when I had the chance to go this year, I jumped at the chance! Located in Princes St Gardens, the markets consist of a variety of stalls mapping the whole of the gardens. Edinburgh itself has such a wintery feel with the stone, traditional buildings and narrow streets so I loved visiting at such a festive time.

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The first day we visited the fabulous Christmas markets.

Our first stop was the Bailey's Treat Bar where we enjoyed a lovely hot chocolate with the works - marshmellows and cream! This was so needed as we were freezing.

There were so many amazing food stalls, particularly ones with the perfect gifts. I loved these chocolate pick n mix stalls which were packaged beautifully. You could also buy three stacked Christmas boxes filled with a variety of them (these were way out of my budget though). I also love the homemade jams and spreads that are always on sale on the markets - they make me feel so festive and are the perfect hamper filler.

Of course, I couldn't visit the markets without some pancakes. These were incredible. The chefs cooked them in front of you. I opted for Nutella and trust me, they weren't stingy with the amount they put on! My mouth is watering just thinking of them!

I loved the stalls, particularly the ones selling candles and Christmas decorations. I wanted to buy everything!

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Anyone who knows me will know that I am obsessed with the zoo so, of course, I had to visit while I was in Edinburgh. Sadly, the giant panda enclosure was closed on the day that we visited so I couldn't see them and the zoo doesn't have any giraffes. Let's not talk about that. The zoo was really good though and the weather was amazing! There were so many cute walkways and the zoo was decorated with so many pretty lanterns due to the Chinese Lantern Festival that was on the evening before. They looked just as pretty in the day unlit and were the perfect addition to the zoo scenery.

After the zoo we went to Castle Hill, the home of Edinburgh Castle, where we took in the views. We then enjoyed a stroll along the Royal Mile, taking in the festive decor and having a look round the shops.

One of my favourite places was a quaint little shop that was in fact the oldest building on the Royal Mile, dating back to the 1500s! This sold the cutest Christmas decorations and gifts, which of course we took advantage of.