A weekend in Edinburgh

I never thought that I would end up falling in love with Edinburgh as much as I did to the point where I was uttering 'I love it here' at the end of every sentence. Edinburgh is the most incredible place to get away to for the weekend with your friends or family. Sometimes you just want a city getaway but then your torn with wanting to go away and be at the beach, but then you might want to be surrounded by the beauty of the mountains. But for the life of you can not seem to decide where you would like to go. Well ladies and gents...EDINBURGH is the answer your looking for. I was completely mesmerised at the possibility of the city, the beach and the mountains all being in close proximity of each other.

First things first go book your train tickets. I have heard so many people say that one thing that puts them off from going to Edinburgh is the expense of getting there. Let me tell you it's all a myth. The secret behind is booking your trip in advance therefore booking your train tickets in the Virgin train sale. Not only will you be saving your self shed loads of money by getting a £20 return ticket to Waverley station but you also get to take in the beautiful views of the Highlands, something you can't really do when driving up to Scotland. We decided to get the 6am train and we had no regrets. Yes we had to be up at 4am (and part of that was excitement) but there's nothing like seizing the day and maximising it with activities. The train journey takes 4 hours to get there which gives you ample time to fit in that all important nap.

I would highly recommend visiting the iconic Edinburgh Castle although the castle does not offer any student discount your entry ticket will only cost you £18.50. This will allow you to absorb all the history it has to offer and not to forget the beautiful views that overlooks the city.

The best thing to do to get a proper feel for the city is to take a night walk where the city literally and figuratively comes alive. You can also take this opportunity to see the how Edinburgh Castle is stunningly lit up against the pitch black in comparison to how it looks like in the day.

Edinburgh is full to the brim of architecture that possess character and St Giles cathedral fits that criteria exceptionally well. With free entry inside you are able to spend as long as you want admiring the building for what it's truly worth.

From what I was told Edinburgh is situated on seven hills and if you are not prepared to pay to get views from Edinburgh Castle due to being on a budget theres always a plan B. With Carlton Hill being a very short walk away, I promise that you will not be disappointed with what this view has to offer. You literally get panoramic outlines of the entire city. The best time to come and get that all important picture would be at the time of sunset however be prepared that a LOT of people do tend to come at this time so my advice would be to take that into consideration. 

To end the day take a little walk to Dean village (although I can appreciate how much walking you have already done) this place is truly a hidden gem as it genuinely looks and feels magical as it does when portrayed in pictures. 

Your all probably thinking please no more walking. I assure you the views at the end will definitely be worthwhile. If your staying very central then to get to Arthurs seat you will most likely need to catch the bus. If this is the case I advise getting an all day ticket for £4 and you will be there in no time.

Arthurs seat is a hike that unquestionably needs to be ticked off the Edinburgh itinerary. You may be thinking that your not a hike person at all or it's going to be too hard because you may have never hiked before. Well let me tell you I was that very person that I just described back there and I can hand on heart say that I had no regrets. Arthurs seat was my very first hike and after that I never looked back. This hike is beyond any doubt suitable for beginners and encourage taking this hike first thing in the morning where it would be less crowded at the peak.

Holyrood Palace is a graceful yet overflowing with rich royal history surrounding Edinburgh. Entry prices for students is £12.70 so don't forget to take a form of identification with you. I was completely in awe with this building and how picture perfect it came across. If you enjoy a museum setting then Holyrood Palace is a place you have to visit. 

If you do have some free time on your hands whilst in Edinburgh then you have to visit the botanical gardens which is free of charge. Situated on the outside of central Edinburgh your £4 bus day ticket comes in handy. I would suggest visiting on a relatively warm day where you could spend your time engrossed in the gardens and the fresh air.

Last but not least you have to take a little detour to the beach which again is really accessible to get to. The beach is my all time favourite place, I love the feeling of sand between my toes and listening to the crashing waves (as you can tell from my very cheesy grin). 

Well there you have it guys, a few ideas of what to do when in Edinburgh. Although there is so much more to do this was just a rough little guide:)

Indian street food in Birmingham

Now the first question you must all be thinking is do I not get enough Indian food at home? And the answer is, ironically I do but nothing beats going out for an Indian to feast on some okra fries and some gol gappeh (which are the very things that I am desperately deprived of at home.) I'll be sharing with you my three favourite restaurants, location and of course the most important part the price, especially when you are on a budget...or in other words a student.

Lets start off with Zindiya Streatery and Bar which is located the furthest pinpointed in Mosley. This was the first ever place where I was able to experience Indian street food and boy was I amazed. I was completely taken away with it's interior and was one of the predominant factors that lead me here. Lets just say the interior is very 'instagramable' and leave it right at that. Although situated the furthest, hand on heart it is definitely worth the trip there.

They even had Limca on their menu which made me feel like I was transported back on the streets of India that tiny bit more. *Lets cheers to that*

The food was deeeelicous and is a perfect place to try a bit of everything as all dishes are perfect for sharing and are extremely filling. However some of the food was on the spicy side but that's personally me who has zero tolerance to spice and find black pepper a kick to the throat. (Yes as rare as it sounds there are Indian's that can not hack spice that exist.) And to top it all off the food was reasonably priced and doesn't amount to much when sharing portions with your friends.

The next popular place that had been on my food list for a very loooong time was the Indian Brewery located in the heart of Birmingham, Snow Hill. With this place being more accessible than Zindiya there is no excuse but to come and see what the fuss is all about.

 There is no doubt that Indian food is very colourful and most significantly flavoursome and this is exactly what Indian Brewery was all about. The food was aesthetically pleasing to a point where I did  not want to ruin the presentation but that didn't stop me. The way the seating works at the Indian Brewery is that you take a seat wherever you fancy on a bench (exactly the same concept as Wagamamas) and you order at the till as opposed to being placed at a table where a waiter/waitress takes your order from you. In terms of the price it does not vary from Zindiya's, making it reasonably priced; again perfect for sharing allowing you to dabble in a range of dishes.

Last but not least Chaii Wala, which is dotted all around the country but the closest one to me was Soho road making it a fantastic get away place when you need to take a break from all that suit shopping.

Service was incredibly fast and the food although lacking those prominent flavours that were seen in Zindiya's and the Indian Brewery the food was still appetising. Famously known for its karak chaii, I was reluctant to try it as I am sadly not the biggest fan of Indian tea. (Yes, yes I know what your all thinking.) But to my very surprise I enjoyed my little cup of chaii...after filling it up with 7 brown sugars.
In comparison for all you money savvy individuals Chaii Wala was the cheapest out of the three. Now that's what I call a bargain.

Impromptu hike at Malvern Hills

I have recently got into the habit of checking the weather every morning in the hopes of getting some sun this spring. We all have to agree on the fact that the weather has been a little dull the past few months to a point where we had snow in March, as crazy as it sounds! It was on a Friday where we decided to ditch the books (when we really should be revising) and spontaneously take a hike in a little town of Malvern, Worcestershire.

From Birmingham New Street our train journey took no more than an hour and before you knew it we was climbing the hills.

Malvern Hills is a pretty easy route with guided pathways perfect for hiking with your family and friends and even your children as we saw so many children at the peak! I was pretty baffled at how young these children were and there I was out of breath and legs feeling pretty battered.

 Further on in the distance the hills continue to go on, however we only reached the peak and decided to descend back down to catch the earlier train back home. I think at this point the guilt of abandoning revision had well and truly kicked in.