Edinburgh - The Elephant House

The Elephant House is most famous for its literary significance. This is where JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books and Ian Rankin is said to have frequented here – he even mentions it in his novels. The Elephant House serves hot food, cakes and coffee all day and attracts many locals and tourists alike.

The styling of the interior is quite unique – the tables and chairs are not what you would find in a typical cafe. In my table was a chest of drawers which contained notes and letters from past customers. There are a lot of elephants (obvious if you look at the name) – models, posters, chairs, books…Also, there is a display case with photos of JK Rowling and a signed copy of Harry Potter in another display cabinet.

Having read reviews online, the hot chocolates are a speciality of the The Elephant House, so I decided to try a Banana Bounty. This is hot chocolate with coconut and banana liqueur. The taste is quite surprising – it tastes quite summery. The fruit flavours go really well with the chocolate and the liqueur provides an extra warmth.

The Elephant House is another must to visit. I would recommend this highly – it is very popular and busy when we went, the service was friendly and the hot chocolate was fantastic!

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Edinburgh - National Museum of Scotland

The National Museum of Scotland is a vast building filled with exhibitions and displays covering nature, history, art, literature and science. There are also sections dedicated to Scottish history and culture. There is so much to see, I could possibly see one spending the entire day here! Another bonus is that it is free admittance. We were only here for a few hours, so unfortunately we didn’t get to see everything. My particular favourites were seeing the displays on different world cultures, natural history and the environment and the pivotal role Scotland has played in popular culture and art through the ages.

Bideford Christmas Lights Switch On 2016

On Sunday December 4th, Bideford Quayside was closed for the Christmas Lights Switch On event. Due to work, I wasn’t able to see the lights switch on, but I visited the fair beforehand. It was very cold but that didn’t stop the many visitors from getting into the Christmas spirit! There was an opportunity to have a “steam train” ride around the town and free reindeer antlers and Santa hats were being given away for free! There were lots of rides, hot food stalls and games. We won a teddy! There was also live music playing from the stage. Well known characters, including Batman, Peppa Pig and one crazy looking Pikachu walked around greeting everyone. It wouldn’t be Christmas without a few reindeers! They attracted a big crowd and mostly did some eating. The event closed with some spectacular fireworks from the riverside.

Edinburgh - Eteaket Tea Room and Ibis Hotel

We arrived on a Thursday afternoon. Luckily for us, the sun was shining as we made our way to the Eteaket tea room on Frederick Street. Eteaket is famed for its teas, and they supply many local restaurants and other cafes. The tea room itself is quite spacious and full of customers, which shows how popular it is. As well as teas, light lunches and afternoon teas are also on the menu; something to suit any occasion. I opted for a high tea, with Royal Earl Grey tea. The high tea is priced at £8.45 and includes half a sandwich of your choice (I had Scottish Ham and Cheddar Cheese), scone (fruit or plain) and a mini cake (I think I had lemon cake). Tea is also included. Eteaket uses loose leaf tea, good quality and better tasting. The waitress also brough a mini timer. When the sands run out, the tea has brewed for long enough and is ready to drink after you remove the filter. What a beautiful cup of tea! The food was tasty and filling too, making it a great value high tea...

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