Magic. You step into pure magic. The buildings enchant you with their aged, rustic attire, begging you to come dream admiring them. They tell you stories, some of which you’ve never heard before but seem familiar all the same.

The Edinburgh Castle leaves you with no wonder as to why she served as the inspiration for Hogwarts. Her outside, beautiful medieval walls perched up on a stone hill, destroys the age-old saying that you should never judge a book by its cover. Her cover is only a taste of what she has to offer. For only 16 pounds you can read through every single page inside that cover. She will enchant you, leaving you feeling as though you dropped back into time into the story yourself.

St. Giles’ Cathedral is no different. Her story speaks of the heavens. She tells you of her view of heaven through her spires and her stained-glass windows. She brings you peace. She brings you love and wonderment. She welcomes you to hear her story at no cost, for she longs for you to hear her story more than she longs to profit from telling it.

Walking the Royal Mile is sure to make you feel like you were dropped in a fairy tale.

A climb to Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park is sure to keep you there. Dream of knights in shining armor in the legends of Camelot. Feel like King Arthur yourself as you look over the whole of Edinburgh, feeling like royalty, blessed with such a beautiful view.

The gardens sing to you. The flowers looking up at you only wish to lull you into an enchanting, magical dream. It’s all part of the scene. It’s all part of the story that the buildings whisper in your ears.

The people themselves never succumb to the big city feels. Life is fast, in the way that it can also be slow. They still make time to give you some smiles and to welcome you.

You enter into The Elephant House, where a magical story was once created. As you look out the window, enjoying some of the most delicious café food you’ve ever set your tongue on,  you can understand why J.K. Rowling was, herself, enchanted by this beautiful city. You only wish you could have known the city at the time and in the way that she did when she would spend hours writing about the characters we all fell in love with. We are all Dumbledore’s Army.

Intrigued by this story, you aim to know more, to learn more, to explore every word and page that you can. You walk through the cobblestone streets, thinking of all those to come before you and all the stories that they have left behind. You think of all the stories that are still in the making. You catch a glimpse of small chapters. You catch a glimpse of their lives. Winding down these cobblestone streets you stumble upon a shop that encourages you to keep reading, to keep exploring this old city through the old literature that it has to offer. The Old Town Bookshop will keep you enchanted for a couple of hours if you so wish, feeding your eyes with the stories that have come from this beautiful county.

Books aren’t the only things that you can tell you some stories. Our stories are in everything. Not just in our words but also in how we present ourselves to the world. Without writing or speaking a single word, we can give a brief synopsis of what lies in our minds and in our hearts. Edinburgh, Scotland encourages you to dress yourself with the stories of others, so that you can pass it on and make it your own, so that you can learn about and remember stories that have had their time of prime but are waiting for another chance. Armstrong’s Vintage clothing and accessories emporium in Grassmarket square could show you some old stories that you can revitalize and bring back to life.

Stories also come in the form of drink, whiskey in particular, a Scotland favorite. This particular story is one of exception, because you hear through the likes of your tongue rather than through the likes of your ears. You are bound to miss an important story of this old country by skipping the Scotch Whiskey Experience, not but a two minute walk from the Edinburgh castle. At 14.50 pounds for The Silver Tour, you can alight your taste buds with your whiskey of choice from the likes of four different whiskeys, reading through the different chapters of Islay, Highlands, Lowlands, and Speyside. The history of whiskey will lie before your eyes in the world’s largest collection of whiskey. Soak in the magic.

Stories to entice your taste buds don’t stop there. Handmade ice cream coming in the forms of cones or milkshakes is bound to be high up on your list of things to peruse. Mary’s Milk Bar is sure to enchant you, leaving you wanting to return for more. With exotic flavors such as goat cheese and honey as well as lavender, this is a story that you will dive straight into and devour. No story is like this one.

In Edinburgh, you don’t just hear the stories of people. You also hear the stories of animals. Greyfriar’s Bobby will tell you the story of true love, of the love a dog had for his master. The story goes that Bobby guarded his master’s grave in Greyfriar’s Kirkyard 14 years after he had died, until the dog himself had died. Now, that is a story you would love to hear. Bobby, located at the corner of Candlemaker Row and George IV Bridge, will even let you rub his nose if you are so inclined to do so.

Edinburgh is a city of stories. Edinburgh is a city of magic. You land into a fairy tale when you travel through here. This city will capture your heart as it captured mine, especially if you stay to hear the ending.