Why it takes forever...

Any hardcore Harry Potter fan who visits Edinburgh surely knows about The Elephant House, where JK Rowling is known to have written a bit of her famous series. A large number of cafes and coffee shops like to boast that JK Rowling wrote some of the books in their shop... only a small number of these are actually legit, The Elephant House being one of them. But aside from some photos on the wall, showing her in the shop after the fact, you don't get a very Potteresque vibe about the place, really. You wouldn't even know it's anything very unique in that sense, aside from the fact that more tourists stand outside to take pictures of the front than any other place along that street. You do, however, have to go into the bathrooms. It's here the real power of the Harry Potter pilgrimaging fandom comes out. And it takes forever, if you actually have to use the toilet, because just about anyone in there has to take the time to write a message, or at the very least read them. Or take photos of them. ;)

I love that they are so varied. Many of them are just quotes from the books. Some of them are professions of love for Ron or Harry. Some of them are humorous, and some of them are heartfelt notes of thanks. Like one that read, 'The boy who lived gave me courage to go on living. Thanks JR!' or 'You are our childhood!' I love these messages. I admit to not being a ginormous HP fan (my sisters sure are) but I have read the books and I really enjoy the tale. The Elephant House is a study spot for me because their cafe is nice, the views out the windows wonderful, and the coffee tasty, but I'll never tire of these magnificent bathroom walls. So be sure, if ever you stop in for a tea or a scone (their bakery is quite good) then you should remember to leave your mark in the loo.

Cheers,
Kate xx

Wellington Coffee

Hellooo, beautiful.

Okay, so, I try not to go overboard in my Instagram feed with pictures of gorgeous little lattes, but sometimes I just can't help myself. And since it appears that all I want to look at on Instagram right now is latte art in cute mugs on wooden surfaces... I thought it was time to do the Wellington Coffee post I've been sort of mentioning here and there. (They don't have their own website, apparently.)

This (my favorite) coffee shop is about a five minute walk into the New Town area of Edinburgh, where there are a lot of shops (some quite upscale, but the whole range is there), and sits nestled underneath another shop on the corner of George Street and Hanover Street. I'll just get my one complaint out of the way: there is soooo not enough room inside to sit comfortable, especially if there are more than two of you. There is plenty of seating outdoors, but considering Edinburgh's inconsistent (at best) fall-winter weather, sitting outside is often not an option. Inside, there are two small tables and the rest of the seating consists of small stools at very narrow bars. Fine, but crowded, and if you need space, it's not really that sort of place.

That rhymed.

Anyway! Aside from that little tidbit, here are the amazing things:

THE COFFEE IS THE BEST. I've been to a number of other coffee shops, and Wellington Coffee consistently makes the best lattes I've had anywhere here (yet). A close second is Artisan Roast, which seems a sort of standard hipster roast around here, which other coffee shops brew, but Wellington uses Square Mile Coffee out of East London. The baristas* know what they're doing and they're pretty serious about it, too -- nice, no-nonsense folks who know how to froth milk and pour a sweet, smooth shot of espresso every single time. No flavors, just coffee.

Pastries. The cheese and bacon scone is like heaven, pretty much. See below.



The place also just kind of quaint. It's not big enough to sit in and study for a while, but it's also not in the part of town where students are inclined to spread out so much with their laptops and books. Like any larger city, though, *cough*Starbucks*cough* can be found just about every three blocks if what you want is to sit for three hours and nurse a brewed coffee.

And like all the best coffee shops, Wellington has a punch card so after 9 drinks you get one free. I'm allllways a fan of this system. :)



I almost always take it to go because of the aforementioned space issue. And it's also become part of my morning routine to get coffee there and then walk around the surrounding neighborhoods until it's time to do some real work. It's just a little sad that they have to cover up that beautiful little drink. ;)



Cheers!
Kate x

*Random observation: there are a lot more male baristas in Edinburgh. (!!?) Haha.