Edinburgh
Caoilfhionn Maguire she's lived in London, New York and Northern Ireland, but moved to Edinburgh (attracted by a sunny day, the smell of beer and an almost electric vibe) after having traveled the world... to 62 countries to be exact.
This interview is part of "The World Made Local" , a global project of Condé Nast Traveler in the seven international editions, which gives voice to 100 people in 100 countries to find out why her own territory should be your next destination.
We have 24 hours. What should we visit and see before leaving the city?
We should have a coffee strength , in Stockbridge, and walk through the small independent shops of St Stephen's Street. We'd go take some pictures of the New and Old Town, eat tacos at El Cartel, and hang out at the Fruitmarket Gallery. Then we would explore the alter ego of the city with a tour of the Invisible Cities of Leith and we would take a bike to tour the Water of Leith river.
We would also have to go see the sunset at Calton Hill (my favorite pastime in Edinburgh) before ending the evening with cocktails at Bramble , or a good wine in Good Brothers Wine Co . The best way to see Edinburgh is on foot, so FitBit is going to go crazy.
What song defines the essence of a city like Edinburgh?
When I miss the city I always want to listen to Caledonia from Paolo Nutini , when he sang it live at T In The Park. The emotion of his voice, the passion of the audience singing back to him, the lyrics of the song... manages to capture how hypnotic it is to fall in love with Edinburgh, with Scotland.
Caoilfhionn Maguire
Tell us something about Edinburgh that we don't know:
I have two secrets that I love. The first that is that the clock in the famous Balmoral Hotel , which is above the waverly railway station , he is always three minutes late so that people can get to the train on time. The second is that the canal system is 49 kilometers long from the west of the city to Falkirk and is perfect for kayaking or paddleboarding.
Edinburgh is close to many amazing places, do you recommend any?
For hiking there are Pentlands , ideal to visit in autumn. If it's sunny you can go to Beaches ranging from Aberlady to North Berwich, which is very accessible by rail and bike. St Abbs is on this route and if you walk to the top it takes you to one of the headlights prettiest in the country. If you don't mind going a bit further, Tay Forest and the Loch Tay area is a fantasy.