Let’s hang out. — Hi Globetrotters! My name is Belcairn. Well, it’s not really but I’m in disguise! It feels really weird when people comment and call me Belcairn. I made this name up and there’s a reason behind it but I’m not telling you what. …

But why even bother when Edinburgh is so great? — If I see one more Instagram post with the caption “Sing me a song of a lass that is gone” I’ll scream. Scotland is full of tourists, taking snaps and posting them, but I’ve noticed one thing when I read about their trips. They hardly ever mention Glasgow. Have you…

It’s the big “au revoir” from me — Ah, the city of blinding lights. The romance, the couture, the intellectual conversation! The wine, the Gitanes… Bullshit. Paris is like a coercive partner. It always fucks you up and yet you keep crawling back. Every time you leave, you vow never to go there again. Then time passes. …

What I learned on a trip to find my own slice of la dolce vita — Do you ever imagine yourself living another life? Maybe spending part of each year at your little place in Italy? You could invest money in a property there that you could rent out, or use for longer-term stays with friends and family. Use it as a base to travel around…

Another British icon takes its own life. In the restaurant at the top of the Edinburgh branch of John Lewis there are huge windows letting in the cold grey light, providing spectacular views over the roofs of the New Town and down to the Firth of Forth. The breakfast is…

How did it not kill me?! — Keeley Schroder ‘s writing prompt for April 27th: What was the first car you owned? It’s the mid-1990s. Driving up Whiteladies Road in Bristol, England, on a baking hot day with the windows open, it was strangely silent in the car. The tape I’d put into the car stereo (Crocodiles…

But can you? — Who’s your favorite Friend? Ross, Pheobe, Chandler, Joey, Rachel, or Monica? It’s such a difficult question, what does it even mean? Which one do you relate to most? Which one you’d like to date? Either way, Chandler, played by Matthew Perry, has never been my favorite. I’m a late adopter…

April Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Life” — We carry weight on our shoulders The first time I saw this sculpture it gave me quite a shock. I was walking over the Kerr Street bridge in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, when I looked down to see a person apparently wading, naked, down the Water of Leith. No person this, but the third piece of Anthony Gormley’s…

Wildflowers through the eyes of a romantic traveller — If you grew up in a city, or even a town, your experience of wildflowers might be limited. You probably didn’t call them wildflowers, you probably called them weeds. Except for the daisies. Sitting on the lawn as my mum hung up the washing, watching my grandfather fixing a truck…