Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh, Scotland

Happy almost Halloween my ghouls! I thought the last spooky location I should take y’all through should be really creepy, but also awesome. So, today I bring you Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh, Scotland!

When planning our trip to Scotland I did a lot of research on things to do/see. Edinburgh was a little bit harder than other places because we wanted to see a ton of stuff. It is an incredible historic city, and we wanted to hit the highlights! One place that we kept seeing over and over (for different reasons) was Greyfriars Kirkyard. So, we added it to the list!

 Greyfriars Kirkyard, like many places in Edinburgh, is tucked behind some old buildings and you would absolutely miss it if you weren’t paying attention. The easiest way I suggest finding it, is to find Greyfriars Bobby’s Pub. First of all, the outside is adorable and you can see a statue of Bobby, the sky terrier who supposedly guarded his owners grave until his own death 14 years later. (You can find Bobby’s headstone right in the entrance of Greyfriars Kirkyard.) Once you find Greyfriars Bobby, look to your immediate left and go down the dark spooky alley and you will walk straight into Greyfriars Kirkyard.

This cemetery has been around since the 1560s. Yes, you read that correctly, 1560. Many Scots have been buried in Greyfriars throughout the ages, but one has been said to still be hanging around after his death. George Mackenzie was a persecutor of the Presbyterian church back in the 17th century, and his ghost is supposedly haunting the kirkyard to this day. The Mackenzie Poltergeist is said to be pretty aggressive because people have been scratched, bruised, and pushed often in the kirkyard at night.

It’s kind of incredible just to see all the old headstones and mausoleums. Even during the day it’s a little creepy. If you’re looking for a really creepy time, try going in the kirkyard at night! As far as I know, it stays open all the time, so you can go in anytime of the day or night! Jackson and I found the kirkyard for the first time at around 11pm and we wandered around in the dark for awhile. Not going to lie, you are going to want someone to hold onto.

Ok, where are all my Potterheads? I have something exciting to tell you! Did you know that J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in Edinburgh (more on that in another post) and more specifically, found some of her character’s names in Greyfriars Cemetery?!? Buried in the cemetery is a man named Tom Riddle. There is also a Scottish poet with the last name McGonagall. I’m not going to tell you where they are because honestly finding them is half the fun! I will tell you they are closer to the back, but that’s it!

Greyfriars Kirkyard is an unbelievable place in one of the most beautifully magical cities in the world. If you are ever in Scotland, you must visit Greyfriars Kirkyard and Edinburgh. Say hello to Bobby for me and make sure to be on your guard!

❤ Abbie

Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, OH

Hello friends! So, I’ve been going back and forth about whether or not I wanted to post about some spooky/supposedly haunted places because the last time I did I received some negative feedback. However, it is something that has always been of interest to me, and I feel I need to be true to myself. With that being said, I want to start this post off by saying I don’t necessarily believe that these places I will be sharing are “haunted.” I am just going to tell some facts and share some experiences had by others and I will let you make the call. Or don’t make a call and just enjoy some spooky stories! Anyways, somewhat soapbox over. Let’s get to some spooky!

Today I am sharing one of the cooler places I’ve visited in Cleveland! Lake View Cemetery is the resting place of many famous Clevelanders throughout the years. Buried in the rolling hills of Lake View are people like John D. Rockefeller, Elliot Ness, and James A. Garfield (tomb is pictured above), just to name a few. You might be surprised at some of these names, but back in the late 1800s/early 1900s Cleveland was actually home to more millionaires than any city in America. The oil and railroad trades boomed in Cleveland, making it a very wealthy city! That meant the wealthiest could afford to be buried in the most beautiful location in Cleveland, Lake View Cemetery.

The cemetery itself is massive, spanning over 285 acres. With all this land and lots of twisted pathways, it’s not hard to get lost. But, that is the beauty of Lake View, getting lost for an hour or two looking at all of the beautifully haunting graves.

It’s amazing to me the detail that was put in to making some of these graves. The beautiful mausoleums, intricate gravestones, and hauntingly realistic sculptures greet you at every turn. It’s not hard to get the sense of not being alone.

One of my favorite graves is for a family named Haserot. It is perhaps the most photographed grave in the entire cemetery because it is so foreboding. Nestled back behind some tombs sits the Haserot angel.

The name of the dark angel is actually “The Angel of Death Victorious.” The angel sits with an extinguished torch upside-down to symbolize life being extinguished. She stares straight ahead, unmoving. The eeriest part of the Haserot angel comes from years of being exposed to the elements; the bronze has worn and it looks as if she is crying black tears. Even if you see nothing else in the cemetery, you must  visit the Haserot Angel.

The final grave I would like to share comes with a bit of a story. Hans Tiedemann was a German immigrant who came to live in Cleveland in the late 1800s. He built an incredible home called Franklin Castle.

If you are from Cleveland (or Ohio in general) you have most likely heard of this house. Franklin Castle is known for being the most haunted house in Ohio. Years and years of stories and mystery have shrouded this home and they all trace back to the supposed horrors of Mr. Tiedemann.

Tiedemann and his family built the mansion (shown above) from 1881-1883 in one of the most influential and wealthy parts of Cleveland. He moved into the home with his wife Louise, and their two children. The Tiedemann’s lost several children due to the common diseases of the time, but rumor had it that more people had died in the home (of not so natural causes, if you catch my drift). The home switched owners several times through the years. Some say it was built above part of the underground railroad. Others say in the 1920s during prohibition, the basement was used as a speakeasy. Some even say it belonged to a group of Nazis. One thing always stays the same however, the owners always say the house is haunted. What is most commonly seen is a woman in black standing on the second floor balcony. People report mysterious mists appearing and the feeling of being pushed. I’m not quite sure if we’ll ever know what really happened in Franklin Castle, but it sure makes for a good spooky story! If you want to hear more creepy details about Franklin Castle I highly recommend the book “Haunted Ohio.”

Well, that’s all for this weeks spooky wandering post! If you ever get the chance to visit Lake View Cemetery in Ohio, it’s worth the trip! Say hello to the Haserot Angel for me… and let’s all hope she doesn’t say hello back.

❤ Abbie

Loch Ness, Scotland

Hello friends! I have been having major Scotland withdrawals lately. To be honest, out of our entire trip, Scotland is the place I always miss the most. I miss the breathtaking landscape. I miss the super friendly people. I miss the magical feeling of walking around somewhere so old. Scotland just always stays with you. Today I’m going to share another part of Scotland with you! We were excited to take a tour of the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness with The Hairy Coo touring company! Now, I have to preface this by saying that I don’t normally suggest touring groups because I would much rather explore by myself. I feel that much more ground can be covered if you tour by yourself and you have the chance to stop and see whatever you want because you are making the schedule. However, The Hairy Coo tour was amazing. The tour guide was hilarious, gave excellent historical information, and even stopped at places not on the schedule because he thought it would be a good photo opportunity! I highly suggest taking the Hairy Coo tours if you don’t have a car available! Ok, time to get down to business. Let’s go find Nessie, shall we?

We started our tour of Loch Ness in an adorable little town called Fort Augustus. Imagine the place where little red riding hood lives, and you would have Fort Augustus. The town is full of beautiful old buildings turned touristy shops.

We hopped on a double-decker boat and ventured out into the vast Loch Ness. The views from the water are incredible! The loch is mostly surrounded by mountains. There was something mysteriously beautiful about the foggy day and looking for the notorious Nessie.

The tour guide on board told us the history of Nessie as we floated down the loch.

Did you know that if you are in Loch Ness longer than a minute you will die of hypothermia? The loch is so deep and dark that the sun cannot penetrate very far into the water, keeping the average temperature 42 degrees Fahrenheit year-round!

Many people over many centuries have been said to have spotted the Loch Ness Monster! Nessie is said to be quite large and have a long thin neck that protrudes the dark waters. The bad news is that an animal with such a long neck wouldn’t be able to live in water as cold as Loch Ness. We were pretty bummed to learn that news, but then something crazy happened.

Like really crazy. WE FOUND NESSIE!!!

Ok, so maybe not, but the boat had a little Nessie painted on the window that made for a perfect photo op!

If you look on the sides of the mountains as you boat around you might even see some wild sheep! They, unlike Nessie, are real! The trip was so beautiful and my photos don’t even do it justice.

I hope one day you venture out to find Nessie!

❤ Abbie

 

A Stroll Through Notting Hill

When traveling to London, I don’t feel like many people say, “Hey! Let’s go to Notting Hill today!” There are so many other “typical London” things to do that I feel like someplace as adorable and Instaworthy as Notting Hill gets shoved to the back-burner. But, the blogger in me couldn’t miss out on that opportunity! Especially since about 4 months prior I started following some amazing London bloggers/Instagrammers (which I’ll tag below) and most of my favorite posts were in Notting Hill. So, Jackson and I meandered over to Notting Hill for some pretty strolls and antiquing on Portobello Road!

The first stop was food. Portobello Road holds the UK’s largest antiques market, some yummy restaurants, and some adorable shops. We stopped for lunch at Arancina, an adorable Sicilian pizza restaurant. How could you not stop with a window as adorable as this??

We chowed down on some yummy pizza and a coke! I highly recommend Arancina!

Next, we walked around Notting Hill to look at all the gorgeous row houses! The good part of Notting Hill is that it is all pretty centrally located. You don’t really have to walk a million miles to see some pretty things!

Now to the biggest bummer of the day. Make sure to pay attention to the day you go walk around because some of the shops might be closed! I was really excited to go to Alice’s Antique Shop, but alas, it was closed. Most of Portobello Market was closed also. There were still some small antique shops open, so the antiquing part wasn’t a total bust.

All in all, Notting Hill was definitely beautiful and good for a nice stroll! I would say if you have some time to spend in London, you should definitely check it out!

If you’re not in London, but you want to add a little bit of beauty to your Instagram feed, you should check out the following Instagrammers:

@siobhaise // @prettycitylondon // @clairemenary

You won’t be disappointed! Have a great day dreaming of London!

❤ Abbie

Smartphone Photography Tips!

So, does any one else get super bummed out when you have a picture perfect moment, but you don’t have your camera? I definitely do. But thankfully we live in a time when our smartphones can do just as well as our regular cameras if we know how to use them correctly! I have partnered up with a super cool company called Aura Frames to give you some of my smartphone photography tips! I’ve given examples of my own phone photography below to show that it is possible to take fantastic photos on your phone!

1. Lighting is everything!

I decided on this one first because I feel it’s the most important! If you are trying to take a photograph of something, but even on the screen it’s blurry, you need more light! To be honest, I am not a huge fan of using flash. Most of the time when you use the flash it’s too harsh on your photo. I suggest natural lighting. Are you indoors? Take your subject close to a window! Now, if it’s crazy sunny, you probably aren’t going to get a good photograph either because now it’s too overexposed! Shaded places are the best places!

Now for night photography, make sure to stand very still and use an image stabilizer (should be under your settings). You also want the subject of your photograph to be well lit, so the camera has something to focus on!

2. Use the Rule of Thirds.

Now you may be sitting there thinking, how am I supposed to use the rule of thirds if I don’t even know what that is?! Let me fill you in! Imagine your frame has two horizontal and two vertical lines spaced in the frame. The goal is to line up the subject of your portrait with the lines or where the lines meet. See the picture below as a reference!

3. Get creative!

I can almost guarantee you that something in your immediate area would make an amazing picture. Say it’s your first cup of coffee in the morning, take a picture of it! Is your cat perched by the window? I bet he wants you to take his picture! One of my favorite things to do is look around at the ordinary and try to make it look extraordinary! I promise that if you start noticing the texture of objects or the way the light hits something just right, it will change your outlook on everything! You’ll start to see things and know what will make a good photograph. Train your eye to see things in a different way!

4. Change your perspective!

Don’t get bummed out if something isn’t turning out the way you thought it would! Change up the shot! Move your phone closer and change the perspective! (This is just a side note: Don’t use the zoom on your phone camera. Get closer to the object! By using the digital zoom your photo will look blurry and pretty pixelated. For a clean photo, get closer!) The picture below was taken by me literally kneeling on the ground and putting my phone about 5 inches away from the flowers. Don’t be afraid to get dirty!

5. Have fun!

Do you know how many times it takes for me to take a picture and find one I actually like?! It takes a lot of pictures! Thankfully we live in a digital time, so if you don’t like the first 10 pictures you take you can just delete them! Just remember to always have fun! Get creative! Expand your horizons by looking at the texture of objects! Change that perspective! Enjoy looking at the world around you and use every opportunity to explore it!

I hope that this guide has been helpful! These are just some of the main points of phone photography (and I guess regular photography, too) that I use on a daily basis! Aura Frames has come up with a handy infographic to help you with your smartphone photography!

Check out their website to see all of their beautiful digital frames that will help showcase all of your fantastic smartphone photography! And friends, they have also partnered up with Charity: Water, a non-profit organization that provides clean and safe drinking water, in hopes to build three wells in developing nations! Be sure to check out this fantastic company and get to snapping some pictures! As always, I hope you have a lovely evening!

❤ Abbie

Wanderings: Arthur’s Seat, Scotland

An actual Europe post?!?! WHAT?!?! Look who is being productive!! I thought this would be a great first post on our incredible Europe trip! Hiking Arthur’s Seat was one of my favorite (and most sweaty) parts of our Edinburgh stay! I would say that this should be top priority on everyone’s Edinburgh bucket list!! Also, one of my best friends, Adele, is heading to Edinburgh next week so I thought I would give her yet another thing to look forward to!! So Adele, this one’s for you! Today we will be making the trek up Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland!

Now from the bottom this thing looks like a mountain (while hiking it also feels like a mountain) but it is technically considered a hill. It is located next to Holyrood Palace, which is where the Queen stays when she comes to visit Scotland. It’s a beautiful house and you can tour it when she isn’t visiting!

You can start the trek by going left or right to get up to Arthur’s seat. Left is quicker and less of a trek. Right takes you on a bit of a wander around the base and middle of the hill (which is also scenic). Really either way you go you are in for a treat! I suggest left, because we went right first and were a bit confused on how to actually get to the top! (Side Note: If you want to click on any of the photos in the galleries below it should blow them up to normal size for you. It’s just impossible to have all of the full size pictures in one blog post. It would be insanely long! So please click away!)

I probably should have said this sooner, but I definitely suggest wearing hiking boots. The way up and the top tends to be a bit slippery, so you will definitely want some traction. I also suggest not wearing a ton of layers, even if it is 40°F. That hike up there can get a bit sweaty, trust me! I had 4 layers on and was dying.

The views while going up the hill are incredible.

You can see all of Edinburgh laid out beneath you! You can see the hill that Edinburgh castle sits on. You can hear church bells ringing off in the distance. It really is a dream and pictures just do not do it justice.

❤ My adventure partner

There are several places to sit once you are near the top. If you are really feeling fancy, try to bring a picnic basket with you and have a picnic! You’ll have the best view in the whole city!

Once at the top I suggest you just take it in. To this day sitting at the top of Arthur’s Seat is one of my fondest memories of our whole trip. Enjoy every moment.

❤ Abbie

P.S. Another huge “thank you” is in order to my husband Jackson for taking some killer shots of me. He really is the best.