One of my favorite things to do before visiting a destination like Edinburgh is to read the weird and interesting facts about that place. I’m not talking about geography or politics, I’m referencing things like the fact that jeans were invented in that city or it has the largest population of potatoes. HA!

1. Edinburgh hosts the largest New Years Eve street party in the world! There’s live music and an awesome fireworks display.
2. Everyone loves Harry Potter and if you say that you don’t, stop pretending, we all know it’s a lie! JK Rowling (the author of Harry Potter books in case you didn’t know), wrote the first of the series, The Philosopher’s Stone in a Edinburgh cafe.
3. Ever wonder where the term ‘golf caddie’ originated from? Me neither, but it’s kinda cool to know it came from Edinburgh. ‘Caddies’ were men who had to carry pales of water up to flats in Edinburgh.
4. Although it’s not the most exciting fact that Edinburgh has the world’s oldest floral clock and Britian’s tallest Palm House, we can stem from this that they must have had some pretty awesome gardeners back in the day.
5. And speaking of back in the day… Edinburgh must be pretty rad to now be a UNESCO World Heritage Site, FACT!
6. PROSTITUTION! Now that I have your attention, I can tell you that romantic believe Rose Street was named after the beautiful roses that grew on the slopes above the North Loch. This was not the case – as Rose Street was used to describe red-light districts of European towns. Further, to ‘pluck a rose’ was a term used to describe picking up a prostitute. Scandalous Edinburgh!
7. In the 17th century, the citizens of Edinburgh believed that putting burnt ashes of dove’s pooh on their head was a cure for baldness. What a bunch of suckers!

Whether you’re directly in the city or camping out in one of the Highland cottages, keep these wicked-cool facts about Edinburgh in mind it may change the way you view this destination next time you’re there. And make sure to share them with locals, you might get a good laugh.