I was surprised to enter a world that seems a gateway to the middle Ages. Combining tradition with modern amenities, Scotland made its way to my heart. The Highlands are a destination to treasure in your memory forever. I’ll tell you why.

These are the five reasons returning to Scotland became one of my life goals

# 1 – Harry Potter’s land

The saga that makes you want to go back to your twelve to watch it without having to find a nephew or a small sister to justify it, was filmed in Scotland. In this opportunity, my son was the perfect excuse to hire the four-day tour that took us along the sceneries of the young trainee magician. Edinburgh, The Elephant House (the cafeteria that gave birth to Harry Potter), West End in Glasgow and the Jacobite (the steam train that rides over West Highland and shows the scenery of several films) were vital part of such tour.

# 2 – Castles taken from a dream

It’s nothing new telling you that Scotland is the land of the best castles in the world. However, experiencing the magic from inside Brodie, Drummond, Dunrobin, Kelburn and Dirleton castles is something very different. I could help feeling an authentic highlander when the tour guide told us the story of the Maclean clan… inside the wall of their ancestral home.

# 3 – Legends that you’ll want to hear over and over again

Everybody heard about the legend of Loch Ness Monster, but not many people talk about “Wee Annie”. This little girl is said to still be crying for her favorite doll, from who she was obliged to be separated from when the plague reached Scotland in the XVII century.

Inside, (yes, not in, I really mean inside) Mary King alley, we were told her story. Hers is not a tragedy that happened exclusively to Annie, but she is the most famous ghost of the Scottish underworld that still claims for what was taken away from her: her doll… and her life. The authorities of the plague struck Scotland, in a desperate attempt to save the people who weren’t infected yet, decided to bury several people alive.

The place is now a tourist attraction where you can expect to have your sleeves pulled by the anonymous souls who were tragically condemned to an eternity of cries and anguish. Come on! Who would believe all that? I thought… before my little girl started crying in the middle of the tour claiming that a freezing cold hand took her and asked her about… a doll.

# 4 – The land of pubs

Yes, I had already tried Guinness at home in front of the TV. And I thought I was the queen of the world for that until I discovered the flavor of a real Guinness. This sensory experience took place in Last Drop, a wonderful pub that hides a dark past. Its name was inherited from the times in which the people condemned to death enjoyed their last gulp of a spirituous drink before become exactly that: a spirit after the rope broke their necks due to having committed high treason, or not.

# 5 –Festivals you won’t want to miss

Yes! Not everything is wrapped in legends that allude to death and ghosts in Scotland. There are some incredible festivals that involve carnival or the celebration of a special saint for the country. As we visited it in July, we could enjoy the best moment of the Highland games, which involve plenty of outdoor games. Anyway, there are a lot of festivals all the year round, such as Hogmanay (the end of the year) or the West End Festival, which is the second largest carnival in Great Britain.