Edinburgh!

We had to get up early to catch our 7:40 train from Beaconsfield. Just a short 5-10 walk from the house and then into London where we took the Underground to Kings Cross for our 4.5 hour train to Edinburgh. Storm Gerrit caused havoc in Scotland yesterday and most trains were canceled but, fortunately, everything up and running today. Unfortunately, it was standing room only for most of the trip with people sitting in the aisles next to us. At least they honored our seat reservations and we got to sit together. We arrived at 2 and were able to check in early. Our flat is awesome! It's directly on the Royal Mile or High Street in Edinburgh, just down the way from Edinburgh Castle in the middle of Old Town. It feels like walking on a movie set (the kids didn't get my William Wallace quotes). We dropped our bags and made our way to a late lunch at a nice restaurant down the street (will have to work our way up to trying haggis). We then walked across town to the Christmas Market with it's lights before heading back to the Royal Mile for a tour at Mary King's Close (which was right next door to our flat, as it turned out). Close refers to the old and (mostly) no longer existent narrow streets that separated the packed in homes in Edinburgh dating back 400-500 years. The old towns have been built on top of over the years but some of the narrow alleys and old rooms are preserved underneath the city. It was an interesting history with some lessons on the Plague that the kids couldn't believe; very enjoyable. After the tour, we found a local grocery for breakfast (and a late dinner/snack) and made our way back to the flat. We are all tired so it's nice to sit down and relax but a full day tomorrow.Read more