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Scotland

December 2023
A short but fine adventure by Tige & Jocelyn Read more
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  • Scotland
    Day 1

    Edinburgh!

    December 28, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 45 °F

    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

  • Scotland
    Day 2

    Edinburgh Castle and Hogmanay

    December 29, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 41 °F

    Today was a chilly day but nothing a few layers couldn’t handle (which is good because Gid lost his glove immediately this am). Since we are right on the Royal mile we start our day hearing bagpipes, which is super cool. We went out after breakfast and headed to Edinburgh castle and spent the morning and into the early afternoon there. Elliot has been studying Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth the 1st pretty thoroughly and she knew a lot of the history that we were experiencing. We walked the grounds of the castle, saw the Crown Jewels, the amazing views of the city and the water from above. Other highlights were the great hall and the section for the prisoners and the 1p cannon shot. The audio tour was just ok, but the castle was terrific.

    Afterward, we walked Victoria street and found some delicious pulled pork at a place called Oink (def recommend) and walked the streets looking in shops and finding the perfect wool scarves. We checked out more bagpipes and headed back to warm up and played board games.

    Headed out to grab dinner at a place called The Mussels and Steak bar. Lots of fresh seafood here and we had fish and oysters and mussels. Everyone tried Haggis and it was actually delicious😋

    Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of the end and beginning few days of the year meant to be a time of reflection (and partying). The beginning of Hogmanay kicks off with a parade of 20k people with torches and drums, and of course, bagpipes. Incredible to watch! That said, we had to blend in and cross over to get back to our place. Luckily Tige found a loose gate. The police were out enforcing the parade route and not keen on crossings! Back home to get ready for bed and get some sleep. Overall a great day!    Read more

  • Scotland
    Day 4

    Last 48 hours in Edinburgh

    December 31, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    We had a great last full day in Scotland, starting with a visit to Camera Obscura. Super fun illusions and plasma tubes (the kids loved shocking each other after one of the guides showed them how). We have been to other illusions museums but this one was extra special. One of the highlights was that it snowed while we were on the roof deck looking out at the city- so beautiful! After we left there we had wings and beers (adults:) and stopped by the house to drop off our bags.

    We had a 2:30 booking for The Scotch Whisky Experience. Neither of us are big scotch people but we gave it our best. The tour was super fun and immersive even for the kids and we learned about regions and flavors and chose our favorite profile for a sample. The kids had a classic Scottish soda, which had mixed reviews. Our place was about 5 minutes from the tasting place, so we took the kids back and left our babysitter in charge (E) and went back to the Scotch Fair at the same spot. Basically just vendors that you could try if you went to the tour. We found some that were ok, but we are still not converts.

    We made our way into the more local part of the city away from the Royal Mile and went to the top escape room in Scotland. We did a Jumangi-themed room that was super fun with lots of puzzles and locks and managed to escape with 3 min to go. Kids loved it! Our last stop was dinner at Vittorio’s, which was a nice Italian spot. Headed home a little after 9 and everyone fell asleep quickly after a busy day!

    This morning we were up early to check out of our AirBnb. We walked the Royal Mile (which is actually a Scot’s mile, 1.1 miles) down to the Holyrood palace and caught a glimpse of King Arthur’s seat. We had wanted to hike it, but weather wasn’t ideal. Next time! Walked back to the train station, with a quick stop to buy some heavy wool sweaters, and on our way home on the train now. We all really loved Edinburgh and can see why so many people say Scotland is one of their favorite places. Tige will be back to locum in Glasgow in a couple weeks but we will all be back for a longer visit in the not-too-distant future.    Read more

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